And the sky was made of amethyst
And all the stars look just like little fish
You should learn when to go
You should learn how to say "no,"

Might last a day, yeah
Mine is forever
Might last a day, yeah
Well, mine is forever

When they get what they want
They never want it again
When they get what they want
They never want it again

Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on, take everything
Take everything
Take everything
I want you to

And the sky was all violet
I want it again, but violent, more violent
And I'm the one with no soul
One above and one below

Might last a day
Mine is forever
Might last a day, yeah
Mine is forever

When they get what they want
Well, they never want it again
When they get what they want
They never want it again

Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on, take everything
Take everything
I dare you to

I told you from the start
Just how this would end
When I get what I want
I never want it again

Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on, take everything
Take everything
I want you to
Go on take everything

Take everything
Take everything
Take everything



Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe, edited by airevolt1, scottdoesntknow628

Track duration: 03:24


Violet song meanings
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108 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:Why do you people consider that Violet is song about Billy or Kurt?
    Why Courtney is always connected with men that she had relationship with?
    Courtney has deep thoughts that are not about her lovers.
    All Courtney's works at the begining are about herself, her life, her weaknesses, her life path...
    She just ONCE dedicated this song to Corgan
    Flagged BudofMayon April 19, 2013   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:It's about how guys use a girl for sex and after he gets what he wants he doesn't care anymore, but she likes him. My favorite part is when she says "when i get what i want, and i never want it again" Like because she has learned that guys are like that, she's gona do the same thing and act the way they do with her
    Flag detour900on June 10, 2012   Link
  • -1
    Song Meaning:Ok, ready for this? I'm fairly certain I've figured out the correct interpretation of this song after giving it objectively logical thought.

    First, I've seen several lyrical differences out there. But let me clear them up. First, it is not minus forever. In fact, I find that to be a ridiculous stretch. Takes all of one listen to determine that, since the 's' in minus is a sssss sound while the 's' in 'is' would be a zzz sound. Pretty clear her 's' in that phrase is the zzz sound, so obviously she is in fact saying 'mine is'.

    Second, the middle stanza lyric is 'I want it again, but violent... More violence'

    As far as the story behind the song? Can't tell ya who exactly she wrote it for, but I can tell you what they did to her.

    To me the story goes like this: Courtney had fantasies of being gang banged, but wouldn't just give that to anybody. She wanted it with someone she trusted. Obviously at some point a man she thought she could emotionally trust convinced her, manipulated her even, into having a three way with him and his friend. It likely occurred outside during the latter stages of a sunset when the sky is going from the sunsettish red to the evening black, making it somewhat violet. As she's laying there with a man in her mouth and a man down below, she's staring up at the sky and since she bouncing back and forth, what when stationary are simply stars now seem like little fish swimming about.

    After this is over, she feels more deeply connected to him but he obviously doesn't feel the same. To them, she's just a common whore. She in retrospect knew this was gonna be how they viewed her but had hoped that to be a fear and her trust in him warranted, since she's in love with him. She doesn't want him to lose interest. She wants him to be who she thought him to be and hoped he was a permanent partner in which she could repeat this fantasy; but next time more of a rape type of fantasy. But he doesn't want her and just used her. Rooted in hurt, she cries out for him, them even, to take everything. But take is sexual, as in 'take me'. Take everything means 'take me in the mouth, my ass, etc". It's a desperate plea to try and regain his interest, but to no avail. But now that she's made herself so vulnerable in allowing a man finally to take part in her threesome fantasy, only to be thrown away like a piece of trash, she now never wants to do the fantasy again.

    So let's break down the lyrics then:

    Sky was made of amethyst, stars like little fish: On her back/side looking at darkening sky while the stars are moving about this way and that way, making them look like little fish swimming around (since she was bouncing around from two men having their way with her).

    You should learn when to go, when to say no: She's preaching to herself here, in retrospect. When the guy proposed the threesome (may have been impulsively right there on the spot with his friend, for all we know), she should've known better, not trusted him, and simply said no.

    Might last a day, mine is forever: Easy here. His interest in her, this fantasy, was just for the moment of it. But her interest wasn't lust alone. She wanted the fantasy with someone she was going to be with. Her interest in the fantasy but even moreso the man himself was one of permanency. She felt a deep connection with him, trusted him, thought they'd be together forever, and gave herself to him in this way. But his interest was just for that day, that singular experience.

    Go on take everything: Take me everywhere... In my mouth, in my ass, take all of it. She's desperately crying out for him to have renewed interest.

    Sky all violet: Same as first line.

    I want it again, but violent, more violence: They enacted one of her fantasies, but next time she wants it to be more violent, like a rape fantasy.

    I'm the one with no soul, one above one below: Obvious reference to the 'Mentors' song in which almost an identical lyric appears, referring to a woman with a guy in her mouth and one down below. Any other interpretation of this lyric is simply silly. In a live performance she changes the lyric to one above and TWO below. Pretty easy to tell what she means there. Having that said, she's again being retrospective, now feeling dirty, used and much like the whore they cast her out as being.

    Go on take everything: Again, she cries out, begs this man to take every hole of hers, in an effort to get him to want to have continued interest.

    I told you from the start how this would end: She knew. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe that this was 'the right man, the man', that she could trust sharing this fantasy with not just on a raw level, but on an emotional one. She didn't want to just give this up to anyone. But she knew. Deep down she knew if she did this with him he wouldn't respect her in the morning.

    When I get what I want I never want it again: Now feeling like a fool for convincing herself he could be trusted when deep down she knew he couldn't, she never wants to do this again. Meaning she'll never be able to trust a man enough again to share this fantasy with them.
    Flagged IAMREALITYon May 09, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:It seems that Labelle is the only one to catch the critical irony in the song- that after being used by this man (or these men), she ends up using them - "I told you from the start Just how this would end. When I get what I want, I never want it again. "

    And thanks to sxepunkette for mentioning the brilliant use of changes in dynamics (loud vs soft.)
    Flagged MamboManon March 07, 2012   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:This song is about her having an affair with Billy Corgan on and off, even while Love was married to Kurt Cobain. And about Courtney Love in my opinion, being an undiagnosed Borderline Personality (BPD)

    The "Amethyst", "little fish" and "Violet" references are all astrological metaphors about her marriage to Cobain. he's the "sky" because of his infamy and fame at the time. His reputation precedes them both and as a result it's larger than life.

    Whereas in previous posts there's mentions of old boyfriends and her ex husband being rumored to have told her that she "get's what she wants and then she never wants it again". (On this I can't say, but even if that's true it's just more insight to her personal history and struggles with relationships and intimacy)

    She dated Corgan right up until she first started seeing Kurt Cobain, this has been stated in numerous interviews by Corgan, who is also batshit crazy, but not so crazy as to embellish this aspect of his personal life.

    Then she serial dated right into Cobain.

    I think honestly, the subtext of this is that Courtney Love shows all the signs of an undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder which usually revolves around sexual abuse at a young age and serial dating in order to recreate acts of sexual violence with multiple partners.

    This song is deeply affecting as I've dated women with this disorder and I am also a published songwriter. I think Courtney Love is a polarizing figure who has had a lot of tough breaks, but she also is someone who's needed psychiatric care for most of her life, and this song, more so than any other feels symptomatic of something much deeper and darker than just her being a "bitch", or what have you. I don't want comment on Kurt's suicide / murder theories because I just don't know. I am skeptical that he was alone and that she didn't at least make his life a living hell because Borderline Personalities are manipulative liars who constantly threaten and emotionally damage their partners when they aren't medicated and without a therapeutic outlet.

    Being married is a birdcage to people with this affliction. And the majority of them are prone to cheat if they are also histrionic or Bi-Polar. (Take your pick with Love) I don't think Cobain wrote this one lyrically though. Nor did Corgan. This came from a rare moment of honesty. The talent she had before she chose to burn her demons out with drugs. (which of course slowly eroded her emotional response systems and serration levels making her far to too numb to write further down the line on her own without producers and co-writers.)

    Billy Corgan is the guy who will have rough sex with her mimicking abuse to an extent. But he never sticks around long enough for her to get as "Violent" as she is compulsive to want. She fights with him, while he chastises her about her failing marriage. All the while she does feel guilty, she loves her husband and respects him on many levels. But she feels internally that she's a "damaged soul" who can't live up to the prospect of marriage so she ritualized her affairs while kind of lying to herself about why she's doing it in the first place. She says she "gets what she wants and she never wants it again" like the whore she paints herself out to be in her guilt complex of a mind. But really she's not fully aware and maybe never has been that this just reads like a letter pleading for help.
    Flag carymilleron February 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:FAIL it was 'Asking for It'

    sigh.
    Flag octobersfallenon December 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I'm probably wrong, because I just like the music and I'm not sure of how the dates line up (and it's probably the wrong song - I suck) but I read somewhere that this song was about a gig she did where she stagedived and the crowd tore her dress off and basically molested her right there. So 'go on, take everything' and 'you should learn how to say 'no'' could be aimed at the crowd? While 'when I get what I want I never want it again' and 'Take everything, I want you to' could be aimed at herself?

    I'm probably mixed up somewhere here
    Flag octobersfallenon December 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One of my favorite songs growing up playing ice hockey. As a dude I knew early that chicks can rock as hard as guys... if not harder how much considering I listened to this song and this album when it came out. Totally could pump you up for a game and still can!
    Flag apcfan22on November 05, 2011   Link
  • -1
    Song Meaning:this song could be about billy or kurt.
    as the song says
    "and the sky was made of amethyst"
    which is the crystal for Pisces.
    Pisces are symbolized by the two fish.
    "and all the stars were just like little fish"
    both billy and kurt are Pisces.
    Flag red123rose456on October 17, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I think it's about when guys get sex and they don't want anything else, But How courtney wants violence etc
    Flag witchapediaon September 09, 2011   Link

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