Hollow
Progressive String Quartet Lyrics

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What's left inside him?
Don't he remember us?
Can't he believe me?
We seemed like brothers
Talked for hours last night,
About what we want to be
I sit now with his hand in mine,
But, I know he can't feel (feel)

No one knows, what's done is done
It's as if he were dead

I'm close with his mother,
And she cries endlessly
Lord, how we miss him,
At least what's remembered
It's so important to make best friends in life,
But, it's hard when my friend sits with blank expressions

No one knows, what's done is done
It's as if he were dead

(He as hollow as I alone now)
(He as hollow as I alone now)
(He as hollow as I alone now)
(He as hollow as I alone)

He as hollow as I alone,
A shell of my friend,
Just flesh and bone
There's no soul,
He sees no love
I shake my fists at skies above

Mad
At gods
Mad

He as hollow as I converse,
I wish he'd waken from this curse
Hear my words before it's through,
I want to come in after you

My Best friend
My Best friend

Whoa, yeah
Come back

(He as hollow as I alone now)
(He as hollow as I alone now)

Overall Meaning

The Progressive String Quartet’s song Hollow is a poignant and emotional portrayal of a friendship turned sour due to addiction. The song reflects the singer’s attempt at reaching out to their friend who is now hollow and empty, overcome by addiction. In the initial stanzas, the singer wonders what is left of their friend, and if their friend remembers them. They express their concern about their friend’s inability to believe them, wondering how they can connect with someone who is now but a shell of who they used to be.

The singer is hurt by the fact that they were once as close as brothers, discussing their dreams and aspirations. But now all they have is a friend who sits with a blank expression, unable to connect with them on any level. While the singer has his friend's hand in theirs, they feel hopeless because they know that their friend cannot feel the warmth of their friendship. The chorus, ‘No one knows, what's done is done. It's as if he were dead,’ indicates that the singer feels helpless, unable to do anything to help their friend overcome their addiction.

The last stanza sees the singer questioning their faith in God and the heavens. They shake their fists at the skies, unable to comprehend why their friend is suffering. The singer wishes that their friend could hear their words and that they could come back to the person they once were. In the end, the song's emotive lyrics convey the sense of loss and desperation that comes with trying to reach out to someone entangled in the clutches of addiction.

Line by Line Meaning

What's left inside him?
I wonder if he has any emotions left inside him.

Don't he remember us?
Does he not have any recollection of our relationship?

Can't he believe me?
Why doesn't he trust me?

We seemed like brothers
We had such a close relationship that we could've been brothers.

Talked for hours last night, About what we want to be
We recently discussed our aspirations at length.

I sit now with his hand in mine, But, I know he can't feel (feel)
Though I'm holding his hand, I know he won't be able to sense it.

No one knows, what's done is done
There's no changing what has already happened, and nobody has any answers.

It's as if he were dead
He's like a lifeless body, even though he's still breathing.

I'm close with his mother, And she cries endlessly
I have a good relationship with his mother, but she's inconsolable.

Lord, how we miss him, At least what's remembered
We miss him dearly, though we do have many fond and cherished memories to hold onto.

It's so important to make best friends in life, But, it's hard when my friend sits with blank expressions
It's valuable to establish personal connections, but it's difficult when my companion shows no emotion.

He as hollow as I alone now
He seems to be as empty and devoid of emotions as I am.

A shell of my friend, Just flesh and bone
He's a mere physical shell of what he once was.

There's no soul, He sees no love
He lacks any Spiritual essence and is incapable of feeling love.

I shake my fists at skies above
I express my frustration by raising my arms to the heavens.

Mad, At gods, Mad
I'm enraged with the higher powers for allowing this to happen.

He as hollow as I converse, I wish he'd waken from this curse
I speak to him, but he still appears to be lifeless. I hope he'll snap out of it soon.

Hear my words before it's through, I want to come in after you
Listen to what I'm saying before it's too late. I don't want to be left behind.

My Best friend, My Best friend
He's my closest friend.

Whoa, yeah Come back
Please come back to us and be the person you once were.

(He as hollow as I alone now)
He's lifeless, just like me.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DARRELL LANCE ABBOTT, PHILIP ANSELMO, PHILIP HANSEN ANSELMO, REX BROWN, REX ROBERT BROWN, VINCENT PAUL ABBOTT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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