The original handwritten lyrics to Hole’s song “Violet” will be up for auction as part of a fundraiser by the wildlife sanctuary Ellis Park. As part of an announcement for the auction, Courtney Love confirmed what many have long believed, that the track is written – at least in part – about Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who Love previously dated.

Now, Corgan says he is interested in buying the lyrics.

“Hello friends, I have a very special announcement,” Corgan said in a video message posted on Instagram. “Check this out. I just bought my ticket for the Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary auction for the lyrics for ‘Violet’ written by Courtney Love.”

He continued: “Now, it’s made a lot of press this week that this auction’s going off. So, I’ve actually bought my ticket because I’d like to win these lyrics because I think it’s about a guy I know a little bit about and I’d love to put that on my wall.”

“Anyway, support this if you want to.. You can enter the auction as well but you gotta buy a ticket. I got three tickets for 20 bucks. So, I’m in it to win it,” he concluded.

Speaking about the song recently, Love revealed that while the song is partially about Corgan, he wasn’t her only inspiration.

“It’s not just about Billy Corgan, as many might assume; it’s about sitting on the fire escape of his flat, sipping cheap wine and taking a Vicodin (oh, to be young!) while the Chicago sun sets, leaving behind a bejewelled amethyst sky,” she explained.

Love added: “It is somewhat influenced by Pope and Brontë. I drew from Pope’s The Dunciad and an Emily Brontë poem. I did borrow from Brontë but ultimately decided to cross it out. The rhyme scheme is good but it felt too much like imitation – I was trying being “method”, but it ended up feeling excessive.”

Corgan replied to her explanation on Twitter/X, saying that he also had a hand in writing the track.

“She forgot to mention that I wrote one of the heart-rending couplets contained therein. But I will always love this song. Love you, Court,” the frontman wrote.