101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening sym… Read Full Bio ↴101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. According to the photograph, the 101 Strings orchestra was composed of 124 string instruments (all male except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. In reality, of course, the recordings also featured a full brass, woodwind and percussion section, and not quite as many strings as are shown in the photograph. In later years (right up to the 80's), the recordings were made by a session orchestra in London, with a line-up including a modern "pop" rhythm section. In the late 1990's, the 101 Strings Orchestra was revived with "The New 101 Strings Orchestra" for a series of modern recordings.

Now Is The Hour
101 Strings Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sunset glow fades in the west,
Night o'er the valley is creeping!
Birds cuddle down in their nest,
Soon all the world will be sleeping

And now is the hour when we must say goodbye,
Soon you'll be sailing far across the sea,
While you're away, o, then remember me,

When you return, you'll find me waiting here

True lovers often must part,
Kiss me, then leave me to sorrow!
Here love, I give you my heart,
You will return some glad morrow

But now is the hour when we must say goodbye,
Soon you'll be sailing far across the sea,

While you're away, o, then remember me,
When you return, you'll find me waiting here.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the 101 Strings Orchestra's song, Now Is The Hour, depict a melancholic goodbye between two lovers at sunset. The first stanza describes the natural world settling down to sleep as night approaches. This sets the stage for the second stanza, where the singer bids farewell to their lover who is leaving for a journey across the sea. The third stanza acknowledges the sorrow of parting, but also holds hope for the future, indicating that the lover will return and find the singer still waiting.

The overall tone of the song is wistful, reflecting the bittersweet nature of any parting. The imagery of the fading sunset and nesting birds enhances the emotional depth of the singer's words, adding a layer of resonance to the lyrics. The chorus, which repeats in each stanza, has a haunting quality that underlines the sense of longing and reminiscence running through the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Sunset glow fades in the west
The brightness of the setting sun gradually dwindles from the sky seen in the west.

Night o'er the valley is creeping!
The darkness of the night is slowly engulfing the valley.

Birds cuddle down in their nest,
The birds settle down in their nests to rest.

Soon all the world will be sleeping
Eventually, the entire world will be in slumber.

And now is the hour when we must say goodbye,
It is the moment when we must bid farewell.

Soon you'll be sailing far across the sea,
After a while, you will depart for a long journey overseas.

While you're away, o, then remember me,
During your absence, kindly keep me in your thoughts.

When you return, you'll find me waiting here
After you are back, you will see me still here waiting for you.

True lovers often must part,
Genuine lovers often have to separate from each other.

Kiss me, then leave me to sorrow!
Before departing, please kiss me but leave me behind to suffer.

Here love, I give you my heart,
My dear, I offer you my love and devotion wholeheartedly.

You will return some glad morrow
At some joyful morning, you will come back to me.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GENTRY, JOHN HUTCHINSON DEAN, MATTHEW EVERITT, SIMON IAN WHITE, STUART BLACK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Millie Taueki

THIS MAORI SONG IS KNOWN IN ITS OWN LANGUAGE AS
" TE ATARU "
WE SANG IT MANY A TIME IN NEW ZEALAND FOR SPECIAL OCCASSIONS
IT WAS AND STILL IS A VERY MOVING SONG ESPECIALLY WHEN SUNG IN MAORI AND YOU HEAR THE MANY DIFFERENT HARMONIES WHICH IS PART OF OUR CULTURE
IT WAS SO REFRESHING TO HEAR THIS TUNE WITH STRINGS
THANK YOU 101 STRINGS FOR THIS VERSION

LoveTheOConnor

12y

Absolutely stunning, Jim!! Gorgeous version of this song, and great pictures of your beauties! Love seeing Ms. Sheridan in the place of honor at the end! Thanks so much!! Hope you're having a marvelous weekend, my friend! :))

Lynda Castle

What a beautiful rendition of a most moving tune.

sovaine

Absolutely brilliant and beautiful.

Jymster46

12y

So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching, listening and commenting! Jim

Jymster46

12y

Ha! Yes, "place of honor"...indeed, Heather! Very well put! I'm so glad you liked this beautiful version of the song and thank You so much for the very nice comments! Holiday weekend at the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan is in our plans. I hope your weekend is wonderful too! Jim