Nits, originally established as The Nits (and sometimes still credited as s… Read Full Bio ↴Nits, originally established as The Nits (and sometimes still credited as such today, even though the article was dropped in 1987), are a Dutch art rock group, established in 1974 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede (vocals, guitar, also the band's lyricist), Rob Kloet (drums, percussion) and Robert Jan Stips (keyboards; also had stints in Supersister, Gruppo Sportivo and Golden Earring).

Although most of the band's songs are sung in English, Nits have been praised as a group that is 'European' more than anything else, staying relatively far away from American and British influences. They are an 'album band', not a 'singles band', although they had a number of considerable hits in The Netherlands and beyond. The biggest hit in their native Netherlands was "Nescio" (1983), a tribute to the Dutch author Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh a.k.a. Nescio. The hit that brought the band to the attention of an international audience was "In the Dutch Mountains" (1987), which has become their signature song.

The band released dozens of studio albums, from The Nits (1978) to the triptych Angst, Knot and Neon in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Three of their studio albums reached the top 10 of the Dutch album charts, but their highest charting album was the 1989 double live album, Urk, which hit #2 in The Netherlands and still stands as a near-perfect introduction to the group's work.

On 16 May 2022 the band's own studio and 'headquarters', De Werf in Amsterdam, burned down. The group's archives, as well as many instruments and master tapes, went up in flames. Hofstede sings about the tragedy on 2024's mini album, Tree House Fire. Its release marked the start of Nits' anniversary year: the band celebrated its 50th anniversary with an international tour and two special performances in Amsterdam's Carré Theatre in April.

The House
Nits Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I spent some time alone
In an old country home
Where the wallpaper looked like a landscape
In a foreign land

I took some walks alone
Around this old country home
And the landscape looked like the wallpaper

Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away

In the rooms of this home
I saw the pictures of the family still young
And I knew they were all dead and gone

Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away

Time's slipping away
Time's slipping away

Overall Meaning

The song "The House" by Nits depicts a sense of loneliness and despair as the singer spends time alone in an old country home. The wallpaper of the house looks like a foreign landscape, adding to the sense of being isolated and disconnected from reality. As the singer takes walks around the house, the landscape and wallpaper begin to merge into one, suggesting a complete dissolution of boundaries and borders. The chorus of the song, "Time's slipping away," creates a feeling of pressure and urgency, indicating that the singer is acutely aware of the time passing by while they are stuck in this state of isolation.

The pictures of the family still young in the rooms of the home adds to the sense of loneliness and loss. The singer acknowledges that everyone in the pictures is now dead and gone, creating a feeling of nostalgia and longing for a time that has long since passed. The use of repetition of "Time's slipping away" in the song creates a sense of inevitability, as if the singer is powerless to stop time from continuing to slip away.

Overall, "The House" evokes a melancholy feeling of being trapped in a state of loneliness and disconnectedness. The imagery of the wallpaper, landscape, and family pictures all work together to create a sense of longing and nostalgia for a time and a place that can never be recaptured.

Line by Line Meaning

I spent some time alone
I was by myself for an extended period of time

In an old country home
The place where I was alone was an aged and rural abode

Where the wallpaper looked like a landscape
The wallpaper design appeared like a scenery

In a foreign land
The presumed scenery looked as though it was in a far-off country

I took some walks alone
I strolled without company

Around this old country home
I moved about the elderly dwelling

And the landscape looked like the wallpaper
The real scenery bore resemblance to the wallpaper design

Time's slipping away
The moments are passing fast

In the rooms of this home
In the interior of the residence

I saw the pictures of the family still young
I looked at the portraits of the family when they were early in life

And I knew they were all dead and gone
I realized they had all died and ceased to exist