The Hours are a band formed in 2004 in London by Antony Genn and Martin Sla… Read Full Bio ↴The Hours are a band formed in 2004 in London by Antony Genn and Martin Slattery. Antony Genn had previously played with the bands Elastica and Pulp, and also worked as a producer, including producing sessions for the electronic act UNKLE.

Martin Slattery is an established pianist and keyboard player, who had previously toured with Shaun Ryder’s group Black Grape. Both Antony and Martin also have worked with Joe Strummer as a part the group The Mescaleros.

The band is managed by Jeanette Lee, who runs Rough Trade with Geoff Travis and former Pulp bassist Steve Mackey. The artwork for the band, including the skull image was created by British artist Damien Hirst for his "For The Love Of God" Collection..

They have received support from Radio One DJ Zane Lowe, and from Jarvis Cocker who said "They understand what music is for – it's for human beings to communicate with other human beings. It's that simple, it's that important. Let them into your life. You won't regret it".

Their single "Ali in the Jungle" is featured in the EA Sports FIFA 08 football game. More recently, Nike used the song in their "The Human Chain" commercial which premiered during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. "People Say" has twice been used in the opening scenes of British soap opera Hollyoaks.

Their first album Narcissus Road was released in 2007. And led to popular singles such as Ali In The Jungle and Back When You Were Good.

Their second album, entitled See the Light, was released on 20th April 2009. It was preceded by the single Big Black Hole on the 6th April.

In 2009 the band supported Kasabian as well as U2 on their 360 Tour playing in Zagreb, Glasgow, London Wembley Stadium and Cardiff Millennium Stadium.

Narcissus Road
The Hours Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She's lost in the dark
She thinks she's been enlightened
From the schoolhouse in the park
Her house is full of mirrors
She can't really seem to look at herself

She lives on Narcissus Road
Where the streets are paved with gold

Where everybody loves you
Everybody loves you

She's beautiful, but that's fading fast
And her clock is ticking loud and fast
She's so unaware of the things she does
She reminds me of that replicant
That did not know what she was

She lives on Narcissus Road
Where the streets are paved with gold
Where everybody loves you
Everybody loves you

She lives on Narcissus Road
No-one dies or ever gets old
Everybody loves you
Everybody loves you

Twinkle twinkle little star
Who the fuck d'you think you are?

She lives on Narcissus Road
Where the streets are paved with gold
Where everybody loves you
Everybody loves you
She lives on Narcissus Road
No-one dies or ever gets old
Everybody loves you
Everybody loves you

Everybody loves you
Everybody loves you

Overall Meaning

The Hours's song "Narcissus Road" tells the story of a woman lost in the allure of her own image. She believes she has been enlightened but is actually trapped in the delusion of her own beauty. Her house is full of mirrors, but she cannot seem to look at herself. The lyrics suggest that she has become so obsessed with herself that she is no longer able to see herself objectively. She lives on Narcissus Road, a place where the streets are paved with gold, and everybody loves you. The song suggests that this road is a metaphor for the path to self-destruction through vanity and self-absorption.

The chorus of "Narcissus Road" is repeating, "Everybody loves you," which reinforces that the woman has become so enamored with herself that she has lost touch with the reality of her relationships with others. Her beauty is described as fading fast, and her clock is ticking loud and fast. The phrase "She reminds me of that replicant/ That did not know what she was," indicates she has lost touch with her true nature, her real self. She has become so old in a sense that she no longer interacts with the world around her. The song continues with sarcastic verses, "No-one dies or ever gets old," which give an ironic twist to the idea of Narcissus Road being a paradise. The song ends with the lines, "Twinkle twinkle little star/ Who the fuck d'you think you are?" which shows that the woman's arrogance has reached a level where others are no longer willing to indulge it.

Line by Line Meaning

She's lost in the dark
She feels confused and doesn't know where to go.

She thinks she's been enlightened
She believes she has found the answers to life's questions.

From the schoolhouse in the park
She learned what she thinks is the truth from an unreliable source.

Her house is full of mirrors
She is surrounded by reflections of herself, which reinforces her self-obsession.

She can't really seem to look at herself
She is unable to recognize her flaws and accept them.

She lives on Narcissus Road
She resides in a place where people are obsessed with themselves.

Where the streets are paved with gold
A metaphor meaning that everyone there is privileged and wealthy.

Where everybody loves you
People superficially love you for what they can gain from you.

She's beautiful, but that's fading fast
Her physical beauty was once a defining trait, but it is diminishing with time.

And her clock is ticking loud and fast
Time is running out for her, and she is aware of it.

She's so unaware of the things she does
She is oblivious to the negative impact her actions have on others.

She reminds me of that replicant
She is like the replicant from the movie Blade Runner who lacked self-awareness.

That did not know what she was
The replicant lacked a sense of identity, and the woman on Narcissus Road is similarly lost.

No-one dies or ever gets old
The people on Narcissus Road are so obsessed with looking young that they will do anything to avoid growing old or dying.

Twinkle twinkle little star
She is mocking the person's self-importance by comparing them to a children's nursery rhyme.

Who the fuck d'you think you are?
She is asking the person if they are aware of their own arrogance.

Everybody loves you
Everyone on Narcissus Road superficially loves each other for what they can gain from each other.

Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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