The Holy Hour

Sometimes people are looking for something "hidden" in a song. Sometimes it's all there in front of you and doesn't require a lot of detective work......

The meaning of this song is as it says...

The first verse simply describes sitting (or kneeling) in a church and what is observed....

The second verse is describing the desire to believe in God and religion, the seduction of it all, but just looking around, it all seems like some ancient game that people can't stop themselves from repeating...

The third verse describes the effort to connect with a higher power but "it breaks against stone", there isn't anything to connect with, just earth, stone, buildings etc....

Fourth verse, accpetance that people love God, religion and faith but he doesn't believe it.....

Hmm, I disagree. I interpret it as being about religion and losing his religious beliefs.

The first verse sets up the whole religion thing in a negative light.

The first two lines of the second verse are his reasons for following the religion and staying with it - even though it's uninspiring. The rest of that verse is him seeing how the other believers are just following it with no real joy either.

Verse three is him dumping his religious beliefs. However in doing so he's made someone miserable.

Fourth verse is basically saying how he can't keep on believing it, even though the person it's addressed to 'devours' it.

Anyway - that's my rather poor explanation of what I thought was a rather straight forward song ... but maybe that's just my atheism poking through...

According to R. Smith, this is what inspired this song:

"Written whilst sitting listening to mass in the catholic friary church in Crawley on sunday night, trying to make sense of the communal response and faces".

Simon Gallup ROCKS!!

THIS COULD BE AN INDEPENDENT POEM A FAIRLY TRADITIONALLY ENGLISH ONE AT THAT THE FLANGING BASS IS YUMMY

PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME THEY USED THIS EFFECT WHICH IS STILL I GUESS A FAVORITE IN CONCERTS ETC.

As the opener for "Faith," the album in which Robert Smith wrote about when the band's relatives were dropping like flies, this song deals with the death, and a lot to do with repentance for sins.

"promise for salvation" "wordless scream at ancient power" = prayer to God "cannot hold what you devour" = God taking souls/lives

The Holy Hour could very well be the last hour we have to live.

Ahh, the bass in this song is amaaazing...

Ahem. Toughguybambino's right; it's about death as opposed to love, for a change (although some songs may mingle both), hence the reverent atmosphere and menlancholic lyrics.
'As all around the children play The games they tired of yesterday' Life's futility? Having to do the same things over and over again, until they die? Growing up whilst their elders grow old? I don't know...

fabulous.

i always thought this song was about the guy wanting to have sex with the girl he loves. i saw it as if he had made a promise to himself and God that he would not sin but he just can't control himself. that's why when he looks at her he feels his heart being pushed in because he knows he can't have her. he knows that he shouldn't do it because it would be morally wrong but he feels as if it is right. he starts to question his beliefs. i suppose i consider this song to be also a part of the whole existensialism movement. well thats my theory anyways