Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: indie-pop
Song Meaning of “San Narciso” by Faded Paper Figures
San Narciso tells the story of a woman hiding away from her troubles in the intimacy of her home and her own mind. She uses the metaphor of the constructed walls around the city to represent the walls she’s built around her emotions and thoughts, a defense against anything that will hurt or disturb her. She paints an image of this city she’s conjured up as being like a beautiful, gleaming fortress, protected against the rest of the world by the inner walls in her mind.
The lyrics offer a very intimate look into this woman’s attempt to cope with her difficult circumstances: her heartache, her loneliness, and her fear. She expresses a desire to feel safe and protected, to be able to take refuge away from the hurtful things in her life. By hiding away in her own head and in her home, she is determined to take control and to find the peace she so desperately needs.
The chorus of San Narciso reveals her mindset in a few simple lines: “There’s no greater beauty than a brilliant mind/Behind the walls in the quiet of San Narciso”. With this declaration, she is acknowledging that her strength lies in her own mental fortitude, and the capacity to create a safe space in her own head. By putting her faith in her own creativity and inner peace, she gains the confidence to stand strong and survive whatever life throws her way.
Overall, San Narciso is about escaping from one’s daily life and troubles to create a serene, secure place within one’s mind. It conveys the universal emotion of being overwhelmed by the world and our own troubles, and finding solace in the inner walls of our mental fortress.