For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
Bantam Boys
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spigot weed and egg of the teal
Master baker bring me eel
O your legs were lovely
The synth, bring the synth
Bring the rickety raggedy synth
You harlequins you play such shit
But you pollute the ballet shoes
You are trying to keep them new
I'm sorry for you
Here comes the queen
Fat and obscene
See her a-staggering
Bringing her bantam boys along
In a line behind her
Walk, walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the filters, ringing the filters
Ringing the summer in
Walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the eunuch, ringing the eunuch
Ringing the eunuch in
Dr Walford Bodie dragging along on a string
A spaniel made of tin
Arise, arise
O Phoebus shall arise
Here comes the queen
Fat and obscene
See her a-staggering
Bringing her bantam boys along
In a line behind her
Walk, walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the filters, ringing the filters
Ringing the summer in
Walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the eunuch, ringing the eunuch
Ringing the eunuch in
Here comes the queen
Fat and obscene
See her a-staggering
Bringing her bantam boys along
In a line behind her
Walk, walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the filters, ringing the filters
Ringing the summer in
Walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
Ringing the eunuch, ringing the eunuch
Ringing the summer in
The lyrics of "Bantam Boys" by Momus is a bit abstract and difficult to understand without context. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the state of the world, and how people try to maintain their status quo despite the changing times. The first stanza seems to be expressing a desire for exotic things from faraway lands, with references to Africa and the Orient. The lines "Spigot weed and egg of the teal/Master baker bring me eel" suggest a desire for unusual and hard-to-find items. The next line, "O your legs were lovely" is a bit ambiguous but could be interpreted as an acknowledgement of beauty in unexpected places.
The next stanza shifts the focus to a group of performers, "harlequins," who are playing music that is not quite good. The line "You are trying to keep them new/I'm sorry for you" could be interpreted as a commentary on the difficulty of maintaining things in the face of change. The following stanzas repeat a refrain about a fat and obscene queen who is bringing along some bantam boys in a line behind her. The lines "Walk, walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain/Ringing the filters, ringing the filters/Ringing the eunuch in" suggest a sense of marching with purpose, but the meaning is unclear. The final lines of "Arise, arise/O Phoebus shall arise" suggest a religious or mythological reference.
Overall, the song is a bit of a puzzle, and the meaning is open to interpretation. However, there seems to be a sense of unease about the state of the world, and a sense that change is coming whether people are ready or not.
Line by Line Meaning
O Africa and orient bring gifts
The singer is calling on Africa and the Orient to bring gifts.
Spigot weed and egg of the teal
The singer wants unique and exotic gifts like spigot weed and eggs of the teal.
Master baker bring me eel
The singer is requesting that a skilled baker bring them eel.
O your legs were lovely
The singer is complimenting someone on their lovely legs.
The synth, bring the synth
The singer wants someone to bring a specific synthesizer.
Bring the rickety raggedy synth
The singer wants a specific type of old and worn out synth.
You harlequins you play such shit
The singer is criticizing harlequins for playing poorly.
The colour is clean
The outfit or performance has a clean appearance.
But you pollute the ballet shoes
Harlequins are figuratively dirtying the purity of the performance.
You are trying to keep them new
Harlequins are trying to maintain the quality of the ballet shoes.
I'm sorry for you
The singer sympathizes with the harlequins.
Here comes the queen
The queen is arriving.
Fat and obscene
The queen is overweight and inappropriate.
See her a-staggering
The queen is struggling to walk.
Bringing her bantam boys along
The queen is accompanied by a group of small boys.
In a line behind her
The boys are following the queen in a line.
Walk, walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
The singer is instructing someone to walk with a bassoon in the rain.
Ringing the filters, ringing the filters
The bassoon should be played with a filter or effect.
Ringing the summer in
The bassoon playing will bring in the summer season or mood.
Walk, walk with a bassoon in the rain
The singer repeats the instruction to walk with a bassoon in the rain.
Ringing the eunuch, ringing the eunuch
The bassoon should be played with a reference to eunuchs.
Ringing the eunuch in
The bassoon playing will create a certain atmosphere or feeling.
Dr Walford Bodie dragging along on a string
Dr. Walford Bodie is being dragged by a string, likely in a carnival or sideshow act.
A spaniel made of tin
A dog made out of tin is being referenced here.
Arise, arise
The singer is urging for someone to rise or wake up.
O Phoebus shall arise
Phoebus, the god of music and poetry, will arise.
Contributed by Elizabeth S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.