Nick Currie (born February 11, 1960 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK)… Read Full Bio ↴Nick Currie (born February 11, 1960 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK), more popularly known under the artist name Momus (after the Greek god of mockery), is a songwriter, writer, blogger and artist. Most of his songs are self-referential or postmodern.

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.

I Am a Kitten
Momus Lyrics

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When you caress your little cat
And stroke me with your hand
I know I'm just a kitten but
I long to be a man
My little eyes are Chinese blue
They view with some regret
This girl who's stroking me
Regards me only as her pet

And though I'd love to be loved
The gods ordained it that
You were made a human being
And I turned out a cat

I am a kitten

I hate to sleep all rolled up small
And dream of butterflies
I hate to paw at balls of wool
And massacre poor mice
Stripey tails and pointy ears
Bore me half to tears
Those days have gone for good
Since I saw you in the nude

And though I'd love to be loved
We've got to face the fact:
You're up there, a human being
And I'm down here, a cat

I am a kitten
I am a kitten

And though I'd love to be loved
I've had to face the fact:
The gods who made you a human being
Created me ..... a cat

I am a kitten
I am a kitten ..... miaow

Overall Meaning

The central idea of the song “I Am a Kitten” by Momus is the conflict between human beings and animals, particularly cats. The song is sung from the perspective of a kitten who feels more connected to humans than other cats. The kitten finds itself longing to be human, to have a deeper connection with the girl who is stroking her, to be loved and treated like a human.

The lyrics are filled with metaphors such as “my little eyes are Chinese blue” and “dream of butterflies” which serve to emphasize the difference between the human and animal worlds. The kitten dislikes typical cat activities like sleeping rolled up into a ball and killing mice, and instead finds pleasure in seeing the girl who takes care of her naked.

The song is a bittersweet reflection on the separation between humans and animals, and the kitten’s longing for acceptance as well as the reality of the situation. The lyrics of the song suggest that a connection exists between the human and the kitten, but it is one that cannot be fully bridged due to their differences.

Line by Line Meaning

When you caress your little cat
When you show affection to your pet cat

And stroke me with your hand
And pet me by using your hand

I know I'm just a kitten but
I am aware that I am a young cat

I long to be a man
I desire to be a human being

My little eyes are Chinese blue
My eyes are colored in blue, similar to the color of Chinese porcelain

They view with some regret
They express some sadness or disappointment

This girl who's stroking me
This woman who is petting me

Regards me only as her pet
Considers me only as her companion animal

And though I'd love to be loved
Although I would like to be loved

The gods ordained it that
It was destined by the divine power

You were made a human being
You were created as a person