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.
Ice King
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If ever you see me cry
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
This thing will blow sky high
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever you see me cry
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
How could you know
I wanted you so
I acted cool so you couldn't see
For here deep inside
I so easily hide
Exactly what you mean to me
But it was so strange
When everything changed
Your answer took me by surprise
And now that we're lovers
You think you've discovered
How to make a cold man cry
You think you're kissing the ice king, dark thing
But I was always warm
I was yours for the asking, dark thing
I was hot for you all along
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever you see me cry
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
This thing will blow sky high
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever you see me cry
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
I think I just might die
I know you can't stand
An emotional man
And so I play for time
Keeping it light
In the hope that you might
One day maybe change your mind
Sometimes in bed
It enters my head
To tell you that my love is strong
But I don't say a word
When I notice how hard
You work to turn a cold man on
You think you're kissing the ice king, dark thing
But I was always warm
I was yours for the asking, dark thing
I was hot for you all along
You think you're kissing the ice king, dark thing
How wrong can a woman be?
If you knew the intensity of my feelings
How long would you stay with me?
You think you're kissing the i-i-i
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever you see me cry
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
I think I just might, I think I just might
The song "Ice King" by Momus is a heartfelt ballad about an emotionally guarded man who reveals his true feelings to his love interest. The lyrics suggest that the man has been hiding his emotions, but now that he has allowed himself to be vulnerable and let his emotional defenses down, he fears that he might be overwhelmed by his feelings. He worries that if he shows too much of himself, the relationship could be threatened, and everything could fall apart. Despite his reservations, he longs to express how he truly feels to his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever I drop my guard and let you in
If ever you see me cry
If ever you catch me letting my emotions get the best of me
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
If ever you realize the depth of my feelings for you
This thing will blow sky high
Our relationship will be forever changed, either for good or bad
I think I just might die
This realization might be too much for me to handle and could break me emotionally
How could you know
You couldn't have known because I never let my true feelings show
I wanted you so
I desired you greatly
I acted cool so you couldn't see
I put up a facade of indifference to hide my true feelings for you from you
For here deep inside
My true emotions and desires for you have been buried deep within me
I so easily hide
It's easy for me to conceal my true emotions for you
Exactly what you mean to me
The true depth of my feelings for you
But it was so strange
It was unexpected and surprising
When everything changed
When you reciprocated my feelings and we became lovers
Your answer took me by surprise
I wasn't prepared for the truth of your feelings and it caught me off guard
And now that we're lovers
Now that we're in a romantic relationship
You think you've discovered
You believe you've figured out how to break me and get me to show emotion
How to make a cold man cry
How to push my emotional buttons and make me show vulnerability
You think you're kissing the ice king, dark thing
You think you're kissing a man who is emotionally detached and cold
But I was always warm
Despite my outward appearance, I have always been emotionally invested in you
I was yours for the asking, dark thing
I was always willing to be with you if only you had asked
If ever emotional defences open wide
If ever I let my guard down and show my emotions
If ever you see me cry
If you see me show vulnerability and emotion
If ever you notice how you make me feel inside
If ever you become aware of the true depth of my feelings for you
This thing will blow sky high
Our relationship will be irrevocably changed
I think I just might die
I fear the consequences of showing my true emotions too much
I know you can't stand
I am aware that you don't like men who are openly emotional
An emotional man
A man who wears his heart on his sleeve and is not afraid to show his emotions
And so I play for time
I am biding my time and waiting for the right moment to show my true emotions
Keeping it light
Keeping our relationship casual and devoid of emotion
In the hope that you might
Hoping that someday you will be able to accept my emotions and vulnerability
One day maybe change your mind
Maybe you will one day be open to a relationship with an emotional man
Sometimes in bed
When we are intimate
It enters my head
I begin to think
To tell you that my love is strong
To express the true depth of my love for you
But I don't say a word
I remain silent
When I notice how hard
When I see how much effort you put into breaking me down and making me show emotion
You work to turn a cold man on
You are working to get an emotionally closed-off man to show his true feelings
How wrong can a woman be?
How mistaken can a person be about another person's emotions and feelings?
If you knew the intensity of my feelings
If you only understood how deeply I feel for you
How long would you stay with me?
Would you still want to be with me if you knew the truth about my emotions?
You think you're kissing the i-i-i
You think you're with a man who is emotionally detached and non-committal
I think I just might
I fear the consequences of showing my true emotions for you
Contributed by Claire K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.