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.

Isaak
Momus Lyrics

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Stella mater
Light is failing
Making such a fool of thee
When you'd love to be someone

It's hard to act so simply, it's easy to make noise
I worship the silence that sings like a bird
I long for the moon as it looks from the earth

It's hard to act sincerely, it's easy to avoid
But to have and to hold it I'd only suggest
Suggest
You take one step away

Stella mater
Light is failing

Making such a fool of thee
When you'd love to be someone

Overall Meaning

The song "Isaak" by Momus is a melancholic reflection on the struggle to find one's identity and purpose in life. The opening lines, "Stella mater, light is failing, making such a fool of thee," suggest a loss of direction and a sense of failure. The singer longs to be someone, perhaps to achieve some kind of recognition or success, but is instead stuck in a state of indecision and self-doubt.

The chorus highlights the tension between simplicity and noise, between silence and sound. The singer worships the silence "that sings like a bird" and longs for the beauty of the moon as seen from earth. But it's hard to act sincerely and easy to avoid the hard work of finding one's place in the world. The closing line, "You take one step away," suggests that the key to finding oneself may involve stepping outside of one's comfort zone and taking a risk.

Overall, "Isaak" is a poignant and introspective song that speaks to the universal struggle of finding meaning and purpose in life. It suggests that this is a difficult task, but one that is ultimately necessary for personal growth and fulfillment.

Line by Line Meaning

Stella mater
Hello, mother star

Light is failing
The brightness is dimming

Making such a fool of thee
Causing you to appear foolish

When you'd love to be someone
When you desire to be someone else

It's hard to act so simply, it's easy to make noise
It's difficult to be straightforward, it's effortless to make a commotion

I worship the silence that sings like a bird
I adore the quietness that sounds like a bird's melody

I long for the moon as it looks from the earth
I yearn for the moon's perspective as seen from the ground

It's hard to act sincerely, it's easy to avoid
It's challenging to exhibit genuine behavior, it's effortless to evade it

But to have and to hold it I'd only suggest
However, if you want to keep it, I would only recommend

Suggest
Propose an option or advise

You take one step away
Take a single step in a different direction