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.
Kokoro Hirai
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's in hospital, reason is too much chocolate
We are her relatives Taeko and Kazuko
We're writing to see if you can make her stop it
Kokoro Hirai keeps chocolates in her room
Chocolates in her bag, chocolates in her pocket
She eats them every time, everywhere
She also loves toys
She also loves teas
Her motto is 'Nonbiri bonyari'
(It mean 'easy and idly')
But mostly Kokoro Hirai loves chocolates
That's why she lies in hospital today
Her behaviour is making us uneasy
Sometimes she makes us feel bad
She seems to be happy eating her chocolates
But we think they're driving her mad
If we shop with her in a convenience store
We will witness a surprise scene maybe
She will buy a shop basket full up with chocolate
Milk, bitter, white or strawberry
She don't mind the colour, she don't care the price
If it's chocolate, to her must be nice
Especially in winter there are many kinds of chocolate in store
So winter for her is a paradise
She also loves toys
She also loves teas
Her motto: 'Nonbiri bonyari'
(It mean 'easy and idly')
But mostly Kokoro Hirai loves chocolates
Which is why she lies in hospital today
Her behaviour is making us uneasy
Sometimes she makes us feel bad
We have issued her a warning about too much chocolate once
But she never paid attention to our words
She also loves toys
She also loves teas
Her motto: 'Nonbiri bonyari'
('Live easy and idly')
But mostly Kokoro Hirai loves chocolates
Which is why she lies in hospital today
The song Kokoro Hirai by Momus is an amusing commentary on the dangers of excessive chocolate consumption. The song describes Kokoro Hirai, a woman who loves chocolate, to the point that it is affecting her health. The opening lyrics state that she cannot write because she is in the hospital due to too much chocolate. Her relatives, Taeko and Kazuko, are writing to ask if the listener can make her stop her behavior.
The song goes on to describe how Kokoro keeps chocolates everywhere - in her room, her bag, and her pocket - and eats them all the time. She consumes up to five or six packages a day. Her love of chocolate leads her to buy a shop basket full of them in convenience stores, not caring about the price or color. The other things she loves are toys and tea, and her motto is "Nonbiri bonyari," meaning to live easy and idly.
However, her behavior is making her relatives feel uneasy, and they issue her a warning about eating too much chocolate, but she never paid attention to their words. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing that Kokoro Hirai loves chocolates, but it is also why she lies in the hospital.
Overall, the song appears to be more of a whimsical take on the dangers of overindulgence in food. While it may initially seem to mourn the predicament of Kokoro Hirai, the light-hearted tone simultaneously makes the song entertaining.
Line by Line Meaning
Kokoro Hirai cannot write today
Kokoro Hirai is unable to write today due to her hospitalization from excessive chocolate consumption.
She's in hospital, reason is too much chocolate
Kokoro Hirai is in the hospital because she ate too much chocolate.
We are her relatives Taeko and Kazuko
Taeko and Kazuko are Kokoro Hirai's relatives.
We're writing to see if you can make her stop it
Taeko and Kazuko are writing to ask if they can get help to make Kokoro Hirai stop eating so much chocolate.
Kokoro Hirai keeps chocolates in her room
Kokoro Hirai stores chocolates in her room.
Chocolates in her bag, chocolates in her pocket
Kokoro Hirai carries chocolates in her bag and pockets.
She eats them every time, everywhere
Kokoro Hirai eats chocolate all the time and everywhere.
Five to six packages a day
Kokoro Hirai eats five to six packages of chocolate per day.
She also loves toys
Kokoro Hirai has an affinity for toys.
She also loves teas
Kokoro Hirai has a fondness for tea.
Her motto is 'Nonbiri bonyari'
Kokoro Hirai's motto is 'easy and idly'.
(It mean 'easy and idly')
The phrase 'Nonbiri bonyari' means 'easy and idly'.
But mostly Kokoro Hirai loves chocolates
Kokoro Hirai's biggest love is chocolate.
That's why she lies in hospital today
The reason why Kokoro Hirai is in the hospital is because of her love for chocolate.
Her behaviour is making us uneasy
Kokoro Hirai's relatives are worried about her behavior.
Sometimes she makes us feel bad
Kokoro Hirai's relatives feel guilty about her hospitalization.
She seems to be happy eating her chocolates
Kokoro Hirai looks happy while eating chocolates.
But we think they're driving her mad
Kokoro Hirai's relatives think that her chocolate consumption is making her sick.
If we shop with her in a convenience store
When Kokoro Hirai's relatives shop with her at a convenience store
We will witness a surprise scene maybe
Her relatives might discover something surprising when they shop with her.
She will buy a shop basket full up with chocolate
Kokoro Hirai buys a basket full of chocolates.
Milk, bitter, white or strawberry
Kokoro Hirai buys different varieties of chocolates such as milk, bitter, white, or strawberry flavor.
She don't mind the colour, she don't care the price
Kokoro Hirai buys any color and any price of chocolate without any concern.
If it's chocolate, to her must be nice
Kokoro Hirai thinks that all chocolates are good to eat.
Especially in winter there are many kinds of chocolate in store
Kokoro Hirai loves winter because there are many types of chocolate available in stores during this season.
So winter for her is a paradise
Kokoro Hirai considers winter a paradise because of the abundance of chocolate.
We have issued her a warning about too much chocolate once
Kokoro Hirai's relatives have warned her once about the dangers of eating too much chocolate.
But she never paid attention to our words
Despite the warnings, Kokoro Hirai did not listen to her relatives.
('Live easy and idly')
The phrase 'Nonbiri bonyari' means 'live easy and idly'.
Contributed by John S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.