Little Lord Obedience
Momus Lyrics

Faceless when he docks, faceless when he's lost at sea
The sailor is nameless and identity-less, as he blends in with the ocean when he arrives or departs.

The ocean is green, admission is free
The vast, green ocean is a symbol of liberation and of boundlessness. The sailor is free to go out and to return, without restrictions or boundaries.

Only here, here at the source
The place where the sailor finds himself is the source, where everything has begun, and everything will end. It is at the beginning of the sailor's journey and where he will finish it.

There are fingernails and hair to spare
There is an abundant supply of things that can be lost or cast aside, such as fingernails and hair. It is insignificant when compared to the vastness of the ocean.

But when the order comes to go and the sirens blow, and the hair goes grey, he obeys, he obeys
Despite the hardships and the risks involved in his job, the sailor follows orders until the very end, regardless of whether he agrees with what he is being told to do or not.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, Little Lord Obedience lays down his sweet, entirely sexless head
The sailor is compared to Little Lord Obedience, who is obedient and submissive to a higher power. The sailor has no personal life, and his sense of self is entirely consumed by his role as a soldier of the sea.

Christ found the source of the Bible, and Livingstone the source of the Nile, but the sailor and his amazon find the source of the child
Just like how Christ and Livingstone have discovered the source of their respective elements, the sailor and his amazon have found the source of what they feel they need to be fulfilled in life. In doing so, they reduce their own urges to the same level as that of a child.

In the dock of the baby, the resort where strangers liaise, the port in every girl where the sailor obeys
The sailor is seen as having submission and servitude towards women, often unknown strangers, and these aspects of his identity are closely linked to the port.

Naked when he docks, naked when he's lost at sea, there he loses his stripes, there he loses his body
Just as the sailor is nameless, he is also formless and deconstructed by the wind and the waves of the ocean. The sailor's identity is entirely linked with the profession he serves.

The fashionable dress is flesh
The sailor’s uniform is considered to be the height of fashion at sea.

But when the order comes to go and the sirens blow, and the flesh decays, he obeys, he obeys
No sailor is expendable, and their understanding of this means they are completely obedient to those in charge. They keep following orders until the end, when they lose their flesh and ultimately their ability to obey or disobey.

No-one when he docks, no-one when he's lost at sea, the waves dissolve his frown, they solve his puzzled face away
The sailor is a solitary, independent figure, and this sense of solitude goes unchanged whether he is docked or out at sea. The blues of the ocean provide a calming and soothing effect on the sailor's mind, and the frown on his face recedes into nothingness.

Only here, here at the source, no-one comes without leaving someone else
The source of life is a place where all experience begins, where experiences make themselves known and where they ultimately end. Every sailor who arrives at the source leaves someone else behind them who also is of importance at the source.

But when the order sounds to go and the sirens blow, and they lower the gangway, we obey, we obey
Every sailor must obey orders on the ship until it's their day to disembark. The sailor must continue to follow orders and complete tasks until he is relieved of duty.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, Little Lord Obedience lays down our sweet, entirely sexless heads
The sailor is again viewed as being an obedient and submissive figure with no personal life or identity of their own.

Christ found the source of the Bible, and Livingstone the source of the Nile, but the sailor and his amazon find the source
Just like Christ and Livingstone before them, the sailor has found what they consider to be the source their journey. However, unlike Christ and Livingstone, the sailor's journey is about pleasing the desire of the one above them.