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.
Muderers the Hope of Women
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who will be my bride today
Sweet Fanny Adams
Watch her climb the step ladder
A present from her stepfather
Sweet Fanny Adams
See her reaching out and stripping down the muslin drapes
A cover for her nakedness, a veil for her face
You must take your place amongst
The Proper Little Madams
And now because I love you
I must take my place too
Amongst the murderers, the hope of women
Death in every new beginning
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
And she must take my knife
I will buy a ring of gold
And you will practise birth control
Sweet Fanny Adams
Like a puppet on a string
Of oestrogen and progesterone
Sweet Fanny Adams
This is where your misery starts
This is where your mystery stops
We'll rent a television
To replace Pandora's Box
And I will wear a business face
And you will learn your proper place
From those Proper Little Madams
And in my world of cut and thrust
I will learn that my place, my place must ...
Be with the murderers, the hope of women
Death in every new beginning
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
And she must take my knife
In my pipe and slippers
Do I look like Jack The Ripper?
Sweet Fanny Adams
But I poisoned you with every kiss
Smothered you with domestic bliss
Sweet Fanny Adams
Underneath the suntan from the sun lamp that we bought
Your face is paler than the pale face of a corpse
And from the seventh floor of our bungalow
You flung yourself down to where they stood below
Those Proper Little Madams
But in white hair, wrinkles and false teeth
I escaped detection by the police
One of the murderers, the hope of women
Death in every new beginning
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
And she must take my knife
The lyrics of Momus's song Murderers the Hope of Women are a surreal commentary on traditional gender roles, marriage, and violence. The first verse sets a dark tone, with the singer cutting a cake with a knife and asking who will be his bride. The repeated chorus declares that the singer must take his place among the murderers, the hope of women, suggesting that death is an inherent part of new beginnings. The second verse continues the theme of control, with the singer buying a ring and telling his bride to practice birth control. The imagery becomes increasingly disturbing, with the bride compared to a puppet on a string of hormones, and her misery starting just as her mystery stops. This is followed by a reference to a rented television, replacing Pandora's Box, and the singer wearing a "business face" while the bride learns her "proper place" among "Proper Little Madams."
The final verse reveals that the bride committed suicide by jumping from their seventh-floor bungalow, while the singer has gotten away with the murder. The darkly humorous conclusion is that the singer asks whether he looks like Jack the Ripper while wearing his pipe and slippers. The disturbing irony of the lyrics is that the singer presents himself as a murderer, while the bride becomes a victim of societal expectations and oppression. The repeated use of "Sweet Fanny Adams" throughout highlights the bleakness of the situation, as it is a euphemism for "nothing" or "worthless."
Line by Line Meaning
With this knife I cut the cake
Starting a new phase of life
Who will be my bride today
Excited and anxious for the future
Sweet Fanny Adams
Addressing the woman he loves
Watch her climb the step ladder
Acknowledging her hard work and determination to succeed
A present from her stepfather
Highlighting the role of family in her life, and their contribution to her success
See her reaching out and stripping down the muslin drapes
Celebrating the woman's beauty and sexuality
A cover for her nakedness, a veil for her face
Highlighting the double standards in society that force women to cover their bodies
With curtains for your wedding dress
Creative use of available resources
You must take your place amongst
Expectations society has for women
The Proper Little Madams
Societal ideal of the perfect woman
And now because I love you
Professing his love for the woman
I must take my place too
Acknowledging his role in society
Amongst the murderers, the hope of women
Men are the ones responsible for women's suffering
Death in every new beginning
Relationships are doomed to fail
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
Relationships are a life-long sentence
And she must take my knife
Women must suffer for the actions of men
I will buy a ring of gold
Symbol of love and commitment
And you will practise birth control
Responsibility of women to prevent pregnancies
Like a puppet on a string
Society controls women's lives
Of oestrogen and progesterone
Methods used to control women's bodies
This is where your misery starts
Starting a new relationship brings pain
This is where your mystery stops
Women must conform to societal expectations
We'll rent a television
Consumerism as a replacement for true happiness
To replace Pandora's Box
Acknowledging the consequences of opening a Pandora's Box
And I will wear a business face
Men are expected to be professional and distant
And you will learn your proper place
Women must conform to societal expectations
From those Proper Little Madams
Societal ideals influence women's behaviors
And in my world of cut and thrust
Society is competitive and hostile
I will learn that my place, my place must ...
Men must play their role in society
Be with the murderers, the hope of women
Men are the ones responsible for women's suffering
Death in every new beginning
Relationships are doomed to fail
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
Relationships are a life-long sentence
And she must take my knife
Women must suffer for the actions of men
In my pipe and slippers
Men are expected to be comfortable and relaxed
Do I look like Jack The Ripper?
Society's perception of male violence
But I poisoned you with every kiss
Relationships can be toxic
Smothered you with domestic bliss
Women are expected to be happy in their domestic roles
Underneath the suntan from the sun lamp that we bought
Consumerism is used to attain societal expectations
Your face is paler than the pale face of a corpse
Women suffer and die due to societal expectations
And from the seventh floor of our bungalow
Suicide as a consequence of societal expectations
You flung yourself down to where they stood below
Societal expectations lead to women's suffering and death
But in white hair, wrinkles and false teeth
Time changes everything
I escaped detection by the police
Men can get away with violence and murder
One of the murderers, the hope of women
Men are the ones responsible for women's suffering
Death in every new beginning
Relationships are doomed to fail
I must take this woman for my sentence of life
Relationships are a life-long sentence
And she must take my knife
Women must suffer for the actions of men
Contributed by Austin O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
mikungfu
This was on the first vinyl LP I bought in 1992 - Monsters of Love. It was a compilation of singles and B-Sides. Defenitely yet another masterpiece of this lyrics genius. A great musician and a unique writer.
benora1000
@janmlt This photo is from the Czech movie "Až přijde kocour" made by Vojtech Jasny in 1963. Its a wonderful story for children and adults about a cat who had to wear small glasses because if it doesnt have them on, everyone it looks at will be shown in a significant colour that shows the real personality. I dont know if its avaliable in english but for sure there will be english subtitles somewhere.
puddleofsick
This song is timeless.
Kasper Gasper
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE YOUNG WOMEN AND HER CAT THAT I LOVE IN A FAMILIAR WAY.
Olav Østebø Olsen
Possibly his best song.
lisasim
Brilliant; the song, the video- Thank you!
Frank Fritzer
still an awesome song.
teaflax
It's not from The Poison Boyfriend. It was added to the CD version of that album, but was originally on the Murderers, the Hope of Women EP released before The Poison Boyfriend and later included on Monsters of Love.
Sadder Than You
It was also on two compilations by Creation Records (1987 & 1988).
Selena C
I just started listening to him. his songs are indeed great but seems that it's so hard to find his albums. what a shame