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.

Platinum
Momus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I told the truth I'd like to live my life again
Walk around my youth in somebody else's skin
One life's not enough for all that we contain
Nothing's going to save us now

Let's go back in time and see what bridges we can burn
Kick over our tracks on the eternal return
Throw away the facts and figures - we never learn

Nothing's going to save us now

Take me to the place where my decisions are relived
Give me answers to the question 'What would have happened if ..... '
Beyond the third dimension, beyond the fourth and fifth
In a parallel universe

Hey DJ you've got it all wrong
No more golden greats, no more platinum songs
Put these frozen moments in the fridge where they belong
Nothing's going to save us now

I don't say that life's not sad and death is not the end
Looks like you got typecast by a double-crossing friend
Looks like we were here before and we'll be back again
In a parallel universe

No regrets at least not yet is all that we can say
Stand-ins for ourselves in life's identity parade
Gone the crimes that you committed, gone the things you made
To a parallel universe

Hey DJ you've got it all wrong
No more golden greats, no more platinum songs
Put these master tapes back in the safe where they belong
We've got to live the hallelujah now

So let's go

Walk the city streets with me and cross a thousand lives
Count the possibilities that shine in people's eyes
Ask how many dreams we kill to keep our dreams alive
We've got to live the hallelujah now

Thank you for the memory, the curse you laid on me
Like a shooting star I burst into obscurity
Live this second first because the rest is history
Nothing's going to save us now

Hey DJ you've got it all wrong
No more greatest hits, no more platinum songs
Put these little shits back in the ground where they belong
Nothing's going to save us now

If I told the truth I'd like to live my life again
Walk around my youth in somebody else's skin
One life's not enough for all that we contain
We've got to live the halellujah now

So let's go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Momus's song "Platinum" are a reflection on the human condition and the desire to go back in time and change things, to live life differently, to correct mistakes that seem irreversible, and ultimately, to find redemption. The opening line, "If I told the truth I'd like to live my life again," sets the tone for the song, suggesting a longing for a second chance. The singer wishes to walk around their youth in somebody else's skin, highlighting the desire to lead a different life, one that is free of the mistakes and regrets that define their current existence. The idea that one life is not enough to contain all that we are is present throughout the song, suggesting that there is more to life than what we experience in the here and now.

Line by Line Meaning

If I told the truth I'd like to live my life again
Expressing the desire to relive life, but only if the truth can be told this time around.

Walk around my youth in somebody else's skin
Wanting to experience youth in a different perspective, a different viewpoint.

One life's not enough for all that we contain
Feeling that one lifetime is not enough to contain all the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that life has to offer.

Nothing's going to save us now
Recognizing that there's no saving or redemption from the past and the mistakes we've made.

Let's go back in time and see what bridges we can burn
Reflecting on past mistakes and wanting to destroy those bridges in order to move forward and start anew.

Kick over our tracks on the eternal return
Rejecting the idea of going back to one's past that is a cycle or loop and moving forward instead.

Throw away the facts and figures - we never learn
Acknowledging that even with knowledge and information, humans still make the same mistakes repeatedly.

Take me to the place where my decisions are relived
Desiring to revisit past decisions and find out how things could have happened differently with different choices.

Give me answers to the question 'What would have happened if.....'
Asking hypothetical questions to understand the alternate outcomes of different decisions.

Beyond the third dimension, beyond the fourth and fifth
Venturing into the possibilities outside of our known existence and understanding of reality.

In a parallel universe
Imagining and exploring the countless possibilities in other dimensions or alternate versions of reality.

Hey DJ you've got it all wrong
Addressing a misguided mindset or perspective of someone who holds power or influence.

No more golden greats, no more platinum songs
Rejecting the notion of holding on to past accomplishments and recognition and instead, aiming for a new direction.

Put these frozen moments in the fridge where they belong
Suggesting to leave the past frozen and preserved in order to move forward and not be held back by nostalgia.

I don't say that life's not sad and death is not the end
Acknowledging the inevitability of death and accepting that life is full of sadness and hardships.

Looks like you got typecast by a double-crossing friend
Being limited or stereotyped by someone who deceived or betrayed trust.

Looks like we were here before and we'll be back again
Feeling like history repeats itself and that there's no escaping the cycle.

No regrets at least not yet is all that we can say
Accepting that there are no regrets yet but leaving the possibility of regrets in the future.

Stand-ins for ourselves in life's identity parade
Feeling like mere placeholders in life and questioning our true purpose and identity.

Gone the crimes that you committed, gone the things you made
Understanding that the past actions and creations are now irrelevant and nonexistent.

We've got to live the hallelujah now
Urging to live life with passion and positivity in the present instead of dwelling on the past or fearing the future.

Walk the city streets with me and cross a thousand lives
Walking the city streets to discover diverse lives and explore the endless possibilities that people hold.

Count the possibilities that shine in people's eyes
Recognizing the potential and dreams that people possess and allowing them to inspire and motivate us.

Ask how many dreams we kill to keep our dreams alive
Questioning how much we have to sacrifice, compromise or let go of our dreams to eventually realize them.

Thank you for the memory, the curse you laid on me
The mixed emotions of gratitude and resentment for the past experiences and people who have impacted one's life.

Like a shooting star I burst into obscurity
Climbing and achieving glory only to quickly fade into insignificance and irrelevance.

Live this second first because the rest is history
Encouraging to live in the present because everything else from the past is already written and cannot be changed.

Contributed by Vivian H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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