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.
Righthand Heart
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I notice nothing until we start to kiss
And my hand goes beneath her dress
To the lefthand breast
Downstairs the party's going full swing
The people we came with haven't noticed a thing
As I tease the teat with my teeth
She puts my ear across her chest
Rests my head against the righthand breast
Sure enough her heart is there
Loud and clear
Beat, beating, beating on
The right side of oblivion
Beat, beating, beating on
The wrong side of her body
And though I know there's nothing dangerous in it
I'm feeling queasy, getting worse by the minute
Wondering how to escape this nightmare
When up the stair
Comes this boy with no heart at all
Him and her they make the perfect couple
Him so blind in his rapacity
That he doesn't even see it
Beat, beating, beating on
The right side of oblivion
Beat, beating, beating on
The wrong side of her body
And as I contemplate this mating of rapacity and
sickness
Of which I am the fascinated, unwilling witness
I see he couldn't care where her heart might be
And I say "what the hell is wrong with me?
Am I just too pure and too proud?"
And as the bed creaks I ask myself aloud
"Could it be that what makes me a freak Is my contempt
for freaks?"
I start to sweat, I feel it approach
Familiar self-hate, familiar self-reproach
And under my guard again it beats so hard
My righthand heart
Beat, beating, beating on
The right side of oblivion
Beat, beating, beating on
The wrong side of my body
Beat, beating, beating on
The right side of oblivion
Beat, beating, beating on
In the song "Righthand Heart" by Momus, the singer meets a girl who has a "righthand heart." He doesn't notice anything peculiar until they start kissing and he puts his hand beneath her dress, feeling for her left breast but realizing there's nothing there. Instead, her heart is on the right side of her chest. As he listens to her heartbeat, he becomes transfixed on this anomaly and wonders if he's a "freak" for caring so much. Meanwhile, a heartless boy upstairs takes the girl away, and the singer is left to contemplate his obsession.
The lyrics are rich with metaphorical meaning. The girl's "righthand heart" could represent something abnormal or even supernatural, while the heartless boy could signify someone who lacks empathy or emotional depth. The singer's fixation on the girl's heart could be interpreted as a fascination with the mysterious or the unknown. The song could also be read as a commentary on societal expectations, as the singer fits in with the group around him until he discovers something unique about the girl.
Line by Line Meaning
I meet this girl with a righthand heart
I encounter a woman with a heart that sits on the right side of her chest.
I notice nothing until we start to kiss
I don't notice anything peculiar about her until we begin kissing.
And my hand goes beneath her dress
I place my hand underneath her dress
To the lefthand breast
And feel a breast on the left side of her chest.
Downstairs the party's going full swing
Meanwhile, downstairs the party is in full swing.
The people we came with haven't noticed a thing
The people we came with are unaware of what's happening.
As I tease the teat with my teeth
As I playfully nibble on the nipple.
I feel nothing underneath
I notice there's no beating beneath the lustrous breast
She puts my ear across her chest
She gently places my ear on her chest.
Rests my head against the righthand breast
And my head rests on her right breast.
Sure enough her heart is there
Indeed, her heart is there.
Loud and clear
It beats loudly and rhythmically.
Beat, beating, beating on
The sound of her heart is repetitive.
The right side of oblivion
It's on the side of oblivion to which we'll all succumb one day.
The wrong side of her body
But it's located on what's known as the 'wrong' side of her chest.
And though I know there's nothing dangerous in it
Although there's no danger in this situation.
I'm feeling queasy, getting worse by the minute
I'm feeling unwell and it's getting worse over time.
Wondering how to escape this nightmare
I'm wondering how to get out of this perceived nightmare.
When up the stair
Suddenly, someone comes up the stairs.
Comes this boy with no heart at all
It's a boy with no heart at all.
Him and her they make the perfect couple
He and she seem like they're a perfect match.
Him so blind in his rapacity
He's so consumed with greed and desire.
That he doesn't even see it
He's unaware of the mismatch of their hearts.
And as I contemplate this mating of rapacity and sickness
As I ponder the merging of his greed and her unique condition.
Of which I am the fascinated, unwilling witness
I'm intrigued even though I don't want to be.
I see he couldn't care where her heart might be
I realize he doesn't care about the location of her heart.
And I say "what the hell is wrong with me?
I wonder what's wrong with me for even being bothered by this.
Am I just too pure and too proud?
I ponder whether I'm too virtuous.
And as the bed creaks I ask myself aloud
As the bed creaks beneath us, I ask myself aloud.
"Could it be that what makes me a freak Is my contempt for freaks?"
Is my disdain for those who are different what makes me an outsider?
I start to sweat, I feel it approach
I begin to sweat and feel something is coming.
Familiar self-hate, familiar self-reproach
I'm familiar with my tendency to hate and blame myself.
And under my guard again it beats so hard
And at this moment, my own righthand heart beats hard.
Beat, beating, beating on
It beats repetitively.
The right side of oblivion
It's situated on the side of oblivion that we'll all meet eventually.
The wrong side of my body
However, it too is situated on the 'wrong' side of my chest.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICHOLAS CURRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.