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.
Rules of the Game of Quoits
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the gymnasium
The sun in the blinds is blue and the girl moves through the room
Like an aquarium
Rules of the game of quoits
Use the dimmest light or the brightest light
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Use the softest matting or the hardest floor
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Tunics may be worn or torn away
And the rules of the game may be ignored
The boy with the ruddy face has left his place of work
For the gymnasium
He enters like a tent where the girl has left her scent
Like a geranium
Rules of the game of quoits
Use the softest matting or the hardest floor
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Rules of the game of quoits
If your posture's right you can thrust the quoit
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Tunics may be worn or torn away
And the rules of the game may be ignored
The girl in the rubber shoes pins the ruddy-faced boy to the floor
Of the gymnasium
She's crawling on the spot, she's the ink-rubber, he's the blot
And she erases him
Rules of the game of quoits
Use the dimmest light or the brightest light
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Rules of the game of quoits
Bend your knees and swing through ninety degrees
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
Tunics may be worn or torn away
And the rules of the game may be ignored
"For love will endure or not endure
Regardless of where we are"
The song "Rules of the Game of Quoits" by Momus presents a vivid description of a surreal game of quoits that takes place in a gymnasium. The song begins with a girl who is wearing rubber shoes and has run away from home to come to the gymnasium. She moves through the room like an aquarium, which could be interpreted as her being viewed as an object or something to be admired. Meanwhile, a boy with a ruddy face has also left his place of work to come to the gymnasium. He enters the gym like a tent where the girl has left her scent, and they begin to embrace.
Throughout the song, the lyrics continue to describe the game of quoits, which seems to be a metaphor for the relationship between the two protagonists. The lines "Use the dimmest light or the brightest light, When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire" could suggest how the couple is trying to navigate their relationship with varying levels of intensity. The rules of the game may be ignored, suggesting that the couple is trying to do things their way, not according to anyone else's rules. Ultimately, the final line "For love will endure or not endure Regardless of where we are" captures the essence of the song; love is unpredictable, and it can endure or fail, no matter the circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
The girl in the rubber shoes has run away from home
A girl wearing rubber shoes has run away from home and gone to the gymnasium.
To the gymnasium
The girl has gone to the gymnasium.
The sun in the blinds is blue and the girl moves through the room
The bright sun rays streaming in from the blinds have given a blueish tint to the atmosphere and the girl moves through the room like she is in an aquarium.
Like an aquarium
The girl is moving through the room in a way that is reminiscent of how creatures swim around in an aquarium.
Rules of the game of quoits
These lines serve as the chorus to the song and describe the different rules of the game of quoits that players can follow.
Use the dimmest light or the brightest light
Players can use either the dimmest light or the brightest light to play the game of quoits.
When the hoops start melting and the sticks catch fire
These lines follow each rule and describe the scenario in which that rule might come into play during the game of quoits.
Use the softest matting or the hardest floor
Players can use the softest matting or the hardest floor to play the game of quoits.
Tunics may be worn or torn away
Players have the choice to wear or tear away their tunics while playing the game of quoits.
And the rules of the game may be ignored
Players have the option to ignore the rules of the game of quoits if they want to.
The boy with the ruddy face has left his place of work
A boy with a red face has left his place of work and has gone to the gymnasium.
He enters like a tent where the girl has left her scent
The boy enters the gymnasium like he's going into a tent and can still smell the girl who was there before him.
Like a geranium
The scent of the girl reminds the boy of the smell of geraniums.
The girl in the rubber shoes pins the ruddy-faced boy to the floor
The girl in rubber shoes pins the boy with the red face to the floor of the gymnasium.
She's crawling on the spot, she's the ink-rubber, he's the blot
The girl is crawling in one spot while the boy is like a blot that is being erased by her.
And she erases him
The girl successfully erases the boy from her spot in the gymnasium.
"For love will endure or not endure
This line begins a short spoken section in the song that speaks to the ups and downs of love.
Regardless of where we are"
No matter where people are, love has the ability to endure or not endure.
Contributed by Christian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.