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.
Suicide Pact
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We never knew how to act
And above us
The aurora borealis bore witness to that
Where in the world is there space
For the beauty we shared?
Nowhere
Remember the herons and cranes
But as they have flown, so must we go
We were lovers
We made a suicide pact
We let sleep steal across us
In the snow where we sat
And above us
Came a meteor shower
We went down on our knees
Before a universal power
Where in the world is there time
For the love we have shared?
Nowhere
Deep in the forest
Remember the acorns and cones
Before they have grown we must be gone
We were lovers
We never knew how to act
The aurora borealis
Is our epitaph
Where in the world is there realm and dominion enough
For love?
From the 747
Remember the shapes of the clouds
But when we are gone they'll be our shrouds
The song "Suicide Pact" by Momus encapsulates the story of two lovers who made a decision to end their lives together. The lyrics poetically use the aurora borealis - a natural light display in the Earth's sky - to signify the beauty of the relationship that the lovers shared. The opening lines describe how the couple never knew how to act and the aurora borealis was the observer of their love story. The lines perhaps suggest that their love story was unconventional, and society did not understand their relationship. The couple bears witness to the aurora borealis, making it a visual representation of their moment of love.
The lovers are aware that their love does not fit in the world, and they are then contrasted with the herons and cranes, which have flown away. This metaphor may signify the inevitability of change and, in time, things coming to an end - a crucial element of their decision to end their lives. In the second verse, the snow and meteor shower set the stage for the 'universal power' that they go down on their knees before. They've made up their minds; they have let sleep steal across them and the meteor shower proves to be the universe's sign of acceptance.
The lyrics, "Deep in the forest, remember the acorns and cones; Before they have grown, we must be gone," builds on the ending theme of natural growth and time running out. The lovers know that they must leave and not wait for the acorns to grow. They have made up their minds, and there is no time for delay. The aurora borealis becomes their epitaph, hinting that their love story will be remembered long after they are gone. The song also tells us that love stories are precious but ephemeral - like the shapes of clouds that the lovers remember from a 747.
Line by Line Meaning
We were lovers
We were romantically involved
We never knew how to act
We were never quite sure how to behave in our relationship
And above us
In the sky, looking down on us
The aurora borealis bore witness to that
The Northern Lights saw everything we did together
Where in the world is there space
Is there any place we're allowed to be together?
For the beauty we shared?
We had something special and rare, but we couldn't find a place to express it
Nowhere
We couldn't find a place
At the bend in the river
A specific location we visited
Remember the herons and cranes
We remember seeing birds by the river
But as they have flown, so must we go
Just like the birds flew away, we must leave this place
We made a suicide pact
We agreed to end our lives together
We let sleep steal across us
We fell asleep in each other's arms
In the snow where we sat
We were in a wintry location
Came a meteor shower
We witnessed a shower of meteors falling from the sky
We went down on our knees
We fell to our knees in awe of the universe
Before a universal power
In front of a force greater than ourselves
Where in the world is there time
Is there any time to be together?
For the love we have shared?
Our love was so brief, did it really happen at all?
Nowhere
We couldn't find the time
Deep in the forest
Another location we visited
Remember the acorns and cones
We remember seeing natural objects in the forest
Before they have grown we must be gone
We have to leave before nature takes its course
The aurora borealis
The Northern Lights
Is our epitaph
It was our final moment, immortalized by the sky
Where in the world is there realm and dominion enough
Is there any place in the world where our love can reign supreme?
For love?
Is there any place in the world for love?
From the 747
A location in the sky, on a plane
Remember the shapes of the clouds
We remember seeing cloud formations while traveling
But when we are gone they'll be our shrouds
The clouds will be all that's left of us
Contributed by Ella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.