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.

The Cabriolet
Momus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We leave the party at two or three
You hitch a lift in my Cabriolet
And though it's misty I'm just too tired or too lazy to close the soft top
And I don't stop you when you curl your body, cold in your little black mini
And hold it against me

All night I've been flirting with everyone except you
How you explain my failure to find you as attractive as everyone else seems to I just don't know

But there's wind in our hair and drink in our systems
Breaking the ordinary inhibitions
And on the cassette some Louisiana Creole music
And you decide you want a cigarette
And though it only takes a second to demonstrate the gadget in the dash
I miss the black and white chevrons of the steep bend warning
And there's the sound of something smashing
Then nothing beneath the tyres of the Cabriolet .....

In the sudden shock of silence, with the morning star above you
Lying bizarre in the wreck of my car .....

Maybe I'm drunk and hallucinating
Maybe this isn't happening
Maybe you aren't lying there with tears in your little party dress
At the waist and the breast
Because in real life I was never this aroused by you
I was never this impressed
Your face unstained, unharmed but drained pale
Is suddenly more strange and beautiful than anything I've ever seen or ever will
Bathed in the light of the morning star I see someone I never took the trouble to know
Someone I only now begin to feel I could love or make love to
I'm moved and aroused to see you in this strange new way
Bathed in the starlight filtering through the myriad fragments
Of the freshly shattered windscreen of the Cabriolet

In the sudden shock of silence, with the morning star above you
Lying bizarre in the wreck of my car .....
..... I love you

In the sudden shock of silence, with the morning star above you
Lying bizarre in the wreck of my car .....

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Momus's song The Cabriolet are full of symbolism and metaphors that make it a rich piece of poetry. The song tells the story of a man and a woman leaving a party late at night in the man's open-top car. The Cabriolet represents the man's personality: relaxed, careless, and hedonistic. Despite the misty weather, he doesn't bother to close the soft top because he's too lazy, which symbolizes his nonchalant attitude towards life. The woman, who is wearing a little black mini dress, sits beside him and feels cold, so she curls her body and holds it against him, seeking his warmth and protection. This gesture of intimacy contrasts with the man's behavior earlier in the night, which was to flirt with everyone except her. He finds it puzzling that he doesn't feel attracted to her the way others seem to, but he doesn't dwell on it. The alcohol they consumed, combined with the thrill of the ride, brings down their inhibitions, and they listen to Louisiana Creole music while smoking cigarettes. The music reflects the diverse cultural influences in the region and suggests that the man is open to various experiences.

However, suddenly, the man misses a turn and crashes the car, shattering the windscreen and stopping in silence. The metaphor of the wrecked Cabriolet represents the disruption of the man's careless lifestyle, and the shards of the windscreen represent the broken pieces of his identity. This sudden shock of silence leads to a moment of clarity for the man, as he sees the woman lying beside him in her torn party dress. He realizes that he never took the trouble to know her, but in that moment, he feels moved and aroused to see her in a strange new way. The morning star above them symbolizes a new beginning, a chance for the man to start again, to appreciate the woman's beauty and the potential of their relationship. The last line, "I love you," is a declaration of his newfound affection.

Line by Line Meaning

We leave the party at two or three
We depart the social gathering during the late hours of the night.

You hitch a lift in my Cabriolet
You accept a ride in my luxury convertible car.

And though it's misty I'm just too tired or too lazy to close the soft top
Despite the foggy weather, I am too fatigued or uninterested to put the convertible roof up.

And I don't stop you when you curl your body, cold in your little black mini
I permit you to snuggle your freezing body while wearing your small black dress.

And hold it against me
You touch your chilled body against my warm one.

All night I've been flirting with everyone except you
Throughout the entire evening, I have been engaging in playful behavior with everyone other than you.

How you explain my failure to find you as attractive as everyone else seems to I just don't know
I am unsure of how to rationalize my inability to see you as alluring as the others around me do.

But there's wind in our hair and drink in our systems
Currently, the air is blowing through our locks, and we have consumed alcoholic beverages.

Breaking the ordinary inhibitions
Our mundane limitations are falling away.

And on the cassette some Louisiana Creole music
We listen to music originating from Louisiana that has African, European, and Native American components.

And you decide you want a cigarette
You determine that you want to smoke a cigarette.

And though it only takes a second to demonstrate the gadget in the dash
I am skilled enough to show you quickly how the controls on the dashboard work.

I miss the black and white chevrons of the steep bend warning
Unintentionally, I ignore the visual warning of an upcoming steep curve in the road.

And there's the sound of something smashing
We hear a noise indicating that something has been shattered.

Then nothing beneath the tyres of the Cabriolet .....
Subsequently, there is nothing for the tires of the convertible to touch.

In the sudden shock of silence, with the morning star above you
Abruptly, we are encountered with an eerie hush, and you see the morning star above you.

Lying bizarre in the wreck of my car .....
You lay in an unusual manner within the wreckage of my automobile.

Maybe I'm drunk and hallucinating
It is feasible that my alcohol intake has resulted in my hallucination.

Maybe this isn't happening
Possibly, this is not real.

Maybe you aren't lying there with tears in your little party dress
It is conceivable that you are not crying while wearing your festive attire and lying there.

At the waist and the breast
Your tears are falling at the waistline and chest level of your body.

Because in real life I was never this aroused by you
In reality, I was never this stimulated by you.

I was never this impressed
I never found you to be this admirable.

Your face unstained, unharmed but drained pale
Your face has no injuries, no blemishes, but it has turned ashen.

Is suddenly more strange and beautiful than anything I've ever seen or ever will
Your face now appears stranger and more attractive than anything I have ever or ever will see.

Bathed in the light of the morning star I see someone I never took the trouble to know
I am enlightened by the morning star's rays to perceive someone I never made an effort to understand.

Someone I only now begin to feel I could love or make love to
I am starting to believe that I can develop feelings of affection or physical intimacy with this person.

I'm moved and aroused to see you in this strange new way
I am emotional and stimulated to witness you in this novel, peculiar manner.

Bathed in the starlight filtering through the myriad fragments
The particles of glass filter the starlight and illuminate the wreckage.

Of the freshly shattered windscreen of the Cabriolet
The windshield of the convertible has just been shattered and broken.

..... I love you
I have realized that I am in love with you.

Contributed by Aria C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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