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 Man You'll Never Be
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't care what you've seen
Underneath the mountains
On the scrotum of the sea
I don't give a shit who you are
How you smashed your favourite car
All I see before me
Is the man you'll never be
And though I love no other
And no other's brother
And sometimes the technician
In the art school lavatory
Know I never betrayed you
Though - technically - they slayed you
None of them were half the men
That you will never be
You look strange in the moonlight
I wonder if I've done the right thing
To invite you
To share your bed with me
With the hole in your jacket
The shoe in your pocket
One eye dangling from the socket
Of the man you'll never be
Well you have much to commend you
But who would befriend you
With the alcoholic swagger
No-one's ever pleased to see
You've got the eyes of a spider
The handshake of a miser
I guess at least you're pleased you're not
The man you'll never be
And though many refuse you
Hide from you and try to lose you
Some run you over
Quite deliberately
I will not shirk my duty
For I love you truly
Not for who you are
But for the man you'll never be
You've got the lips of a chicken
The tics of a victim
The eyes of a liar
And the belly of a whale
I don't care what stupid things you've done
How you stared into the sun
When all I see, increasingly
Is the man you'll never be
La la la la la-la
La la la-la
La la la la-la
La la la la la la la la
La-la la la
La la la-la
La la la la-la la
La la la la la la-la
And though I loved no other
And no other's brother
And the jackass in the record shop
Who burns the fake CDs
Know I never despised you
Someone's undermined you
It's plain to see you're half the man
That you will never be
The song "The Man You'll Never Be" by Momus is a sarcastic and satirical take on the idea of being content with oneself and not aspiring to be someone else. The singer of the song embraces the flaws and imperfections of the person they are singing to, but at the same time, they encourage them to strive to become better. The lyrics say that the singer doesn't care about the person's past, their personality traits, or even their failures, but rather who they could become if they strive to be better.
The lyrics contain many interesting references that add to the overall satirical tone of the song. For instance, "Underneath the mountains/ On the scrotum of the sea" references the phrases used in classic literature to describe the vastness and mystery of nature. Later in the second verse, "And sometimes the technician/ In the art school lavatory" refers to individualistic and experimental art schools.
The song also includes some intriguing wordplay and metaphorical imagery. The line "The handshake of a miser" connotes greed and stinginess, and the comparison of the person's eyes to those of a spider is a reference to their sharpness and cunning nature.
Moreover, the repetition of the phrase "the man you'll never be" throughout the song underscores the central message – that everyone has room for growth and improvement.
In conclusion, Momus's "The Man You'll Never Be" is a witty and cynical commentary on personal growth and the idea that one should always strive to be better.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't care where you've been
Your past doesn't matter to me.
I don't care what you've seen
I'm not interested in your life experiences.
Underneath the mountains
Literal description, no metaphorical meaning.
On the scrotum of the sea
Another literal description, no metaphorical meaning.
I don't give a shit who you are
Your identity is not important to me.
How you smashed your favourite car
Even your personal mishaps and accidents don't interest me.
All I see before me
I only judge you based on what you are in front of me.
Is the man you'll never be
You are not capable of being the person I want you to be.
And though I love no other
My love for you is genuine and unique.
And no other's brother
I don't have any other close relationships like the one we share.
And sometimes the technician
Even someone seemingly insignificant in your life deserves respect.
In the art school lavatory
Another literal description, no metaphorical meaning.
Know I never betrayed you
I've always been loyal to you.
Though - technically - they slayed you
Even though others may have hurt you in the past, I never did.
None of them were half the men
The people who hurt you were not even close to being the person you aspire to be.
That you will never be
You can never live up to your own expectations of yourself.
You look strange in the moonlight
There is something odd about your behavior and appearance.
I wonder if I've done the right thing
Maybe my decision to be with you was a mistake.
To invite you
I asked you to come over.
To share your bed with me
I intended for us to sleep together.
With the hole in your jacket
Your clothing is damaged and old.
The shoe in your pocket
You carry your things in unusual ways.
One eye dangling from the socket
Another description of your strange appearance.
Of the man you'll never be
You will never be the idealized version of yourself you wish to be.
Well you have much to commend you
You have good qualities that I respect.
But who would befriend you
Other people might not see your good qualities.
With the alcoholic swagger
You display negative and harmful behaviors when you drink.
No-one's ever pleased to see
People are not happy when you show up.
You've got the eyes of a spider
Your eyes remind me of something unpleasant.
The handshake of a miser
Your handshake is unpleasant and insincere.
I guess at least you're pleased you're not
You may not be perfect, but you're content with who you are.
The man you'll never be
You have accepted that you cannot be the person you wish to be.
And though many refuse you
Other people reject you and avoid you.
Hide from you and try to lose you
People intentionally avoid being around you.
Some run you over
Some people show outright hostility and anger towards you.
Quite deliberately
Their behavior is intentional and not accidental.
I will not shirk my duty
I feel obligated to care for you and be there for you.
For I love you truly
My feelings for you are sincere and meaningful.
Not for who you are
My love for you is based on more than just your identity.
But for the man you'll never be
I love you for the person you aspire to be, not who you actually are.
You've got the lips of a chicken
Your mouth looks and acts strange like a chicken.
The tics of a victim
You have a habit of behaving like a victim, even when it's not appropriate.
The eyes of a liar
Your eyes convey deceit and dishonesty.
And the belly of a whale
You have a large and undeveloped belly.
I don't care what stupid things you've done
Your past mistakes and foolish decisions are irrelevant to me.
How you stared into the sun
Even your strange and dangerous actions are not worth my attention.
When all I see, increasingly
More and more, I am only seeing your flaws and shortcomings.
Is the man you'll never be
You are not capable of being the person you aspire to be.
La la la la la-la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la-la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la la-la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la la la la la la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La-la la la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la-la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la la-la la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
La la la la la la-la
A vocalization with no specific meaning.
And though I loved no other
My love for you is still the same.
And no other's brother
I don't have any other close relationships like the one we share.
And the jackass in the record shop
Even someone who annoys or bothers me deserves respect.
Who burns the fake CDs
Another literal description, no metaphorical meaning.
Know I never despised you
I've never hated you, even when I'm angry or frustrated.
Someone's undermined you
Other people have hurt you and damaged your self-esteem.
It's plain to see you're half the man
You are not capable of being the idealized version of yourself you wish to be.
That you will never be
You can never live up to your own expectations of yourself.
Writer(s): Nicholas Currie
Contributed by Dominic R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.