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.
Tragedy and Farce
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was so pure to me I couldn't even picture her nude
And when she told me she didn't want to be my lover
I cried for hours up on Carlton Hill
While the sun set behind the unfinished monument
(Tragedy and farce)
Drunk on champagne in an upstairs room
She let me take off her all her clothes
I'd had to wait so long for that first embrace
From that miserable day in '78
The first dry kiss
To this!
She invited me back to her empty place
Where the irony hit me like a slap in the face
(Tragedy and farce)
Either I was too big or she was too small
But there was no way on earth we would ever ball
Not even Vaseline and a lot of mutual pain
Could put Humpty Dumpty together again
Like a square peg forced into a round hole
This into that just wouldn't go
Though of course
We could still kiss
History plays the first time as tragedy, the second as farce
The lyrics of Momus's "Tragedy and Farce" explore the passage of time and how it can change our desires and perceptions. The song tells the story of a narrator who had a crush on a girl when he was 18 but was not able to pursue it. He revisits these feelings later in life when he meets her again at his sister's wedding, and they end up having a sexual encounter. However, the moment is soured by the realization that they are no longer physically compatible with one another, highlighting the irony of the situation. The title of the song, "Tragedy and Farce," refers to the concept in history that the first time events occur, they are tragic, but if they happen again, they become a farce.
The singer's experience in the song is relatable to many people who have had long-standing crushes. The lyrics suggest that there's a sense of innocence and purity in the way he saw this girl when he was young. His love was untainted by sexual desire or any other ulterior motives. However, as he aged and was finally able to act on these feelings, the reality of the situation was not as perfect as the ideal he'd held onto for so long. The song speaks to the inevitability of growing up and encountering disappointments and disillusionment as we go through life.
Line by Line Meaning
I longed for her when I was just 18
At 18, I desired her so intensely
She was so pure to me I couldn't even picture her nude
I thought of her as pure and innocent, unable to even imagine her undressed
And when she told me she didn't want to be my lover
When she rejected me romantically
I cried for hours up on Carlton Hill
I wept for hours on a hill called Carlton
While the sun set behind the unfinished monument
As the sun went down behind a monument that was never completed
(Tragedy and farce)
These events reflect the concept of tragedy and farce
Ten years later at my sister's wedding
Ten years later, at my sister's wedding
Drunk on champagne in an upstairs room
Intoxicated from drinking champagne in an upstairs room
She let me take off all her clothes
She allowed me to undress her completely
I'd had to wait so long for that first embrace
I had waited for that first intimate moment for so many years
From that miserable day in '78
Since that unhappy day in 1978
The first dry kiss
The initial platonic kiss
To this!
To this moment of sexual intimacy
She invited me back to her empty place
She asked me to come to her empty home
Where the irony hit me like a slap in the face
The irony of the situation hit me with the force of a physical blow
(Tragedy and farce)
Once again, tragedy and farce are at play
Either I was too big or she was too small
Either I was too large or she was too petite
But there was no way on earth we would ever ball
We were incapable of having sexual intercourse
Not even Vaseline and a lot of mutual pain
Lubricant and effort couldn't make it possible
Could put Humpty Dumpty together again
We were like the broken egg in the nursery rhyme
Like a square peg forced into a round hole
Our incompatibility was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole
This into that just wouldn't go
We just weren't a good fit
Though of course
Although
We could still kiss
We could still engage in kissing
(Tragedy and farce)
The situation still fits the theme of tragedy and farce
Contributed by Jordyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.