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.

Zanzibar
Momus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Autumn is warm
These are my golden years
Roll on a casino of shadows at the Ocean del Sol
Fortune is long
But these are the older years
When the waterfall spider sparkles and turns like a clock in the dark

Far from the spring

Sit in a barber's chair
Still bringing glamour to towns where the hammer must fall
Feminine man
Tall in the evening air
With the Zulu who walks with you always by your side

And the pain goes
And explain those
Spiders are building their webs across skulls' eyes in the dark
Far from springtime
In a barber's chair
Time to pull on the face that you keep in a jar by the door

Galloping ghosts
Take me to Zanzibar
Forward and forward the chargers they're charging in dreams at least
Rallying round
The faces of every old ghost
In a postage stamp world we slipper away with a cradle of cats

In a postage stamp world
There is nothing yet left to believe in
For a fox-hunting man who has sold all his clothes to the slave trade
You are lovely in face
Love me in body and everything
You've got laughter and brains and I love you so much in your hat

And the pain goes
Further and further and deeper and deeper inside
And the time goes so slow in the winter time rolling in straw and hay
For a fox-hunting man
Who can stand in the fire and just fade away
You are lovely of face, you are lovely of body and soul

Galloping ghosts
Take me to Zanzibar
Forward and forward the chargers they're charging in dreams at least
Rallying round

The faces of every old ghost
In a postage stamp world we slipper away with a cradle of cats

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Momus's song Zanzibar evoke a sense of nostalgia, memory, and a longing for something lost. The first verse begins by describing autumn as warm and these being the "golden years" which could suggest the singer is perhaps reaching middle age, but still finding joy and excitement in life. The mention of a "casino of shadows" and "fortune is long" might imply that the singer is willing to take risks and gamble, even in the later stages of their life, but with a sense of wisdom that comes with age. The line "when the waterfall spider sparkles and turns like a clock in the dark" could refer to the beauty of nature and how it presents itself in unexpected ways, almost like a secret revealed only to those who are willing to seek it out.

The second verse introduces some contrasting imagery, with the mention of a "barber's chair" and "towns where the hammer must fall." Perhaps this could represent the mundanity and routine of everyday life, while still trying to hold onto a sense of glamour and excitement. The line "with the Zulu who walks with you always by your side" could symbolize a friend or companion who is always present, offering support and love. The chorus repeats the phrase "galloping ghosts, take me to Zanzibar" which could be interpreted as a desire to escape reality and enter a more exotic, otherworldly place where anything is possible.

Line by Line Meaning

Autumn is warm
Despite the expectation of a cool season, this particular autumn season is surprisingly warm

These are my golden years
These current times are the peak of my life

Roll on a casino of shadows at the Ocean del Sol
A place where the shadows are like gambling chips moves forward towards the sunset-filled Ocean del Sol

Fortune is long
Good luck lasts for a long time, possibly for years or decades

But these are the older years
Despite the good luck, it is happening during the later years of life

When the waterfall spider sparkles and turns like a clock in the dark
During the dark, spiders build webs over the eyes of skulls in a waterfall-like manner while they shimmer and rotate just like a clock

Far from the spring
Now, it is far from the time of rebirth and new beginnings

Sit in a barber's chair
Be seated on a chair while the barber does his job

Still bringing glamour to towns where the hammer must fall
While troubles exist in several towns, there are people who still manage to bring in style and elegance in those places

Feminine man
A man who possesses qualities that are stereotypically feminine

Tall in the evening air
Towering in height in the open air during the evening

With the Zulu who walks with you always by your side
Accompanied by a Zulu who never leaves you and always walks by your side

And the pain goes
The hurt departs

And explain those
Provide a description of the following

Spiders are building their webs across skulls' eyes in the dark
Spiders produce cobwebs over the eye sockets of skulls in the darkness

Far from springtime
Now is a different season and not the time for rejuvenation

In a barber's chair
Being seated on a chair while the barber does his job

Time to pull on the face that you keep in a jar by the door
It's time to put on a mask that is kept in a jar near the entrance

Galloping ghosts
Phantoms that ride horses and move fast

Take me to Zanzibar
Bring me to the African island of Zanzibar

Forward and forward the chargers they're charging in dreams at least
At least, in dreams they feel like they are charging forward on horseback

Rallying round
Coming together to support a common cause or idea

The faces of every old ghost
Every ghost from the past, regardless of how long they have been dead

In a postage stamp world we slipper away with a cradle of cats
In a world so small that one can compare it to a postage stamp, people are escaping with a cradle or a basket of kittens

There is nothing yet left to believe in
There are no longer any beliefs or ideas that hold fast

For a fox-hunting man who has sold all his clothes to the slave trade
A man who has participated in fox-hunting and has sold all of his clothes to the slave trade

You are lovely in face
Your physical features are beautiful

Love me in body and everything
Love me with all your body and your entire being

You've got laughter and brains and I love you so much in your hat
You possess qualities such as humour and intelligence, and I love you a lot for the hat you wear

Further and further and deeper and deeper inside
Going farther and deeper inside

And the time goes so slow in the winter time rolling in straw and hay
Time passes very slowly during the winter season when one is occupied with rolling in hay and straw

Who can stand in the fire and just fade away
Someone who can manage to stand in a fire while starting to slowly vanish

You are lovely of face, you are lovely of body and soul
Your physical, as well as spiritual, traits are all beautiful

Contributed by Colin S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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