The Meaning Of The Moments Of Happiness

by Fyrie

This was written to amuse the current London Old Deuteronomy in CATS - I would recommend that you try not to take it seriouesly, cos it wasn't meant that way :)

The Meaning of 'The Moments of Happiness

When you look at it, The Moments of Happiness seems like a piece of gibberish that makes no sense at all, but when you put it in a context, there is a meaning there.

To begin to understand it, you must take the song as a whole, including the sections sung by Jemima/Sillabub, which many people tend to ignore as part of the song:

Moonlight, turn your face to the moonlight

Let your memory lead you. Open up, enter in

If you find there the meaning of what happiness is

Then a new life will begin.

Initially, this seems like a verse about understanding about life, happiness and everything like that, however, we will look at each line, in an attempt to discover the context in which we can understand this AND the rest of the song.

'Moonlight, turn your face to the moonlight' - this seems so suggest that whatever activity Jemima/Sillabub is singing about should be carried out at night, by the light of the moon.

So far, so good. 'Let your memory lead you.' - This is where things become rather curious. If your memory leads you in doing something, it is something you know instinctively how to do. Since it is not usually safe to ride a bike at night, this suggests that there is something else that people know how to do from instinct, which could be one of any variety of activities.

Looking at the previous line about instinctive behaviour, the new line holds a peculiar meaning: 'Open up, enter in'. What is it that opens up and what exactly is it that enters in?

All becomes clear in the final two lines: 'If you find there the meaning of what happiness is, a new life will begin'. A new life beginning implies either birth, or conception. Conception (originally & naturally) was viewed to come from sexual climax, which can also be classed as, for want of a better phrase, as 'a moment of happiness'.

Putting all of this into one context, this final section of the song seems to be about sex! Now, how does this affect the rest of the song?

Using the concept of a 'moment of happiness' being the equivilant of an orgasm, the first line of the song now reads 'Orgasms'. And they say this is a family show!

However, we are analysing the song, not pointing and laughing at the sneaky way the writers shoved sex in at every turn (don't get me started on the group 'hug' during the Jellicle Ball).

The full section that Deuteronomy sings read:

The Moments of Happiness.

We have the experience, but miss the meaning

And approach to the meaning

Restores the experience in a different form

Beyond any meaning we can assign to happiness

The past experience revived in the meaning

Is not the experience of one life only,

But of many generations.

Not forgetting something,

That is probably quite ineffable.

The second line of this seems to speak for itself: when we experience something, we do tend to miss the importance of it and the meaning of it, which we come to understand at a later time.

If we keep the thought of so-called 'moments of happiness' being the key theme in the song, the third line becomes significant: 'approach to the meaning restores the meaning in a different form'.

To be crude (or cruder than usual), you can get 'moments of happiness' from casual sex, or from a deep and meaningful bout of love making. Depending on which of these you partake in (ie. 'the approach to the meaning'), it restores the experience in a different form: for example, casual sex provides you with fleeting satisfaction.

However, if you approach 'moments of happiness' from the love-making and deep, loving relationship side of things, they are much more important than a quick bonk in the bushes with a stranger. Indeed, the emotional bond can seem to be 'beyond any meaning we can assign to happiness'.

With the past experience revived in the meaning', it suggests that this kind of questing for a 'moment of happiness' is still on-going, a theme continued in the final lines of the song.

This is validated by the statement that this is 'not the experience of one life only, but of many generations', suggesting that it is a activity that has been around for quite some time.

That is when Deuteronomy says they should not forget something that 'probably quite ineffable'. The meaning given to 'ineffable' in the dictionary can be narrowed down to four words: indefineable, inexpressible, unspeakable and unutterable.

I tend to prefer the latter two words, because they fit in with the poem as a whole and they suggest that the entire subject of the poem is taboo, which is why it has been covered up with fancy words.

Even here, Old Deuteronomy can't face saying what he really means, so he hands that responsibility over to Jemima/Sillabub to tell everyone about just 'how' to go about producing a new life (For goodness sake! She's just a kitten herself and she's giving the jellicle tribe sex. ed!)

The tribe, then repeat it like a mantra, as the subliminal messaging from Old Deut and Jemima/Sillabub suggests that they all go out and get laid in different ways to start a whole lot of new lives, and be fruitful and multiply, in a very poetic way.

In conclusion, the dullest song in the show is all about SEX and ORGASM, because the writers were perverts and wanted to have as much sex in the show as possible without anyone in the audience of this 'family-orientated show' actually realising it.

So, now you know the truth of their evil ploy, you can't blame me for corrupting you all!

It was them! It was the Cats!

Muahahahaha!

P.S. Junix, I hope you find this very helpful :)