Don't Ask Me
Blockheads/Ian Dury/Ian Dury & the Blockheads Lyrics

In Ian Dury and the Blockheads’ “Don’t Ask Me,” the singer is overwhelmed with feelings of confusion and insecurity as he tries to make sense of his relationship—or lack thereof—with an unspecified “you.” The absurd opening line, “Here I stand / With a doughnut for a brain,” immediately sets the tone for the song as an exaggeratedly self-deprecating meditation on the absurdity of human interactions. Despite the singer’s incessant requests to not be asked for specific actions or answers, he ironically continues to offer his affection, “Let me offer you / My life and all my love,” even as he admits to being ignorant and cheap.

The chorus, “Don’t ask me,” repeats throughout the song as if it were a mantra that the singer is hoping will protect him from making any irrevocable mistakes in his interactions with “you” or anyone else. By the last repetition of the chorus, the phrase has taken on a sense of defiance, as if the singer is refusing to be pinned down or forced into actions or words he does not fully comprehend.

The lyrics to “Don’t Ask Me” are purposely ambiguous and the music is intentionally chaotic, reflecting the singers’ frustration as he tries to make sense of a relationship that may or may not exist. The song is a commentary on the absurdity of human interactions and how often we are left feeling helpless and confused in the face of uncertainty.