Jake's precise diction and risque lyrics won him comparison to Noël Coward; his distinctive nylon-stringed guitar technique is deceptively complex.
Jake retired to Monmouthshire in Wales in the 1990s, where he died in 2002.
A musical based on his work, Sister Josephine Kicks The Habit, made its debut in 2005. After many years out of print, Jake's music has started to reappear - Jake In A Box collects all of his EMI work and a number of live albums have appeared, highlighting Jake's rapport with his audiences, his tall tales, and his warmth as a performer.
Country Girl
Jake Thackray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She wakes up on a Saturday
Yawns all the time as she climbs down the stairs
In her dressing gown
Looks at the sunshine and puts on her Wellingtons
Country Girl
Milking the goats, her legs open wide
All springtime blows inside her petticoat
Evening time and she goes looking for a lover
At the Church Hall Saturday dance
Hoping for a good looking boy
Oh who fancies his chances with her
Under the moonlight
Long after midnight
Country Girl
She gets up on a Sunday
Goes in good time to the half-past nine mass on her bicycle
Sailing along singing hymns to the hedgerows
Country Girl
Visiting the neighbours
Dressed in her very best clothes that she chose from a catalogue
Evening can't come too soon for her
Evening time she lies with her lover boy o under the trees
Flashing her eyes on her back in the bracken where nobody sees her
Knees in the moonlight
Long after midnight
Country Girl
Monday at the sunrise
She calls to the geese while she's stroking the sleep from her smokey eyes
Under the plum trees, her toes in the crocuses
Country Girl
Putting on her pinafore
Combs from her hair all the straw that was there from the night before
Smiles to herself now and then
Now and then...
Jake Thackray's song "Country Girl" is a ballad that tells the story of a rural, carefree girl and her life in the countryside. The song is a vivid portrayal of her daily routine, her desires, and her love life. The "Country Girl" wakes up on a Saturday, puts on her wellingtons and goes to milk the goats. The imagery of "springtime blows inside her petticoat" highlights her sensual and sexually liberated nature. She longs for evening time when she can go to the Saturday dance at the church hall and finds herself a good-looking boy. The lyrics, "under the moonlight, long after midnight," suggest that she is adventurous and loves to take risks.
On Sundays, she attends church, sings hymns to the hedgerows while cycling along, and visits her neighbours dressed in her best clothes. She eagerly awaits evening time when she can meet her lover boy under the trees. She is comfortable being sexually active with him and enjoys being intimate in the open, even if it is in the bracken where no one can see her. The lyrics, "flashing her eyes on her back in the bracken where nobody sees her, knees in the moonlight long after midnight" alludes to the idea that she is confident and unabashed in expressing her sexuality.
The song's final verse depicts the country girl's daily routine on Monday and highlights how content she is with her simple way of life. She calls to the geese while stroking the sleep from her smokey eyes, puts on her pinafore, and combs the straw out of her hair with a smile on her face. The song's lyrics suggest a carefree and joyful nature that characterizes this country girl's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Country Girl
This song is about a girl who lives in the country.
She wakes up on a Saturday
The girl wakes up early on a Saturday morning.
Yawns all the time as she climbs down the stairs
She is tired and yawns frequently as she goes downstairs.
In her dressing gown
She is wearing her dressing gown.
Looks at the sunshine and puts on her Wellingtons
She notices the sunny weather and puts on her boots.
Milking the goats, her legs open wide
She is milking the goats with her legs spread apart.
All springtime blows inside her petticoat
The spring breeze blows her petticoat around.
Evening can't come too soon for her
She is looking forward to the evening.
Evening time and she goes looking for a lover
She looks for a romantic partner in the evening.
At the Church Hall Saturday dance
She goes to the Saturday dance at the church hall.
Hoping for a good looking boy
She hopes to find an attractive male partner.
Oh who fancies his chances with her
She wonders who would be interested in her.
Under the moonlight
They dance under the moonlight.
Long after midnight
They dance until very late at night.
She gets up on a Sunday
The next day (Sunday) she wakes up early again.
Goes in good time to the half-past nine mass on her bicycle
She rides her bike to the 9:30 a.m. church service.
Sailing along singing hymns to the hedgerows
She happily sings hymns while riding her bike.
Visiting the neighbours
She visits her neighbors.
Dressed in her very best clothes that she chose from a catalogue
She picked out her nicest outfit from a catalog for the visit.
Evening can't come too soon for her
She looks forward to the evening again.
Evening time she lies with her lover boy o under the trees
In the evening, she lies with her lover under the trees.
Flashing her eyes on her back in the bracken where nobody sees her
She playfully looks back at her lover from behind a bush where nobody can see them.
Knees in the moonlight
They are outside together with their knees in the moonlight.
Long after midnight
They stay out late again.
Monday at the sunrise
The next morning (Monday) she wakes up early again.
She calls to the geese while she's stroking the sleep from her smokey eyes
She wakes up and greets the geese while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Under the plum trees, her toes in the crocuses
She stands barefoot under the plum trees while looking at the crocuses.
Putting on her pinafore
She puts on her pinafore (an apron-like garment).
Combs from her hair all the straw that was there from the night before
She combs the straw out of her hair that got tangled in while lying outside the night before.
Smiles to herself now and then
She smiles to herself on occasion.
Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maja Tompkins
on Jumble Sale
There is a mistake in the transcription of the first verse of "Family Tree". It should say "There they perch for all to see", as it does in all the other verses.