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.
It Was Only A Gypsy
Jake Thackray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My wife is white and beautiful, with breasts of alabaster.
When I hurry home to her, she whispers with a smile,
'What did you do today, my big blue hero?'
'There was only a gypsy,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai.
'Up to no good. I did what I should:
But now I grow impatient to enjoy her juicy beauty,
I surge to the rising rhythms of those breasts of alabaster.
'No,' she cries, 'pray tell me what you did today on duty -
'Tell me more about this hairy gypsy!'
'It was only a gypsy,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai.
'Up to no good. I did what I should:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.'
'But tell me, pretty darling, will you tell me, in your turn,
'Who placed those fresh wild flowers in your breasts of alabaster?
'And when you smile, between your teeth, still wedged, do I discern
'A sprig of whisker from another's moustache?'
'It was only a gypsy', she sighed,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai,
'Up to no good. I did what I could:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.
'It was only a gypsy boy,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai-ai-ai,
'Up to no good. I did what I could:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.'
Between her breasts a hedgerow nosegay,
In between her teeth a tell-tale whisker.
The house is full of clothes-pegs.
The song "It Was Only a Gypsy" by Jake Thackray is a satirical take on the power dynamics that exist between the police and the Romani community. The song begins with the singer describing himself as a "handsome policeman" who is "bold and versatile" and whose wife is "white and beautiful, with breasts of alabaster." The singer's wife asks him what he did on duty that day, and he responds that he encountered a gypsy who he physically forced to move along.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly impatient to enjoy his wife's "juicy beauty" and she continues to ask him about the gypsy. She reveals that there is a tell-tale whisker between her teeth, implying that she may have had an encounter with the same gypsy that her husband encountered, but in a different context. The song ends with the singer's wife holding a hedgerow nosegay between her breasts and the house being full of clothes-pegs, suggesting that there is some sort of clandestine activity taking place.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the way in which those in power (represented by the policeman) are able to exploit and abuse those who are marginalized (represented by the gypsy), and how these dynamics can play out in personal relationships as well.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a handsome policeman. I am bold and versatile.
I am a confident and adaptable law enforcer with good looks.
My wife is white and beautiful, with breasts of alabaster.
My spouse is fair and attractive, with a well-endowed chest.
When I hurry home to her, she whispers with a smile,
'What did you do today, my big blue hero?'
When I come back home, my partner asks with joy, 'What was your accomplishment today, my brave lawman?'
'There was only a gypsy,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai.
'Up to no good. I did what I should:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.'
I encountered a shabby traveler who appeared suspicious and troublesome. Using force, I made him leave.
But now I grow impatient to enjoy her juicy beauty,
I surge to the rising rhythms of those breasts of alabaster.
However, I am now eager to savor my spouse's alluring form, and I am aroused by her curvaceous bosom.
'No,' she cries, 'pray tell me what you did today on duty -
'Tell me more about this hairy gypsy!'
My partner insists, 'No, share with me what you did at work today - elaborate on the encounter with that unkempt vagrant!'
'But tell me, pretty darling, will you tell me, in your turn,
'Who placed those fresh wild flowers in your breasts of alabaster?
'And when you smile, between your teeth, still wedged, do I discern
'A sprig of whisker from another's moustache?'
My lover asks, 'But my beautiful pet, can you answer for me too? Who gave you those lovely flowers decorating your chest? And when you smile with your lips closed, is that an errant hair from someone else's facial hair stuck between your teeth?'
'It was only a gypsy', she sighed,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai,
'Up to no good. I did what I could:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.
My partner admits, 'It was just a traveler - a scruffy, undeserving rascal. I used physical measures to make him leave.'
'It was only a gypsy boy,
'A ragged, shaggy blackguard of a didecai-ai-ai,
'Up to no good. I did what I could:
'A little physical persuasion and he passed on by.'
She reiterates, 'It was only a youthful wandering outcast - grubby and disreputable. I utilized some physical force to make him depart.'
Between her breasts a hedgerow nosegay,
In between her teeth a tell-tale whisker.
Amidst her bosom is a small bunch of wildflowers, and wedged between her teeth is a clear sign of someone else's bristle.
The house is full of clothes-pegs.
The abode is filled with clothespins.
Contributed by Madelyn G. 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.