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.
On Again! On Again!
Jake Thackray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To me it is palpable proof of God's existence, a posteriori.
Also I love breasts and arms and ankles, elbows, knees;
It's the tongue, the tongue, the tongue on a woman that spoils the job for me.
Please understand I respect and admire the frailer sex
And I honour them every bit as much as the next misogynist.
But give some women the ghost of a chance to talk and thereupon
They go on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on.
I fell in love with a woman with wonderful thighs and hips
And a sensational belly. I just never noticed her lips were always moving.
Only when we got to the altar and she had to say "I do"
And she folded her arms and gathered herself and took in a breath and I knew
She could have gone on again, on again, on again till the entire
Congregation passed out and the vicar passed on and the choirboys passed through puberty.
At the reception I gloomily noted her family's jubilant mood,
Their maniacal laughter and their ghastly gratitude.
She talks to me when I go for a shave or a sleep or a swim.
She talks to me on a Sunday when I go singing hymns and drinking heavily.
When I go mending my chimney pot she's down there in the street,
And at ninety-five on my motorbike she's on the pillion seat
Wittering on again, on again, on and again and again.
When I'm eating or drinking or reading or thinking or when I'm saying my rosary.
She will never stop talking to me; she is one of those women who
Will never use three or four words when a couple of thousand will easily do!
She also talks without stopping to me in our bed of a night;
Throughout the sweetest of our intimate delights she never gives over.
Not even stopping while we go hammer and tongs towards the peak -
Except maybe for a sigh and a groan and one perfunctory shriek.
Then she goes on again, on again, on again on and I must
Assume that she has never noticed that she's just been interrupted.
Totally unruffled she is, and as far as I can see
I might just as well have been posting a letter or stirring up the tea!
She will not take a hint, not once she's made a start.
I can yawn or belch or bleed or faint or fart - she'll not drop a syllable.
I could stand in front of her grimly sharpening up an axe,
I could sprinkle her with paraffin, and ask her for a match -
She'd just go on again, on again, on again even more.
The hind leg of a donkey is peanuts for her, she can bore the balls off a buffalo.
"Mother of God," I cried one day, "Oh, let your kingdom come
"And in the meantime, Mother, could you strike this bugger dumb?"
Well, believe it or not, she appeared to me then and there:
The Blessed Virgin herself, in answer to my prayer, despite the vulgarity,
Shimmering softly, dressed in blue and holding up a hand.
I cocked a pious ear as the Mother of God began.
Well she went on again, on again, on again, on, and I
Will have to state how very much I sympathise with the rest of the family.
Give some women the ghost of a chance to talk and thereupon
They go on again, on again, on again, on again,
And again, and again, and again, and again
They will go on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on.
The song "On Again! On Again!" by Jake Thackray is a humorous take on the idea that some women have a tendency to talk endlessly, even when it's not entirely necessary. The lyrics express the singer's frustration with his wife, whose constant chatter interrupts intimate moments and even mundane activities like shaving or reading. The chorus repeats the idea that some women just can't stop talking, no matter what the situation.
In the first verse, the singer admits to being attracted to women's physical features, but finds the incessant talking to be a turn-off. He humbly acknowledges that he respects and admires women, but can't help being put off by those who won't stop talking. In the second verse, the singer shares his experience of falling in love with a woman who he later discovered couldn't stop talking. He describes the disappointment he felt on their wedding day when he realized she would never stop talking. The third verse goes on to describe how the singer's wife talks to him constantly, even during intimate moments.
Overall, the song is a satirical commentary on gendered stereotypes about women as talkative and men as quiet. It touches on themes of love, frustration, and acceptance. The singer seems to be resigned to the fact that his wife won't stop talking, but also finds humor in the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I love a good bum on a woman, it makes my day.
To me it is palpable proof of God's existence, a posteriori.
Also I love breasts and arms and ankles, elbows, knees;
Physical features of a woman that appeal to me.
It's the tongue, the tongue, the tongue on a woman that spoils the job for me.
A woman's incessant chatter is a mood-killer for me.
Please understand I respect and admire the frailer sex
I have a deep respect for women.
And I honour them every bit as much as the next misogynist.
Despite my admiration for women, I understand that sexism exists.
But give some women the ghost of a chance to talk and thereupon
When some women get a chance to talk, they seize it.
They go on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on.
These women never stop talking.
I fell in love with a woman with wonderful thighs and hips
I was initially attracted to this woman's physical appearance.
And a sensational belly. I just never noticed her lips were always moving.
I was oblivious to her constant talking.
Only when we got to the altar and she had to say "I do"
I realized her talking would be a problem on our wedding day.
And she folded her arms and gathered herself and took in a breath and I knew
She was getting ready to start talking again.
She could have gone on again, on again, on again till the entire
She could have spoken without stopping for a long time.
Congregation passed out and the vicar passed on and the choirboys passed through puberty.
Everyone in the church would have been exhausted and bored from her talking.
At the reception I gloomily noted her family's jubilant mood,
Her family was excited, but I was not due to her talking.
Their maniacal laughter and their ghastly gratitude.
Their happiness seemed over the top to me.
She talks to me when I go for a shave or a sleep or a swim.
She never stops talking to me.
She talks to me on a Sunday when I go singing hymns and drinking heavily.
She talks at inappropriate times.
When I go mending my chimney pot she's down there in the street,
She follows me and talks even when I am busy with work.
And at ninety-five on my motorbike she's on the pillion seat
She talks even when we are traveling at high speeds on a motorbike.
Wittering on again, on again, on and again and again.
She talks incessantly and never stops.
When I'm eating or drinking or reading or thinking or when I'm saying my rosary.
She talks at any and all moments.
She will never stop talking to me; she is one of those women who
She has a habit of talking non-stop.
Will never use three or four words when a couple of thousand will easily do!
She talks far too much, using way too many words.
She also talks without stopping to me in our bed of a night;
She even talks non-stop when we are intimate.
Throughout the sweetest of our intimate delights she never gives over.
She does not stop talking despite intimate moments.
Not even stopping while we go hammer and tongs towards the peak -
She does not even stop talking during sexual climax.
Except maybe for a sigh and a groan and one perfunctory shriek.
She only makes noises briefly before resuming her talking.
Then she goes on again, on again, on again on and I must
She resumes talking non-stop which is bothersome.
Assume that she has never noticed that she's just been interrupted.
She does not seem to make note of any interruptions.
Totally unruffled she is, and as far as I can see
She is unfazed by anything going on around her.
I might just as well have been posting a letter or stirring up the tea!
She does not seem to react to anything I do.
She will not take a hint, not once she's made a start.
She does not stop talking even if I hint at it.
I can yawn or belch or bleed or faint or fart - she'll not drop a syllable.
She is impervious to any disruptions or bodily functions.
I could stand in front of her grimly sharpening up an axe,
She does not seem to notice anything around her.
I could sprinkle her with paraffin, and ask her for a match -
Even something dangerous happening would not stop her talking.
She'd just go on again, on again, on again even more.
She would continue to talk non-stop without being deterred.
The hind leg of a donkey is peanuts for her, she can bore the balls off a buffalo.
She can talk endlessly and bore anyone around her.
"Mother of God," I cried one day, "Oh, let your kingdom come
I was desperately seeking divine intervention.
"And in the meantime, Mother, could you strike this bugger dumb?"
I was pleading with God to make her stop talking.
Well, believe it or not, she appeared to me then and there:
I had a vision of the Virgin Mary.
The Blessed Virgin herself, in answer to my prayer, despite the vulgarity,
I was surprised by this divine intervention despite my rude request.
Shimmering softly, dressed in blue and holding up a hand.
She appeared peaceful and serene, ready to grant my wish.
I cocked a pious ear as the Mother of God began.
I listened attentively to what the Virgin Mary had to say.
Well she went on again, on again, on again, on, and I
Even the Virgin Mary talked non-stop.
Will have to state how very much I sympathise with the rest of the family.
I understand how irritating people can be when they never stop talking.
Give some women the ghost of a chance to talk and thereupon
Women who love to talk will take advantage of any opportunity to do so.
They go on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on.
These women will never stop talking.
And again, and again, and again, and again
They will continue talking without interruption.
They will go on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on again, on.
They will talk without stopping, no matter what.
Contributed by Claire C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anthony Bracuti
A very very clever man, and this is perhaps is one of the cleverest songs he wrote. Almost every line is genius. The "a prosteriori" line makes me chuckle every time I listen (which is relatively regularly).
He learnt his unusual way to play guitar while on mission in French colonial Northern Africa, missing learning the rock and roll of his contemporaries. He became a secondary school teacher and supplemented his education with his many clever songs, before moving into the limelight at a later age.
Although I was born far too late to ever meet the man, I have met those who knew him, and all agree he was an incredibly nice person too.
(ignore the misogyny of the song, it is clearly self-deprecatory rather than unwittingly insulting. Just picture a man who has married a very chatty woman, and over a lifetime of bending his ear to her nattering he has been driven to general misogyny. This is of course not Jake Thackray himself, who was devoted to his wife and his children)
Ronald Miller
I performed this song at a local folk club some months ago and a young visitor was so offended she wrote to the chairperson saying she could not consider returning to the club "as long as this kind of misogynistic material remains unchallenged and uncensored ". Some people just don't get it, do they? It's a satirical caricature of misogyny and it's meant to offend exactly those people who deserve to be offended. Jake was never a misogynist, as anyone who has made any kind of examination of his life and work will tell you. He was a wonderfully intelligent wordsmith, humourist and wit. God preserve us from the entitled 'woke' brigade, I continue to perform and champion Jake's songs and if anybody is offended.......well, that's your right but so what? You have no right to deny people freedom of expression - your generation didn't fight, suffer - even die for it. You just 'have' it. Use it wisely because if you deny it to others you deny it to yourself. Rant over. 😎🎶
Twat Munro
I don't think it's a satirical caricature of misogyny at all. Rather, it's a somewhat exaggerated for humourous effect description of the differences between the genders and a warm but tender ribbing towards his wife and life partner. People used to do that kind of thing back in the day. Sane people -- a vanishingly rare breed -- might still do it.
But of course, Jake was the furthest thing from a misogynist imaginable. Some people believe that posturing as offended makes them morally superior to the rest of us. Generally, it makes them mid-witted morons, but there's no telling them that.
My Drug Hell
@Twat Munro Totally agree. There is nothing that has to be defended here. If artists aren't allowed to freely express their observations, feelings, frustrations etc especially in comedic form, then we will have no art left. Or at least no art of any worth.
Dani G
"She took in a breath and I knew, she could have gone on again on again till the entire congregation passed out and the vicar passed on and the choir boys passed through puberty" never fails to make me chuckle, brilliant writing :)
jonny osteo
I'm pinching the phrase " bored the balls off a buffalo ". JT is total class - his fluidity with the often complicated lyrics is a joy to listen to. Not sure if we'll see his like again. Also, great bass playing from his young side kick. Bravo les deux 🫡
Frank Shailes
Double bass player Alan Williams apparently?
warpfactor wes
this just gets better every time i hear it , bravo !
Stewart Webb
Absolutely brilliant! Great man sadly missed. love this song!
Alec Brady
"Palpable proof of God's existence a posteriori" - clever, educated, multilayered, funny, poetic and metrical. Genius.
John Ashtone
Multilayered, metrical, aye lad, and obviously tha's bin drinking t'mild again lol