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.
The Cactus
Jake Thackray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our love, our true love, very nearly miscarried -
And one of the chief, the contributory factors
Was when my dear wife fell in love with a cactus.
On our wedding day my Auntie Ivy gave us both a little pot,
A plastic what-not,
Which contained a spiky cactus. As a present it was tactless,
Though it was old and mouldy she took it to her very heart.
My Snow White, my Aphrodite, my pocket Venus!
'Twas then that this venomous thing came between us.
When we had so much to delect and distract us
Oh why did we cherish a perishing cactus?
At first she just felt sorry for this horrid, squalid, lumpish parasite.
A rash compassion
For her feelings got beyond her. Every day she grew still fonder
Till this sickly, tickly, little squirt had got the household quashed:
Rent unpaid; my tea not made; my shirts, my socks not washed.
My poor heart was bleeding from multiple fractures:
A dupe and a boob and a cuckold to a cactus.
She gave up her duties, her food and her slumber
For this potted hedgehog, this son of a cucumber!
In spite of all her care, her lavish blandishments, the creature still declined.
It pined for something.
It defied all kinds of fertiliser. It began to fade away and die.
And only I knew why; I recognised the state.
And it's a fact that what that cactus lacked was a prickly little soul-mate.
The feeling of grief's not confined to us only:
Like me this poor vegetable was just lonely,
For they need exactly those things which attract us.
So I went and bought him a little lady cactus.
We placed them spiky cheek to spiky cheek upon our kitchen window sill
And then withdrew. We knew
True love would run its course - and we perforce had something similar to do.
And, truth to tell, well, well within the hour
My auntie's antisocial plant put out a happy cactus flower.
True love is in bloom now, and everything's very nice:
No thorns in our fireside, no spikes up our paradise.
My household is flourishing now, and in fact I
Have dozens of kids and a hundred little cacti.
In the song "The Cactus" by Jake Thackray, the singer tells a story about the unexpected love triangle that forms when his wife falls in love with a cactus. The song begins with the couple's wedding day, where his Auntie Ivy gave them a potted cactus as a present. Despite its less than favorable appearance and reputation, the singer's wife becomes attached to the plant, neglecting her duties and even causing the household to fall apart. The singer learns that love and attention were what the cactus was missing, and buys it a "little lady cactus" to keep it company. The singer then humorously claims that they now have a household full of cacti, along with their "dozens of kids."
The song is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the absurdity of human relationships and the lengths people will go for love. The cactus serves as a symbol of the unconventional and unexpected nature of love, as well as the idea that even the most prickly things can be lovable with a little TLC. The tone of the song is lighthearted and humorous, highlighting the ridiculousness of the situation without taking itself too seriously.
Line by Line Meaning
When I and my new love, my true love, got married,
When my beloved and I got wed,
Our love, our true love, very nearly miscarried -
Our love almost failed,
And one of the chief, the contributory factors
And one of the main reasons,
Was when my dear wife fell in love with a cactus.
Was that my wife became enamored with a cactus.
On our wedding day my Auntie Ivy gave us both a little pot,
On our wedding day, my Auntie Ivy gifted us a small pot,
A plastic what-not,
A worthless plastic item,
Which contained a spiky cactus. As a present it was tactless,
That had a cactus inside. It was an inappropriate gift,
But my wife, my life, my golden girl, she loved it from the start.
Despite this, my wife instantly adored it.
Though it was old and mouldy she took it to her very heart.
Though it was old and unkempt, it became dear to her.
My Snow White, my Aphrodite, my pocket Venus!
My dear and beautiful wife,
'Twas then that this venomous thing came between us.
Then this destructive cactus became a problem for us.
When we had so much to delect and distract us
When we had so much to enjoy and amuse ourselves,
Oh why did we cherish a perishing cactus?
Why did we value a dying cactus?
At first she just felt sorry for this horrid, squalid, lumpish parasite.
At first, she only felt pity for this repulsive, filthy, and parasitic cactus.
A rash compassion
An imprudent empathy
For her feelings got beyond her. Every day she grew still fonder
Her affection for it became uncontrollable. Every day she fell more in love with it.
Till this sickly, tickly, little squirt had got the household quashed:
Until this weak and irritating thing had disrupted the entire household:
Rent unpaid; my tea not made; my shirts, my socks not washed.
Rent was not paid; I had no tea, and my clothes were unclean.
My poor heart was bleeding from multiple fractures:
My heart was breaking from many wounds:
A dupe and a boob and a cuckold to a cactus.
I was a fool, a sap, and a betrayed lover to a cactus.
She gave up her duties, her food and her slumber
She neglected her responsibilities, her meals, and her sleep
For this potted hedgehog, this son of a cucumber!
For this plant in a pot that looks like a hedgehog, a descendant of the cucumber family!
In spite of all her care, her lavish blandishments, the creature still declined.
Despite all her attention, her extravagant flattery, the cactus continued to fade away.
It pined for something.
It yearned for something.
It defied all kinds of fertiliser. It began to fade away and die.
It resisted all types of fertilizer, causing it to wither and die.
And only I knew why; I recognised the state.
Only I knew why, I was aware of the situation.
And it's a fact that what that cactus lacked was a prickly little soul-mate.
The truth is that the cactus was lacking a thorny little companion.
The feeling of grief's not confined to us only:
The feeling of sorrow is not only exclusive to us:
Like me this poor vegetable was just lonely,
Like me, this woeful plant was simply alone,
For they need exactly those things which attract us.
Because they require the same things that we do.
So I went and bought him a little lady cactus.
So, I went and bought a small female cactus for it.
We placed them spiky cheek to spiky cheek upon our kitchen window sill
We put them cheek to cheek, spikes and all, on our window sill.
And then withdrew. We knew
And then stepped back. We understood
True love would run its course - and we perforce had something similar to do.
That true love would develop naturally, and we had to do a similar thing.
And, truth to tell, well, well within the hour
And, truthfully, well within the hour
My auntie's antisocial plant put out a happy cactus flower.
My aunt's unfriendly plant produced a happy cactus flower.
True love is in bloom now, and everything's very nice:
True love has blossomed, and everything is wonderful now:
No thorns in our fireside, no spikes up our paradise.
No harshness in our home, and no unpleasantness in our paradise.
My household is flourishing now, and in fact I
My household is prospering now, and in truth, I
Have dozens of kids and a hundred little cacti.
Have many children and numerous little cacti.
Contributed by Noah R. 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.