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 Statues
Jake Thackray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and Uncle Samuel were lying in the park,
Toes towards the moonlight, noses in the flower beds.
But we know that what we saw, we saw.
She was naked. She was cast in bronze, in bronze,
Standing in the lake amidst the corporation swans.
He was millstone grit. He was Sir Robert Walpole.
" Lady is the water cold tonight,
Or does the silky moonlight warm your heart to me?
Or must I hanker for a hundred years again
And never-endingly gaze upon your flanks, your face?"
Well, me and my Uncle Sam, oh Constable, well, we were right on her side.
Poor darling, she was shy and she had her pride, and nowhere to hide.
We were there: we saw the aged sire
Shaking with a century of petrified desire,
Climbing from his pedestal all stiff and sooty.
And we know that what we saw, we saw.
He began to tremble and to sway-ay-ay.
We were drunk as penguins but we saw him clear as day
Clumping to the water's edge, Sir Robert Walpole,
And we know that what we heard, we heard.
" Lady is the water cold tonight?
Is it the milky moonlight warms my heart to you?
Well let the devil take the park attendant first!
My heart may burst, so I'm not waiting any longer lady!"
Me and my Uncle Sam, Inspector, well, then we both got to our feet.
Poor darling she was sweet and not very old, and awfully cold.
We rolled up our sleeves, we got to work,
Went for him like buffaloes, like windmills gone berserk.
He fought like a tiger - we've got the scars to prove it -
And we know that what we've got we've got.
We hung on like death, we did our best.
He was big and gritty and he fought like one possessed
He was much too good for us was Robert Walpole,
He put us down and out and he strode on.
Lady was the water cold last night?
Was it the creamy, dreamy moonlight warmed your heart?
Oh little nymph, we both did what we could,
But it's so strange: you're infinitely changed today.
Well, me and my Uncle Sam, your Worship, well, we both feel something's not right:
Today she wears a smile, her face is alight, and her eyes are bright,
Ever so bright,
Awfully bright.
The song "The Statues" by Jake Thackray narrates a surreal and peculiar incident involving the singer, his uncle, and the statues of a lady and a man who come alive. The singer and Uncle Samuel were lying in the park, and they saw the statue of a lady who was naked and made of bronze, standing in the lake surrounded by swans. They could hear the statue of a man known as Sir Robert Walpole, who was made of millstone grit and had been petrified by his desire for the lady statue.
The lady statue seemed shy, and the man statue, Sir Robert Walpole, asked her if the moonlight had warmed her heart to him or if he should continue to hanker for her for another hundred years. The singer and Uncle Samuel felt sorry for the statues and thought that they needed some assistance. So when Sir Robert Walpole climbed down from his pedestal and came towards the lady statue, they went to help her. They fought with Sir Robert Walpole, but he was too strong and ultimately defeated them.
In the end, when the singer and his uncle returned the next day, they noticed that the lady statue looked completely different: she was smiling and her eyes shone bright. The song is, therefore, a commentary on the nature of art and how art becomes alive, the frailties of human beings, and the impossibility of capturing eternal beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Closing time on Saturday it was dark.
It was dark outside when the incident occurred, and it was closing time on a Saturday night.
Me and Uncle Samuel were lying in the park,
Toes towards the moonlight, noses in the flower beds.
The singer and his Uncle were laying in the park with their toes pointing towards the moon and noses buried in the flowers.
But we know that what we saw, we saw.
They are certain about what they saw.
She was naked. She was cast in bronze, in bronze,
Standing in the lake amidst the corporation swans.
There was a naked bronze statue of a woman in the lake surrounded by swans.
He was millstone grit. He was Sir Robert Walpole.
And we know that what we heard, we heard.
The man who spoke to the statue was Sir Robert Walpole, and they are certain about what they heard.
" Lady is the water cold tonight,
Or does the silky moonlight warm your heart to me?
Or must I hanker for a hundred years again
And never-endingly gaze upon your flanks, your face?"
Sir Robert Walpole spoke to the statue, asking if the water was cold and wondering if the moonlit night made her heart warm towards him. He also expressed the desire to gaze upon her for another hundred years.
Well, me and my Uncle Sam, oh Constable, well, we were right on her side.
Poor darling, she was shy and she had her pride, and nowhere to hide.
The singer and his Uncle felt a kinship with the statue and felt bad for her, as she had nowhere to hide and seemed shy.
We were there: we saw the aged sire
Shaking with a century of petrified desire,
Climbing from his pedestal all stiff and sooty.
And we know that what we saw, we saw.
They witnessed Sir Robert Walpole, an old man, climbing down from his statue's pedestal with a century's worth of desire, and they know exactly what they saw.
He began to tremble and to sway-ay-ay.
We were drunk as penguins but we saw him clear as day
Clumping to the water's edge, Sir Robert Walpole,
And we know that what we heard, we heard.
Sir Robert Walpole began to tremble and sway towards the water, and the artist and his Uncle saw him clearly, even though they were drunk. They are sure about what they heard.
" Lady is the water cold tonight?
Is it the milky moonlight warms my heart to you?
Well let the devil take the park attendant first!
My heart may burst, so I'm not waiting any longer lady!"
Sir Robert Walpole spoke to the statue again, asking about the water's temperature and expressing his love. He then decided to jump into the lake to be with her, not wanting to wait any longer.
Me and my Uncle Sam, Inspector, well, then we both got to our feet.
Poor darling she was sweet and not very old, and awfully cold.
The singer and his Uncle got up to intervene, feeling bad for the statue who was sweet and cold to the touch.
We rolled up our sleeves, we got to work,
Went for him like buffaloes, like windmills gone berserk.
He fought like a tiger - we've got the scars to prove it -
And we know that what we've got we've got.
They fought Sir Robert Walpole like buffaloes and windmills gone berserk, and even though he fought like a tiger, they got scars to prove their efforts. They are certain about what they got.
We hung on like death, we did our best.
He was big and gritty and he fought like one possessed
He was much too good for us was Robert Walpole,
He put us down and out and he strode on.
They held on for their lives and did their best, but Sir Robert Walpole was too big and strong for them. He defeated them and continued on his mission.
" Lady was the water cold last night?
Was it the creamy, dreamy moonlight warmed your heart?
Oh little nymph, we both did what we could,
But it's so strange: you're infinitely changed today."
Sir Robert Walpole spoke to the statue again, wondering about the night before and expressing his affection. He then noticed that the statue looked different the next day.
Well, me and my Uncle Sam, your Worship, well, we both feel something's not right:
Today she wears a smile, her face is alight, and her eyes are bright,
Ever so bright,
Awfully bright.
The singer and his Uncle feel that something is strange about the statue as she looks happy and bright the next day.
Contributed by Samuel J. 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.