Donkey Talk
Donkey talk
I can hear the donkey talk
Words chained out in a line
Loads of reason not much rhyme
Finger drumming beats behind
Donkey talk most of the time
The conversation peters out
So you stare down at your shoes
There’s not much more to talk about
When the silence is confused
Then our eyes suddenly meet
And we choose to look away
That’s just where we are today
There’s no sense in hanging round
But we stand there all the same
You find a verb I pluck a noun
As the patience starts to strain
Then our words suddenly clash
As if there’s so much to say
That’s just where we are today
We used to stay up all night
With our eyes all bloodshot and wonky
We would hold each other tight
And talk the back legs off a donkey
But now i’m wearing it’s hat
We can’t even laugh at that
Posted by packetofthree. I'm David, the founder of packetofthree.com and keeper of the Squeeze Archive since 1979. I love Squeeze.
I never much liked ‘Donkey Talk’ when it came out on the ‘Domino’ album. It just seemed so lacklustre – and the restless crowd at the Torquay Riviera Centre on the Domino tour didn’t help my impression. The last thing you want is for people to start shouting for ‘Up the Junction’ or ‘Let’s have the hits’ in the middle of your new material for the latest album. So I was interested to find out that the original lyrics were not ‘Donkey talk’ at all, but ‘Junkie talk’. Now it makes so much sense to me and I love it. Powerful, broody and about something real, it’s an outstanding song – here are the original lyrics:
Junkie Talk
(Difford/Tilbrook)
junkie talk
I can hear the junkie talk
words chained out in a line
loads of reason not much rhyme
finger drumming beats behind
junkie talk most of the time
the conversation peters out
so you stare down at your shoes
there’s nothing more to talk about
now the silence is confused
when our eyes suddenly meet
but we choose to look away
that’s just where we are today
junkie talk
I can hear the junkie talk
words chained out in a line
loads of reason not much rhyme
finger drumming beats behind
junkie talk most of the time
there’s no reason to hang around
but we sit here all the same
you pick a verb I pluck a noun
as the patience starts to strain
then our words suddenly clash
as if there’s so much to say
that’s just where we are today
we used to stay up all night
with our eyes all bloodshot and wonky
we would hold each other tight
and talk the back legs off a donkey
but now I’m wearing its hat
we can’t even laugh at that
junkie talk
I can hear the junkie talk
words chained out in a line
loads of reason not much rhyme
finger drumming beats behind
junkie talk most of the time
Donkey Talk sums up Domino for me. Could do better. The lyric’s okay and it’s quite funny in places but the tune’s dire. Although there are a few good tracks on the album, Domino was a great disappointment as a follow up to Ridiculous. I feel sorry for Ash, Chris and Hilaire. It can’t have been easy being new recruits on a ship that was already sinking.
Thought you might like to know that there was another version of ‘Donkey Talk’ entitled ‘Power Talk’ which went the same way as ‘Junkie Talk.’
Power Talk
Difford/Tilbrook)
power talk
I can hear the power talk
words chained out in a line
all in season on the vine
there is nothing left behind
power talking all the time
the conversation limbers up
as you shake down in your shoes
there’s so much more to talk about
we have such different views
then our eyes suddenly meet
and you look so full of fear
that’s when I always want to hear
power talk
I can hear the power talk
words chained out in a line
all in season on the vine
there is nothing left behind
power talking all the time
the aggravation passes by
and its time to share what you feel
nothing can be sacrificed
if the distance is to heal
then our words suddenly clash
and then there’s so much to say
that’s just what I hear today
power talk
I can hear the power talk
words chained out in a line
all in season on the vine
there is nothing left behind
power talking all the time
we used to stay up all night
with our eyes all bloodshot and wonky,
we would hold each other tight
and talk the back legs off a donkey
but now I’m wearing its hat
now we even laugh at that
Maybe they should have released an EP with all three versions on it.