Donkey Kosh – English Lyrics

• By: Florence + The Machine
• Album: Dance Fever

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the early, raw artistry of Florence + The Machine with the demo "Donkey Kosh." This song offers a unique opportunity to explore the power of metaphor in songwriting. By examining the symbolic weight of the "donkey" and the "jackal," you can gain a deeper understanding of how artists translate complex internal emotions into vivid lyrical imagery. It's a perfect example of the poetic and allegorical style that has become a hallmark of Florence Welch's songwriting.

[English]

With a donkey on my shoulder

And a jackal on my back

I'll carry these, my children

Keep them safe from attack

The donkey makes it hard to dance

The jackal sings too loud

The donkey cries when it's alone

And the jackal is too proud

Little donkey is getting restless

Getting heavier as it grows

And the jackal, spoiled and spiteful

Keeps biting at my nose

I would have a lover

A husband and a child

But the donkey is too jealous

And the jackal is too wild

...

It's too wild

You ask me why I keep them

Why I love them so

Why they get away with murder

As they grow and grow and grow

I keep them 'cause I made them

They come from in my heart

With each mistake I make

Created and torn apart

And when it's time to feed them

Before they go to bed

I give them my confessions

Baked within their bread

Little donkey is getting restless

Getting heavier as it grows

And the jackal, spoiled and spiteful

Keeps biting at my nose

Little donkey is getting restless

Getting heavier as it grows

And the jackal, spoiled and spiteful

Keeps biting at my nose

...

Key Grammar Structures

• I'll carry these, my children

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' (contraction)

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "will" (contracted to "'ll") forms the future simple: "I'll" means "I will".

• The donkey makes it hard to dance

  ➔ Causative verb pattern: make + object + adjective + infinitive

  ➔ The verb "makes" is followed by the object "it", the adjective "hard" and the infinitive "to dance".

• The jackal sings too loud

  ➔ Adverb of degree "too" + adjective/adverb

  ➔ "Too" intensifies the adjective "loud", meaning "excessively loud".

• Little donkey is getting restless

  ➔ Present continuous progressive (be + getting)

  ➔ "Is getting" shows an action that is in progress at the moment of speaking.

• And the jackal, spoiled and spiteful, keeps biting at my nose

  ➔ Verb + gerund (keeps + biting)

  ➔ "Keeps" is followed by the gerund "biting", expressing a repeated or continuous action.

• I would have a lover, a husband and a child

  ➔ Modal verb "would" for hypothetical desire

  ➔ "Would" is used to talk about something the speaker wishes for but does not have.

• When it's time to feed them

  ➔ Temporal clause introduced by "when"

  ➔ "When" introduces a clause that specifies the moment something happens: "when it's time to feed them".

• Why they get away with murder

  ➔ Indirect question with "why" + present simple

  ➔ "Why" introduces an indirect question; the verb stays in the present simple "get".