Punch and Judy (song)

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"Punch and Judy"
"Punch and Judy" cover
Single by Marillion
from the album Fugazi
Released 30 January 1984 (UK)
Format vinyl record (7"), vinyl record (12")
Recorded  ???
Genre Progressive Rock
Length 3:18
Label EMI
Producer(s) Nick Tauber
Chart positions
  • #29 (UK)
Marillion singles chronology
"Garden Party (song)"
(1983)
"Punch and Judy"
(1984)
"Assassing"
(1984)

"Punch and Judy" is a crafty, bitter-sweet song that bemoans the loss of the sparkling, newlywed marriage. At around 3 minutes and 18 seconds, it captures decades of spousal abuse, emotional affairs, wanderlust, cooled passions, and broken dreams. The original demo for the song featured slightly different lyrics than what appeared on Fugazi. On Fugazi, the lyrics were, "...losing the war in the waistland's spread" but in the original demo, the distraction that was contending the marriage's stability was the husband "...dreaming 'bout the tits on the tall redhead..." The original demo also had a more raw, restless, growling manner to the personality of Steve Rothery's electric guitar which wonderfully captured the undertones of the not-so-newlyweds' ever-present frustrations and mounting physical violence.