From Robyn on Patreon in 2022
I wrote this in the drought summer of 1976 right before the Soft Boys crystallised. It was one of the first original songs that we learned, when we were still Dennis & The Experts. Me being Dennis, natch…
I had a crush on somebody and I didn’t want her - or anybody else - to know; but I still wanted to express how I felt. As I learned, there’s a big gap between expression and communication. I think I succeeded well in masking my true feelings from the world at large. My words aren’t so much a smokescreen as a mist: I’m diffusing the specific circumstances, but hopefully the intention shimmers through.
We played this song for about 6 months, but as the angst of punk rock engulfed even us those of us embedded in Cambridge, the Size Of A Walnut began to seem like an antique when we played live. Still, we resurrected it for our ill-starred Radar Album, as far as I can remember. I think it really works best as I first played it, solo acoustic. You can’t beat a good antique.