Songfacts®:

• This was a track from British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading's self-titled third studio album. She told Melody Maker the story behind the song: "I was going home to Hayes one night, and there was this boy. He was only young, 18 or whatever. I was waiting for the train and he was doing circles around me. When I get into the train, I was the only one in the compartment. And up comes this little lad, takes off his hat, saying, 'Can I sit by you, please.' I said, 'All right, then,' and we chat. Then I get off at my stop. And he says, 'I get off here, too. I work around the corner. Can I walk you to your door?' Well, he does, and he obviously doesn't want to go, so I ask him in for a cup of coffee. I play a record and give him an apple or something, and I ask him to go off to work. And that was it. That's all that happened. But the song is about what I knew was in his mind. His name was Donald."