Ann Peebles (b. 1947) is a U.S. singer and songwriter, best known for her p… Read Full Bio ↴Ann Peebles (b. 1947) is a U.S. singer and songwriter, best known for her popular Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label. Two of her better known songs are "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" and "I Can't Stand the Rain".

Born on 27th April 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Peebles was discovered as a talent by Gene "Bowlegs" Miller of Hi Records during a 1968 trip to sit in singing with him at a Memphis, Tennessee, nightclub. A popular local bandleader, Miller was known for also helping other musicians, such as members of the Hi Rhythm Section, get their starts in the Memphis music industry. Peebles soon began writing and singing hits for the label, cowriting with label staff songwriter Don Bryant, whom she married in 1974. Peebles released a number of commercially successful and critically well received albums produced by Willie Mitchell on Hi Records throughout the 1970s, until the rise of disco in the late 1970s took her music out of the limelight. Hi Records was sold in 1977, but Peebles reunited with Willie Mitchell in 1989 to produce her comeback album, Call Me.

I Pity The Fool
Ann Peebles Lyrics

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I pity the fool
Woo, I pity the fool
Yeah, I pity the fool
Yeah, I pity the fool

That falls in love with you
And expects you to be true
Oh, I pity that fool

Look at the people
I know you wonder what they're doing
They're just standing there
Watching you make a fool of me

Look at the people
I know you wonder what they're doing
They're just standing there
Watching you make a fool of me

Oh, I pity the fool
Yeah, I pity the fool
Hey, I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you

He'll break your heart one day
And he'll laugh and go on his way
That's why I pity that fool

Look at the people
I know you wonder what they're doing
They're just standing there
Watching you make a fool of me

Look at the people
I know you wonder what they're doing
They're just standing there
Watching you make a fool of me

I say I pity the fool
I pity the fool
I pity the fool that gives her heart to you

He'll take your love away
And he'll find another fool to play
That's why I pity that fool

?
?
Look at the people

I know you wonder what they're doing
They're wondering

Overall Meaning

why I'm so blind
To keep on loving you the way I do

The song "I Pity The Fool" by Ann Peebles is a powerful ballad about a person who falls in love with someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings. The song's lyrics express pity towards anyone who falls in love with this unfaithful person, warning that they will inevitably have their heart broken. Peebles' powerful, soulful voice lends an emotional depth to the song, which is underscored by its simple, bluesy melody.

Peebles sings, "Look at the people, I know you wonder what they're doin' / They're just standin' there, watchin' you make a fool of me." This line serves as a warning to the object of her affection that others see through their behavior, though the singer herself may be blinded by love. The repetition of the line "I pity the fool" underscores the singer's sense of sadness and helplessness in the face of this unfulfilled love.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Don Robey

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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