When the Allman Brothers Band reformed in 1989 in response to the popularity of the Dreams box set, Warren Haynes was added on lead guitar and Allen Woody on bass. The two shared a love for '60s power trios, like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and James Gang. With no bands making similar music in the 90s (except ZZ Top), Haynes, Woody, and former Dickey Betts drummer Matt Abts came together as Gov't Mule during Allman Brothers' breaks. (It is likely that Haynes and Abts first met during the recording of the Dickey Betts Band CD "Pattern Disruptive" in 1988.) They released their debut album the selftitled Gov't Mule in 1995. It was followed by Live from Roseland Ballroom.
When it became apparent that the Allman Brothers weren't planning on recording any new material, Haynes and Woody left to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997. Dose, the studio follow up to their first studio effort, was released in early 1998. They were joined by members of the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, and Parliament/Funkadelic for their 1998 New Year's Eve concert. This was released in both a two and four CD version as Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends. The band exposed some of their roots with covers of Neil Young, Free, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Mongo Santamaria (via John Coltrane) and Frank Zappa.
In 2000, the band released Life Before Insanity to critical praise. Many thought that this would be Gov't Mule's breakthrough CD. However, Woody was found dead in New York City in August. Haynes and Abts considered breaking up the band but did stage a concert called "One for Woody" to raise money for his daughter's education. The Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, members of the Grateful Dead, and other friends of Woody also performed at the concert.
At both the "One for Woody" performance and other shows, Haynes began appearing with the Allman Brothers Band again. With Dickey Betts' departure from the Allmans, Warren came back full time to the band at the beginning of 2001 and has continued splitting his time between the Allmans and for a period Phil Lesh and Friends and the reformed Dead as well as Gov't Mule (performing acoustic gigs with just Haynes on guitar and Abts on percussion and as The New School of Gov't Mule with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools on bass and Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers and known for his current work with the Rolling Stones on keyboards).
The next year, Haynes and Abts began to record a tribute CD using Woody's favorite bass players. These sessions resulted in two CDs The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001) and The Deep End, Volume 2 (2002). A documentary of the recording sessions was also made by Phish bassist Mike Gordon called Rising Low. Bass contributions to the CDs came from Jack Bruce of Cream, John Entwisle of The Who, Mike Watt of Minutemen, Les Claypool of Primus, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chris Squire of Yes among others.
When it came to touring in support of the Deep End CDs, Haynes and Abts used a revolving door of keyboardists and bassists. Keyboardists included Chuck Leavell, Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends and Zen Tricksters, Phish's Page McConnell and Danny Louis. Bassists included among others, Dave Schools, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten of the Flecktones, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Greg Rzab formerly of The Black Crowes and the Buddy Guy Band and Andy Hess, also formerly of The Black Crowes. Louis and Hess were eventually added as permanent members of Gov't Mule. They continue to tour extensively and have become staple acts at many music festivals including Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Vegoose, and their annual New Orleans Jazzfest night show (where they filmed and recorded the last show of the Deepest End tours, with 17 guest musicians in a 6 hour show) wich was released on CD/DVD as The Deepest End, Live in Concert.
The first CD with Louis and Hess Deja Voodoo was released in September 2004. Additional material from those sessions was released in 2005 as and EP entitled Mo' Voodoo.
The new lineup's second release, titled High and Mighty, was released on August 22, 2006.
A third, Mighty High, was released in 2007 it features reggae and dub versions of classic Mule covers and originals with special guest appearances by Willi Williams, Michael Franti and Toots Hibbert,
Fool's Moon
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slipping softly into the sea
Memories how they linger
Guess we weren't strong enough, you and me
Still I look to find a reason
Search my mind for a vision
Hide from the answers as the questions
[Chorus]
Shining like a fool's moon
Shining like a fool's moon
Burning out way too soon
Shining like a fool's moon
I wish I'd known you as a child
I wish I'd known you when my heart ran wild
Never knew how much I'd miss those dream-filled days
[Chorus]
And when all is said and done
My loneliness has just begun
But you make it look so easy
Never winning but never caring if you lose
[Chorus]
The song Fool's Moon by Gov't Mule expresses feelings of nostalgia, regret, and lost love. The opening line, "Yellow moon shining like fool's gold, slipping softly into the sea," sets the nostalgic tone of the song. The reference to "fool's gold" suggests a feeling of disillusionment and disappointment in the lost relationship.
The lyrics also express a certain amount of regret about the past. The lines "I wish I'd known you as a child, I wish I'd known you when my heart ran wild" indicate a sense of missed opportunities and "what ifs." The repetition of the line "Shining like a fool's moon" in the chorus further emphasizes the sense of loss and disappointment.
Additionally, the lyrics suggest a struggle to come to terms with the end of the relationship. The lines "Hide from the answers as the questions burn in my head" and "My loneliness has just begun" illustrate the internal turmoil and pain of the singer.
Overall, Fool's Moon is a poignant and introspective song about lost love and the painful memories that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yellow moon shining like fool's gold
The moon is yellow and shining brilliantly, but it is only an illusion of gold-like beauty - deceiving similar to a fool's gold.
Slipping softly into the sea
The moon is disappearing behind the sea, or perhaps the night is slowly passing away.
Memories how they linger
Memories tend to stay with you longer than you expect, and they are difficult to shake off.
Guess we weren't strong enough, you and me
The artist is reflecting on a past relationship and concluding that they were not strong enough to make it last.
Still I look to find a reason
Despite the failures of the past relationship, the artist is searching for a reason that could explain what went wrong.
Search my mind for a vision
The singer is trying to visualize a possible explanation for the failed relationship, maybe hoping to learn from it.
Hide from the answers as the questions
As the singer searches for answers, they are also avoiding the hard truths that might come with those answers.
Burn in my head
The questions that the artist is refusing to face still haunt them and cause them pain.
Shining like a fool's moon
The artist is comparing their failed relationship to a fool's gold - it looked real and valuable but turned out to be a shining fake.
Burning out way too soon
Their relationship ended abruptly, without having the chance to develop into something more enduring.
I wish I'd known you as a child
The singer regrets not having met their loved one earlier in life, perhaps to have formed a stronger bond.
I wish I'd known you when my heart ran wild
The artist misses the passionate times of their youth, and wishes they had shared them with their loved one.
Never knew how much I'd miss those dream-filled days
The singer never expected they would miss those happy times of their youth; they took them for granted.
My loneliness has just begun
The singer is feeling the full depth of their loneliness now that the relationship has ended, and it is just the beginning of their sorrow.
But you make it look so easy
The singer's loved one seems to be handling the breakup better than they are, and it appears to the singer that they are unfazed by the loss.
Never winning but never caring if you lose
The artist believes that their loved one always knew they were never going to win, but they were okay with that - they never cared about the outcome.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WARREN HAYNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind