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,
Towering Fool
Gov't Mule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You must have been really abused
A victim of your raising
Isn't that your excuse
Towering Fool
In a dream I watched you inflict yourself
On everyone within reach
Like a movie
How long has it been since you shook the hand
Of those who fell under your feet
And how long has it been since you washed yours clean
From the blood and the dirt of the street
Did you really think you could just fly away
Fly right out of those blues
Did you towering fool
Don't you know greatness comes to those who can hold it
Did it slip right through your hands
Did it brush your sleeve as it passed you by
Do you compare yourself now to then
All this pent up anger
Don't you feel alone ranger
Don't you towering fool
So you use every ounce of your energy
To keep those around you down
But there is a tear in the eye of the ring master
And a smile on the face of the clown
Yeah, you couldn't see through your own arrogance
To what the whole world already knew
You had to keep pushing it past the point
Till it all crumbled down on you
Didn't you towering fool
The song "Towering Fool" by Gov't Mule is a heart-rending track that speaks about the struggles of life and the need for self-reflection. The lyrics are centered on an individual who must have experienced certain forms of abuse and becomes a tower of arrogance and anger as a result. From the lyrics, it can be deduced that the person puts others down to feel better about themselves. The singer speaks of how this person must have inflicted harm on everyone in their reach and how such actions have affected them. In the chorus, the individual is referred to as a towering fool, a moniker that suggests that they are proud and arrogant, yet foolish in their ways.
The second verse of the song is potent with imagery; the singer speaks of watching the towering fool in their dreams, as they inflict harm on people, leaving them in a state of despair. The lyrics also suggest that the towering fool has not come to terms with their actions, as they are still stuck in a past that keeps haunting them. The line, “A victim of your upbringing, isn't that your excuse,” highlights the fact that the towering fool may have been a product of their environment, exposed to hurtful experiences that shaped their outlook on life.
In summary, the song "Towering Fool" is a powerful track that conveys a message of reflection and self-awareness. It encourages individuals to look inward and break free from the hold of arrogance and anger, which can be destructive to oneself and those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, somebody somewhere must have hurt you
It seems like someone must have hurt you at some point in your life.
You must have been really abused
It also seems like you were the victim of some serious abuse.
A victim of your raising
It's possible that your poor upbringing played a role in how you turned out.
Isn't that your excuse
It sounds like you're using your past as an excuse for your bad behavior.
Towering Fool
The title of the song is repeated here, likely indicating that the subject of the song is a towering fool.
In a dream I watched you inflict yourself
The singer had a dream where they saw you harming both yourself and others.
On everyone within reach
It seems like you hurt anyone who comes into contact with you.
Now frozen in time I see it still
The memory of what you did is still vivid and hasn't faded over time.
Like a movie
This line reinforces the idea that the memory of what you did is like a scene from a movie that the artist is watching.
How long has it been since you shook the hand
The artist is questioning how long it's been since you showed any kind of kindness or respect to someone.
Of those who fell under your feet
You've likely treated people horribly in the past and the singer is asking how long it's been since you've even acknowledged them.
And how long has it been since you washed yours clean
The artist is wondering how long it's been since you've tried to make up for your past behavior.
From the blood and the dirt of the street
This could be a metaphorical reference to the bad things you've done and how they've stained your reputation.
Did you really think you could just fly away
The singer is questioning whether you seriously thought you could just leave your past behind you and escape the consequences of your actions.
Fly right out of those blues
This line could suggest that you were hoping to escape from a sad or difficult situation.
Did you towering fool
The song title is repeated again here, likely suggesting that the artist believes you made a mistake in thinking you could just walk away from your past.
Don't you know greatness comes to those who can hold it
The artist is pointing out that greatness is something that requires responsibility and accountability.
Did it slip right through your hands
This line could be asking if you let greatness slip through your fingers because you couldn't handle the pressure that came with it.
Did it brush your sleeve as it passed you by
The singer is wondering if greatness was almost within reach, but you missed out on it.
Do you compare yourself now to then
The artist is asking if you think about how you used to be compared to how you are now.
All this pent up anger
The artist is acknowledging that you have a lot of anger inside you that you haven't dealt with.
Don't you feel alone ranger
The artist is questioning whether your anger and bad behavior make you feel isolated from others.
So you use every ounce of your energy
The singer is pointing out that you're expending a lot of effort into bringing others down, rather than building yourself up.
To keep those around you down
You seem to want to keep others beneath you and make them feel small.
But there is a tear in the eye of the ring master
This line could be referencing someone who is in charge and is upset about your behavior.
And a smile on the face of the clown
This line could reference someone who is happy to see that you're finally getting what you deserve.
Yeah, you couldn't see through your own arrogance
The singer is pointing out that you appear to be blinded by your own ego and can't see the damage you're causing.
To what the whole world already knew
Everyone around you seems to be aware of your bad behavior except for you.
You had to keep pushing it past the point
It seems like you continued behaving badly even when you knew you should stop.
Till it all crumbled down on you
Eventually, your bad behavior caught up to you and caused you to suffer the consequences.
Didn't you towering fool
The song title is repeated once more, likely pointing out that you made an unwise choice by continuing to behave badly even when you knew better.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WARREN HAYNES, MATTHEW ABTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lance
Yeah, somebody somewhere must have hurt you
You must have been really abused
A victim of your raising
Isn't that your excuse
Towering fool
In a dream I watched you inflict yourself
On everyone within reach
Now frozen in time I see it still
Like a movie
How long has it been since you shook the hand
Of those who fell under your feet
And how long has it been since you washed yours clean
From the blood and the dirt of the street
Did you really think you could just fly away
Fly right out of those blues
Did you
Towering fool
Don't you know greatness comes to those who can hold it
Did it slip right through your hands
Did it brush your sleeve as it passed you by
Do you compare yourself now to then
All this bitter of anger
Don't you feel alone ranger
Don't you
Towering fool
So you use every ounce of your energy
To keep those around you down
But there is a tear in the eye of the ring master
And a smile on the face of the clown
Yeah, you couldn't see through your own arrogance
To what the whole world already knew
You had to keep pushing it past the point
Till it all crumbled down on you
Yeah, didn't you
Towering fool
Category
Music
Licence
Standard YouTube Licence
Music
"Towering Fool" by Gov't Mule (Google Play • iTunes)
Gary Gray
Beautiful. Strong. One of the absolute best song writers and players of our time. Met him in Asheville. Humble.
Zach and Devins channel
He is very Humble
Bonnie Cole Howlingcrane
I agree, he is my favorite singer/songwriter/player...unlimited talent :-)
Lona Edgington
Nobody puts it to words or plays it like Warren Haynes.
ToweringFool
Obviously one of my most favorite songs ever!
Electric Church Media
Amazing Song. I’ve been lucky enough to see them live 13 times but only seen them do this song once.
szvs on_
this voice...love it!
JC
To me, Warren sounds so much more like Duane on guitar then Derek does. It's unbelievable, TBH. I could hear Duane playing everyone of those notes. ❤️🎸
Lance
Yeah, somebody somewhere must have hurt you
You must have been really abused
A victim of your raising
Isn't that your excuse
Towering fool
In a dream I watched you inflict yourself
On everyone within reach
Now frozen in time I see it still
Like a movie
How long has it been since you shook the hand
Of those who fell under your feet
And how long has it been since you washed yours clean
From the blood and the dirt of the street
Did you really think you could just fly away
Fly right out of those blues
Did you
Towering fool
Don't you know greatness comes to those who can hold it
Did it slip right through your hands
Did it brush your sleeve as it passed you by
Do you compare yourself now to then
All this bitter of anger
Don't you feel alone ranger
Don't you
Towering fool
So you use every ounce of your energy
To keep those around you down
But there is a tear in the eye of the ring master
And a smile on the face of the clown
Yeah, you couldn't see through your own arrogance
To what the whole world already knew
You had to keep pushing it past the point
Till it all crumbled down on you
Yeah, didn't you
Towering fool
Category
Music
Licence
Standard YouTube Licence
Music
"Towering Fool" by Gov't Mule (Google Play • iTunes)
Ryan Petty
@Ron Esquerra I always thought it was about Dickey Betts