The four musicians first worked together as a unit -- albeit not under the Little Village name -- when recording John Hiatt's album "Bring The Family" in 1987. Upon reconvening in 1992, the group's name was initially (and jokingly) announced as Hiatus. It was soon changed to Little Village in reference to a famous in-studio diatribe by Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Little Village recorded their first and last proper group album in mid-1992. The self-titled record featured a set of songs composed by all four group members. The songs were largely sung by Hiatt, although Lowe took lead on two songs and Cooder one.
Prior to its release, the Little Village album was heavily anticipated in some quarters. Bring The Family was (and still is) considered to be one of Hiatt's finest albums, and a reunion of the group that recorded it fostered great critical expectations. However, upon being issued Little Village met with only lukewarm reviews and general commercial indifference. The consensus was that the material on the album seemed somewhat thin, as if the composers were saving their best work for their solo careers. Nevertheless, the album was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Album" category.
The Little Village album release was followed by a number of well-received live shows in the US and Europe. Nevertheless, the group disbanded in late 1992.
Fool Who Knows
Little Village Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it's built on sand
But when it's built on rock
Ain't nothin' that it can't withstand
I guess you know by now how this story goes
A very true story, take it from a fool who knows
I was high as a bird in the sky
With a true fine love all mine
Forever and one day
Now my eyes are overflowin'
With the memories such as those
They're tear-stained memories
Take it from a fool who knows
Now my tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
Here comes all that hurt again
But while my heart keeps beating
I'll keep repeating
The same mistakes that I made before
The ones that made me walk the floor
I got a sack full of those
Take it from a fool who knows
Well my tongue's gettin' tired
I been gettin wired
While my heart keeps beating
I keep repeating
The same mistakes that I made before
The ones that made love walk out the door
I got a sack full of those
That I'll keep diggin' into
A lonesome road with a cold wind blowin'
The path I chose, take it from a fool who knows
The song "Fool Who Knows" by Little Village talks about the agony one goes through when they are in love with someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings. The song begins by stating that love doesn't last the night if it's built on sand but if it's built on rock, nothing can stand in its way. The singer in the song talks about how he had a true and fine love that was all his, but it didn't last forever. Now the memories of that love haunt him, and he's in pain. He admits to making the same mistakes that he made before that caused him to lose his love.
The song has a melancholic tone and speaks about lost love and regret. The singer laments that he's digging into a sack full of mistakes that he made and that he'll keep repeating those mistakes as long as his heart keeps beating. The song's chorus repeats the title 'fool who knows' twice, referring to the singer in the story who is a victim of love, unaware of when and how it all went wrong.
In conclusion, the song "Fool Who Knows" by Little Village speaks about the devastation one feels when they lose someone they love. The song's lyrics tell the story of how love can crumble to ruins if it's not built on a solid foundation. The song resonates with anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak and echoes the sentiment that, at times, we all can be fools in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well a love won't last the night
A relationship that is built on flimsy grounds won't survive
If it's built on sand
If the foundation of a relationship is weak and unstable
But when it's built on rock
If the foundation of a relationship is strong and solid
Ain't nothin' that it can't withstand
There's nothing that can tear the relationship apart
I guess you know by now how this story goes
The following is a familiar tale
A very true story, take it from a fool who knows
This is a personal experience that I can vouch for
I was high as a bird in the sky
I was extremely happy and content
In the month of May
During a time of the year that symbolizes new beginnings
With a true fine love all mine
I had a wonderful and genuine partner who was all mine
Forever and one day
I thought our love was eternal
Now my eyes are overflowin'
I'm overwhelmed by emotion
With the memories such as those
Thinking about those moments brings me to tears
They're tear-stained memories
My memories are sad and unfortunate
Take it from a fool who knows
I'm speaking from experience
Now my tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
I'm still hurting and the pain is still fresh
Here comes all that hurt again
I'm reminded of the pain I went through before
But while my heart keeps beating
Despite everything, I'm still alive and hopeful
I'll keep repeating
I keep making the same mistakes
The same mistakes that I made before
I can't seem to learn from my past mistakes
The ones that made me walk the floor
The ones that caused me sleepless nights
I got a sack full of those
I have a lot of regrets and mistakes
Well my tongue's gettin' tired
I'm exhausted from talking about my mistakes
I been gettin wired
I've been trying to numb my feelings with substance abuse
That I'll keep diggin' into
I'll keep revisiting and dwelling on my past mistakes
While my heart keeps beating
Despite everything, I'm still alive and hopeful
I keep repeating
I keep making the same mistakes
The ones that made love walk out the door
The ones that caused my partner to leave me
A lonesome road with a cold wind blowin'
I'm alone with no one to keep me warm
The path I chose, take it from a fool who knows
I'm responsible for ending up where I am today, and I'm the only one to blame
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RY COODER, JOHN HIATT, JIM KELTNER, NICK LOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jose Larrasa
Well a love won't last the night if it's built on sand
If it's built on rock there ain't nothing that it can't withstand
I guess you know by now how this story goes
A very true story, take it from a fool who knows
I was high as a bird in the sky in the month of may
With a true fine love all mine forever and one day
Now my eyes overflowing with the memories such as those
They're tear-stained memories, take it from a fool who knows
Now my tears are falling and I feel the pain
Here comes all that hurt again
But while my heart keeps beating I'll go on repeating
The same mistakes that I did before
The ones that made me walk the floor
I've got a sack full of those, take it from a fool who knows
But well my tongue gets tired I 'll be getting wired
While my heart keeps beating I 'll go on repeating
The same mistakes that I did before
The ones that made love walk out the door
I got a sack full of those that I'll keep digging into
A lonesome road with a cold wind blowing
The path I chose, take it from a fool who knows
Tim Parker
Damn, I love this song. Nick Lowe - lead vocals & bass, John Hiatt - harmony vocals & rhythm guitar, Ry Cooder - slide guitars, Jim Keltner - drums &percussion. And to think there are only a handful of people that know about it. . . Got to see them do this live in Dallas at one of the Farm Aid shows.
jay dickey
Agree Tim, like everything about it.
river lethe
This is my favorite song on this album after all these years. Very nice song.
oleole52
They got together for Hiatt's Bring the Family album,a great record.They had such a good time with that,they kept it going with Little Village.They're so good together.These guys know stuff.
Ranger Dan
John Hiatt said they could have written better songs for this album. I've always liked it. It saddens me they only did this one album. What a super group.
Aloise Mason
John Hiatt and Ry Cooder is sensational..two legends and a great band..rhythem and melody is fantastic..
VINCE DEES
One of the best groups in Rock...since Rock all began bar none.
Jose Larrasa
Well a love won't last the night if it's built on sand
If it's built on rock there ain't nothing that it can't withstand
I guess you know by now how this story goes
A very true story, take it from a fool who knows
I was high as a bird in the sky in the month of may
With a true fine love all mine forever and one day
Now my eyes overflowing with the memories such as those
They're tear-stained memories, take it from a fool who knows
Now my tears are falling and I feel the pain
Here comes all that hurt again
But while my heart keeps beating I'll go on repeating
The same mistakes that I did before
The ones that made me walk the floor
I've got a sack full of those, take it from a fool who knows
But well my tongue gets tired I 'll be getting wired
While my heart keeps beating I 'll go on repeating
The same mistakes that I did before
The ones that made love walk out the door
I got a sack full of those that I'll keep digging into
A lonesome road with a cold wind blowing
The path I chose, take it from a fool who knows
yama penny
Great, thank you for the lyrik written down! My english is almost gone... so I can understand and translate.
Thank you !
yama penny
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