Fool You Are
Lloyd Cole Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

From northerton to northern california
Folk don't really change
And there's always the rain
From southport beach to Sunday in the hamptons
Well I never could complain
And there's always the rain

The fool you are in manchester
The fool you are in maine
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
It's the fool you are

From lambeth walk to london, ontario
We'd like(love) to run away
When it looks like rain
From sunset strip to waterloo underground
The stars are just the same
And it looks like rain

The fool you are in manchester
The fool you are in maine
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
It's the fool you are
It's the fool you are
Yes it is

From the sunshine state to shaftesbury avenue
Folk don't really change
And there's always the rain
And the night before in northern california
Is dawning on the thames and it looks like rain

The fool you are in manchester
The fool you are in maine
The lies you tell in liverpool
Will follow you to spain
And the morning after leicester square
Is hungover in rome
And never again in newcastle
Is one more for the road
It's the fool you are
It's the fool you are
Yes it is
It's the fool you are




It's the fool that's what you are
It's the fool you are

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Fool You Are" by Lloyd Cole are about the cyclical nature of life, and how no matter where you go, you can't escape certain things. The song mentions different locations, from Northerton to Northern California, and how despite the differences in geography and culture, things stay the same. The line "folks don't really change" suggests that people have certain patterns of behavior that are hard to break, even when they move to a new place.


The line "there's always the rain" is repeated throughout the song, and could be interpreted as a metaphor for the things in life that are inevitable, or that we can't control. Rain is a natural phenomenon that happens no matter what we do, just like certain patterns of behavior or emotions that we can't seem to shake.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "the fool you are," and suggests that even though we try to escape our mistakes or missteps, they will follow us wherever we go. The lines "the lies you tell in Liverpool will follow you to Spain" and "the morning after Leicester Square is hungover in Rome" imply that our actions have consequences, and that we can't just forget about them and start fresh.


Overall, the song is a meditation on the idea of change, and how sometimes it's hard to see the difference between running away from something and running towards something else.


Line by Line Meaning

From northerton to northern california
People remain largely the same, no matter where they are in the world.


Folk don't really change
People's nature and traits stay mostly consistent throughout their lives.


And there's always the rain
Life isn't all sunshine; there will always be troubles.


From southport beach to Sunday in the hamptons
I've had a good life full of luxurious experiences.


Well I never could complain
However, I still feel unsettled with my current situation.


The fool you are in manchester
You are foolish no matter where you go.


The fool you are in maine
Your foolishness stays with you no matter your location.


The lies you tell in liverpool
Your actions will catch up to you eventually, no matter where you are.


Will follow you to spain
Your past will always be a part of you no matter where life takes you.


It's the fool you are
You are a fool regardless of your location.


From lambeth walk to london, ontario
I wish to escape my current situation and start a new life.


We'd like(love) to run away
I have a strong desire to leave my current life behind.


When it looks like rain
Whenever things get difficult, I feel the urge to escape.


From sunset strip to waterloo underground
Fame and fortune doesn't change who you are.


The stars are just the same
No matter how glitzy and glamorous your life is, you will still face hardships.


And the night before in northern california
Yesterday's problems will follow you into the future.


Is dawning on the thames and it looks like rain
I am facing new problems today and it doesn't look good.


And the morning after leicester square
Even after a good night out, you still face reality in the morning.


Is hungover in rome
You can't escape your problems with a night out.


And never again in newcastle
Some experiences are only good once; you can't relive the past.


Is one more for the road
But you can always keep moving forward and make new experiences.


It's the fool that's what you are
The song is a reminder that you shouldn't try to run away from your problems.


It's the fool you are
You can't escape your past, but you can choose to learn from it and grow.


Yes it is
That's just the way life is.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lloyd Cole, Neil Clark

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@sfoeric

I remember seeing Lloyd and The Negatives at Slim’s in San Francisco in the early 2000’s. Great gig.

@luizcaniza5201

From Brazil, I love this song!!

@micaelaventurini2241

I love this song!

@paulopimentelpimentel6208

Love This song!!!!!!!!

@thejessvlog3322

well said kris. thanks for this album cover post. i recently had a rebirth of lloyd cole's music and glad to hear this back after a long while. thanks again for this upload.

@hooskerdu1

Thank you for posting. I have been looking for thus certain fur quite some time. Beautiful song.

@hooskerdu1

Sorry, posting without my glasses. I'm really not from Arkansas. 😆

@robindavies9081

thats a top tune, thankyou for sharing. I dont recognise the album?

@trystero13

Love Story

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