Paolo Giovanni Nutini (b. 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. His infl… Read Full Bio ↴Paolo Giovanni Nutini (b. 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. His influences include David Bowie, Damien Rice, Oasis, The Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac.

Born on born 9th January 1987 in Paisley, Scotland, his father is of Italian descent and his mother Glaswegian, although his father's family have been in Scotland for four generations. Nutini had no formal music training, and was expecting to follow his father into the family fish and chip shop business. He was first encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather and a teacher at his school who recognised his talent. He left school to work as a roadie and to sell T-shirts for Speedway and spent three years learning the music business, performing live, alone and with a band, and working as a studio hand at Glasgow's Park Lane Studio.

His big chance came when he attended a concert for David Sneddon's return to his home town of Paisley at the beginning of 2003. Sneddon was delayed, and as the winner of an impromptu pop quiz, Nutini was given the chance to perform a couple of songs on stage during the wait. The favourable reaction of the crowd impressed another member of the audience, who offered to become his manager.

A Daily Record journalist, John Dingwall, saw him performing at the Queen Margaret Union, and invited him to appear live on Radio Scotland. Still only seventeen, he moved to London, and performed regularly at the Bedford pub in Balham whilst still legally too young to drink alcohol himself. Other radio and live appearances followed, including two live acoustic spots on Radio London, The Hard Rock Cafe, and support slots for Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall.

His debut album, These Streets, produced by Ken Nelson (Coldplay/Gomez), was released on 17th July 2006, and immediately entered the U.K. album charts at number three. Many of the songs on the album, including "Last Request" and "Rewind", were inspired by a turbulent relationship with a girlfriend, and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" is a true story about encounters with an older woman.

On 29th May 2009 Nutini released his second studio album, Sunny Side Up, after the first single from that album, "Candy", was released on 18th May. In July, he appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, performing "Coming Up Easy". This was released as the second single from the album on 10th August.

Now Who's The Fool
Paolo Nutini Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now we're back in business yeah
Oh and it seems like we'll never be
All this pain and hurt just keeps getting worse
But I'm lying now that you're mine
And comes the fire to make me escape
The full life we had unprepared
Oh I just can't resist the thought of those kissing again
I can't let it in

Now who's the fool
For taking everything and always wanting more
Now who's the fool
We see the times we had
too precious to ignore
Now I'm looking at you
What's so clear to me
Now I'm not that sure am I the fool

Now I'm here I see you pretend
And I know you try to break me an end
But oh please don't keep it up
If you have no love left to show
But I can't let go

Now who's the fool
For taking everything and always wanting more
Now who's the fool
We see the times we had
too precious to ignore
And I'm looking at you
What's so clear to me
Now I'm not that sure am I the fool

I find it hard
So hard like this
Put down this lone little sacrifice
Now tears are out
they're falling to my eyes
Not another regret since the day we met
So much the words, it's not hurt
But they will give us wiser things you say

Now who's the fool
For taking everything and always wanting more
Now who's the fool
We see the times we had too precious to ignore
Now I'm looking at you

What's so clear to me
Now I'm not that sure am I the fool

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Paolo Nutini's "Now Who's the Fool" depict a cyclical and tumultuous relationship where a couple constantly hurts each other, yet keep returning to each other. Even though there is pain and hurt involved, the singer, perhaps out of a desire for the familiarity of the other person, chooses to remain in the relationship. The "full life unprepared" line suggests that the two were not ready for all that came with their relationship, but they still long for each other. The lyrics also touch upon themes of pride and love, as the singer questions if he is the bigger fool for always wanting more and not being content despite everything.

The chorus, with its repeated question of "Now who's the fool," serves as a reminder that, regardless of who is to blame, the cycle of pain and hurt will continue if they continue choosing each other. The lines "I find it hard/So hard like this" suggest that letting go is not easy, and there may still be love or attachment for the other person.

Overall, the song highlights the complexity and difficulties of relationships, especially ones that are prone to hurt and pain.

Line by Line Meaning

Now we're back in business yeah
We have resumed our relationship

Oh and it seems like we'll never be
It appears as though we will always be trapped in a cycle of pain and hurt

All this pain and hurt just keeps getting worse
Our pain and hurt are intensifying rather than diminishing

But I'm lying now that you're mine
I am pretending that everything is okay now that we are together again

And comes the fire to make me escape
I am tempted to leave this relationship because of the intensity of my emotions

The full life we had unprepared
Our life together was incomplete and unready when we started

Oh I just can't resist the thought of those kissing again
I cannot resist the desire to kiss you again

I can't let it in
I cannot allow my emotions to take control

Now who's the fool
Which one of us is foolish

For taking everything and always wanting more
For being greedy and taking more than we need

We see the times we had too precious to ignore
We realize that our past experiences were too valuable to disregard

Now I'm looking at you
I am observing you carefully

What's so clear to me
What I am aware of now

Now I'm not that sure am I the fool
I am uncertain whether I am the foolish one

Now I'm here I see you pretend
Now that I am with you, I can see that you are pretending

And I know you try to break me an end
I am aware that you are attempting to bring our relationship to an end

But oh please don't keep it up
But I implore you to cease your efforts

If you have no love left to show
If you no longer have any love for me to give

But I can't let go
But I cannot bring myself to end this relationship

I find it hard
I find it challenging

So hard like this
This is incredibly challenging for me

Put down this lone little sacrifice
To give up the little bit that we have sacrificed

Now tears are out they're falling to my eyes
Now I am crying because of the emotions evoked

Not another regret since the day we met
I have no further regrets since the day we met

So much the words, it's not hurt, but they will give us wiser things you say
Your words seem wise, but they do not provide comfort for the pain we are feeling

Contributed by Nolan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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