Produced by David … Read Full Bio ↴Written by David Arnold (Music) & Don Black (Lyrics)
Produced by David Arnold
Released 1999 on The World Is Not Enough. Also features on the compilation album Five Easy Pieces.
Notes The song was intended to be the closing music for the end credits of the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.
Only Myself To Blame
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've driven for days
I've tried to forget in so many ways
I've held other arms
But they don't feel the same
And I've only myself to blame
I still see your face
It follows me 'round, all over the place
I shouldn't look back
But I do just the same
And I've only myself to blame
I knew it was love
But when you are young
You think love will come again and again
There's no greater fool
In the fool's hall of fame
And I've only myself to blame
I knew it was love
But when you are young
You think love will come again and again
There is no greater fool
In the fool's hall of fame
And I've only myself, only myself
Only myself to blame
The song "Only Myself To Blame" by Scott Walker, talks about a person who has gone through various ways to forget someone they once loved. The singer has walked past midnight, driven for days and held other arms to try and fill the void left by the person they once loved. However, nothing seems to help them forget, and they keep seeing the face of the person they once loved everywhere they go. The singer acknowledges that they knew it was love but when they were young, they thought love would come again and again. They have become a fool in the fool's hall of fame for letting the person they loved get away, and they only have themselves to blame.
The song represents the feeling of loneliness and pain that one goes through after a heartbreak. The singer tries to distract themselves in different ways but ultimately realizes that they are responsible for their pain. The lyrics also show that sometimes, we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone, and we end up regretting our decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
I've walked way past midnight
I've stayed up late, consumed by my emotions
I've driven for days
I've tried to run away from my feelings by moving constantly
I've tried to forget in so many ways
I've attempted to distract myself from the pain of losing you in different ways
I've held other arms
I've sought comfort in the arms of other people
But they don't feel the same
However, their embrace does not provide me with the same level of comfort and happiness as yours did
And I've only myself to blame
I recognize that it was my own mistakes that led to the loss of our relationship
From city to city
Despite traveling long distances
I still see your face
I'm haunted by visions of you
It follows me 'round, all over the place
I can't escape the memories of our time together, no matter where I go
I shouldn't look back
I know it's not healthy for me to dwell on the past
But I do just the same
Yet I can't help but reminisce on the good times we shared
And I've only myself to blame
I know my own actions led to our separation
I knew it was love
I was aware that my feelings for you were genuine
But when you are young
However, I was naive and thoughtless
You think love will come again and again
I believed that love could be easily found and replaced
There's no greater fool
I realize now that I was being foolish
In the fool's hall of fame
And my mistakes have earned me a place as a fool in the eyes of others
And I've only myself to blame
But ultimately, I recognize that I have no one to blame but myself for my actions
There is no greater fool
I acknowledge that I made the ultimate mistake by taking your love for granted
In the fool's hall of fame
And I have reached a point of no return when it comes to your love
And I've only myself, only myself
And despite the pain it causes me, I take full responsibility for my actions
Only myself to blame
I know that I was the one who lost our love, and I have only myself to blame
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ARNOLD, BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sue Ong
I've walked way past midnight
I've driven for days
I've tried to forget in so many ways
I've held other arms
But they don't feel the same
And I've only myself to blame
From city to city
I still see your face
It follows me 'round, all over the place
I shouldn't look back
But I do just the same
And I've only myself to blame
I knew it was love
But when you are young
You think love will come again and again
There's no greater fool
In the fool's hall of fame
And I've only myself to blame
I knew it was love
But when you are young
You think love will come again and again
There is no greater fool
In the fool's hall of fame
And I've only myself, only myself
Only myself to blame
Jamie Webb
Sad, Jazzy, but Beautiful. What a great voice this man had. The more you listen to this song the more beautiful the words and music become.
Christine Cronje
James Webb Yet he didn't believe he could sing! Hence he would never listen to his work once finished and he suffered hugely from stage fright as can be witnessed in the TOTP video onstage singing The Sun Ain't etc...
He was fine in front of cameras but not live screamers!
The enigma that was Scott Walker. ❤️
Jamie Webb
@Florence worley I agree Florence, There's something in his voice, something that's very hard to put your finger on, but that's all part of the magic for me. I'm not a classical musician like you, so I find it hard to break it down. However I did play in a band and I hear a kind of uniqueness in his voice and speaks to me. I will always love his voice.
Florence worley
James Webb
absolutely . I’m a classical musician but there’s little that moves me as much as this voice . It’s composer and instrumental thinking within the voice. Something in the timbre is bigger than the sum of its parts .
Keep wondering what it actually is ?
Tom Byrne
Just beautiful. This is my first time hearing this as I'm just starting to dip into the albums between 4 and No Regrets. Achingly beautiful track.
FingersOnAFender
very few can express the hurts of the soul so well as Scott Walker can with his voice. when a song conveys an otherwise unspeakable emotion with such depth and eloquence, it communicates directly to the heart...
Florence worley
FingersOnAFender
So true - been listening for 52 yrs - became an opera singer myself but this just gets to the core .
Neurodisco77
Great username
Skywatcher Music
The greatest song he ever did. RIP.
rikerdonegal
This is the track that brought Walker to my attention. It's still my favourite.