Shawn Peter Raul Mendes is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013… Read Full Bio ↴Shawn Peter Raul Mendes is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013, posting song covers on the video-sharing application Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gertler and Island Records A&R Ziggy Chareton, which led to him signing a deal with the record label. Mendes's self-titled debut EP was released in 2014, followed by his debut studio album Handwritten in 2015. Handwritten debuted atop the US Billboard 200, making Mendes one of five artists ever to debut at number one before the age of 18. The single "Stitches" reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in the US and Canada.

His second studio album Illuminate (2016) also debuted at number one in the US, with its singles "Treat You Better" and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" reaching the top 10 in several countries. His self-titled third studio album (2018) was supported by the lead single "In My Blood". The album's number one debut in the US made Mendes the third-youngest artist to achieve three number one albums. In 2019, he released the hit singles "If I Can't Have You" and "Señorita", with the latter peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100. His fourth studio album, Wonder (2020), made Mendes the youngest male artist ever to top the Billboard 200 with four studio albums.

Among his accolades, Mendes has won 13 SOCAN awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards, eight Juno Awards, eight iHeartRadio MMVAs, two American Music Awards, and received three nominations for a Grammy Award and one nomination for a Brit Award. In 2018, Time named Mendes as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list.

Don't Be a Fool
Shawn Mendes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, baby, baby, baby, yeah
You got me cryin'
Know that you don't wanna hear this
Don't be a fool

You've got my heart
But I can't let you keep it, babe
'Cause I won't be sure that I can stay

Don't waste your time
Trying to pull me in
'Cause I'm just a mess
Don't wanna fix
Just promise me one thing that you won't forget
But for now kiss me softly before I say
Now sing it out

Don't be a fool (beautiful)
And wait on me darlin'
I know that you don't wanna hear this
But I'm always on the move, yeah

And don't be a fool, darling
And say that you love me, girl
'Cause you'll find a man
Who will stand by your side
And will be there for you
And just know that I do

Oh I really like you babe
And I wanna be there for you
For the rest of your days
But I know that hurt
If we keep on doing this, now
So I'm sorry to end it

But I know that it's for the best
Now sing it out

Don't be a fool
And wait on me darlin'
I know that you don't wanna hear this
But I'm always on the move, yeah

And don't be a fool, no, no
And say that you love me, girl
'Cause you'll find a man
Who will stand by your side
And will be there for you, no, no, no

No, I don't think you'll ever understand
I don't think you'll ever understand
I know that you don't wanna hear this
But darling don't be a fool, no, no

No, I don't think you'll ever understand
No, no, no, no, no yeah
I don't think you'll ever understand
I know that you don't wanna hear this
So darling don't be a fool

And don't be a fool
And wait on me darling
I know that you don't wanna hear this
So baby don't be a fool

No, don't be a fool, yeah
And say that you love me, girl
'Cause you'll find a man
Who'll stand by your side
And will be there for you, no, no, no

No, I don't think you'll ever understand, baby
I don't think you'll ever understand
I know that you don't wanna hear this
But darling don't be a fool

I don't think you'll ever understand, no, no, no
I don't think you'll ever understand
I know that you don't wanna hear this
So darling don't be a fool

And don't be a fool, no
And say that you love me, baby girl
I know that you don't wanna hear this
So darling, don't be
Don't be a fool, no
Yeah
Thank you so much
Thank you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Shawn Mendes's song "Don't Be A Fool" are about a man who is warning his potential partner not to waste their time and emotions on him. Shawn talks about how he knows she has his heart, but he can't let her keep it because he is always on the move and doesn't want to hurt her. The verses reveal that the singer is a mess and doesn't want to be fixed, which implies that he is not ready for a serious relationship.

The chorus of the song is where the warning becomes more direct. The phrase "Don't be a fool" is repeated twice, and it's clear that the singer is telling his partner not to wait for him or fall in love with him, because he won't be there for her when she needs him. He advises her to find someone who will stand by her side and be there for her.

Overall, the song is a heartfelt warning that Shawn gives to his partner to avoid getting hurt. He knows he can't fulfill her needs, and he doesn't want to lead her on, hoping she'll eventually find someone who can make her happy.

Line by Line Meaning

You've got my heart
I have given you my love

But I can't let you keep it, babe
I can't commit to you fully

'Cause I won't be sure that I can stay
I am not certain that I can remain dedicated to you

Don't waste your time
Don't try to get me to change my mind

Trying to pull me in
Convincing me to commit to you

'Cause I'm just a mess
I have a lot of personal issues to deal with

Don't wanna fix
I am not ready to work on myself

Just promise me one thing that you won't forget
Remember our time together

But for now kiss me softly before I say
Let's have a final moment together

And don't be a fool
Don't make a mistake

And wait on me darlin'
Don't waste time waiting for me

I know that you don't wanna hear this
I understand that this is difficult for you

But I'm always on the move
I am not ready to settle down

And don't be a fool
Don't make a mistake

And say that you love me
Don't make promises that can't be kept

'Cause you'll find a man
There is someone out there for you

Who will stand by your side
Who will be there for you

And will be there for you
You deserve someone who can fully commit

Oh I really like you babe
I have feelings for you

And I wanna be there for you
I want to be supportive of you

For the rest of your days
For the rest of our lives

But I know that hurt
I am aware of the pain this will cause

If we keep on doing this
If we stay in this relationship

So I'm sorry to end this now
I am sorry to break things off

But I know that it's for the best
This is what needs to happen

I don't think you'll ever understand
You may not fully comprehend

I know that you don't wanna hear this but darling don't be a fool
I understand that this is not what you want, but please don't make a mistake

And wait on me darling
Don't wait for me

Just don't be a fool, yeah
Please make the right decision

And say that you love me, girl
Don't make promises you can't keep, my dear

'Cause you'll find a man
There is someone out there for you

Who'll stand by your side
Who will be there for you

And will be there for you
You deserve someone who can fully commit

And don't be a fool
Don't make a mistake

I know that you don't wanna hear this
I understand that this is difficult for you

But don't be a fool
Please make the right decision

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Geoffrey Warburton, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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