McCartney said of the song:
“'Fool on the Hill' was mine and I think I was writing about someone like Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle he wasn't taken too seriously ... I was sitting at the piano at my father's house in Liverpool hitting a D 6th chord, and I made up 'Fool on the Hill.'”
Alistair Taylor, in the book Yesterday, reports a mysterious incident involving a man who inexplicably appeared near him and McCartney during a walk on Primrose Hill and then disappeared again, soon after McCartney and Taylor had conversed about the existence of God; this allegedly prompted the writing of the song.
McCartney played the song for John Lennon during a writing session for "With a Little Help from My Friends," and Lennon told him to write it down. McCartney didn't; he was sure he wouldn't forget it. In his 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon said, "Now that's Paul. Another good lyric. Shows he's capable of writing complete songs."
The Fool on the Hill
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alone on a hill
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that he's just a fool
And he never gives an answer
But the fool on the hill
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning 'round
Well on the way
Head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices
Talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning 'round
And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning 'round
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
'Round and 'round and 'round and 'round and round
He never listens to them
He knows that they're the fools
They don't like him
The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning 'round
Oh and 'round and 'round and 'round and
Oh
, oh, oh, oh, oh
"The Fool on the Hill" by The Beatles is a song about a man who is misunderstood and deemed foolish by those around him. The singer of the song is a man who spends his days alone on a hill with a foolish grin on his face. The people around him can see that he is a fool and choose to ignore him without ever attempting to get to know him. He never gives an answer to their questions, and they don't like him because they can't seem to understand him.
However, despite seeming foolish, the singer sees the world from a different perspective. He sees the sun going down and the world spinning 'round, and he hears things that nobody else can hear. He is a man with a thousand voices screaming inside his head, but nobody ever hears him. And he never seems to notice the way people treat him. He never shows his feelings, and nobody ever takes the time to listen to him. But he knows that they are the fools, and he never listens to what they say.
The song can be interpreted in many ways, but it speaks to the importance of seeking to understand those who may appear different or strange to us. It is a sad commentary on how society judges people without getting to know them, and how being different is often seen as foolish or inferior. The song encourages the listener to look beyond appearances and to see the beauty and value in all people, no matter how eccentric.
Line by Line Meaning
Day after day
Every day, without fail
Alone on a hill
Isolated, away from everyone
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
A person with a silly expression on his face who is motionless
But nobody wants to know him
No one seeks his company
They can see that he's just a fool
He isn't taken seriously by others
And he never gives an answer
He doesn't respond to others' questions or comments
But the fool on the hill
This person who others think is foolish and irrelevant
Sees the sun going down
Observe the beauty of nature, even in isolation
And the eyes in his head
The way he views the world and his surroundings
See the world spinning 'round
He has a unique perspective of the world
Well on the way
Has progressed on his own journey
Head in a cloud
He is preoccupied with his own thoughts
The man of a thousand voices
A person of many talents
Talking perfectly loud
Speaking with confidence and assertiveness
But nobody ever hears him
Despite being loud, no one is really listening
Or the sound he appears to make
No one is paying attention to what he is saying
And he never seems to notice
He is unaware of others' disregard for him
And nobody seems to like him
Others have a negative perception of him
They can tell what he wants to do
They understand his intentions
And he never shows his feelings
He doesn't express his own emotions
He never listens to them
He doesn't take the opinions of others into consideration
He knows that they're the fools
He believes he is more knowledgeable and wise than others give him credit for
The fool on the hill
This person, who others perceive as a fool, but who actually has valuable insights
Sees the sun going down
Continues to appreciate the beauty of nature
And the eyes in his head
Continues to have a unique perspective of the world
See the world spinning 'round
Appreciates the constant motion and change of the world
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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