I'm a Loser
Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete Lyrics
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I'm a loser
And I'm not what I appear to be
Of all the love I have won, and have lost
There is one love I should never have crossed
She was a girl in a million my friend
I should have known she would win in the end
I'm a loser
And I lost someone who's near to me
I'm a loser
And I'm not what I appear to be
Although I laugh and I act like a clown
Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown
My tears are falling like rain from the sky
Is it for her or myself that I cry?
I'm a loser
And I lost someone who's near to me
I'm a loser
And I'm not what I appear to be
What have I done to deserve such a fate?
I realize I have left it too late
And so it's true pride comes before a fall
I'm telling you so that you won't lose all
I'm a loser
And I lost someone who's near to me
I'm a loser
And I'm not what I appear to be
The lyrics of "I'm a Loser" by Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete express a feeling of deep self-deprecation and regret after losing a love that was highly valued. The first verse indicates that the singer has experienced many romantic gains and losses in the past, but one particular love interest caused a significant heartbreak. The second verse reveals that despite the singer's attempts to hide their sadness, they are actually deeply affected by the loss. The third verse suggests that the singer is lamenting the consequences of their actions, and realizing too late that they made a mistake in letting the love interest go. The final verse could be interpreted as the singer warning the listener not to make the same mistake they did.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a loser
I have failed and lost something important in my life
And I'm not what I appear to be
My exterior persona is not truly representative of who I am on the inside
Of all the love I have won, and have lost
Out of all the times I have been successful and failed in love
There is one love I should never have crossed
There was one particular love that I should have never pursued
She was a girl in a million my friend
That girl was very special to me
I should have known she would win in the end
I should have realized that she would ultimately come out on top
Although I laugh and I act like a clown
Even though I put on a happy face and joke around
Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown
I am actually feeling sad and unhappy underneath my exterior facade
My tears are falling like rain from the sky
I am crying heavily, as if it were raining tears
Is it for her or myself that I cry?
I am uncertain if I am crying for her or because of my own disappointment
What have I done to deserve such a fate?
I am questioning why I am experiencing such unfortunate circumstances
I realize I have left it too late
I understand that it is now too late to change the outcome
And so it's true pride comes before a fall
My pride led to my downfall
I'm telling you so that you won't lose all
I am sharing my story with you so that you won't experience a similar loss
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Benjamin West
This Guaraldi cover of the Beatle's song is, in fact, the greatest recording ever made.
chazinko
Vince had a way with covering a song and making it unique, even digging deeper into its expression in his heartfelt playing.
MooPotPie
"El Matador" (a Vince original) and "People" are also superb tracks from this LP. Jobim's "Favela" (on the flip side w/ guitarist Bola Sete) is absolutely mesmerizing.
UnseenLive1
This is actually how I found out about The Beatles version. I don't think anyone could capture the essence quite like Vince.
Frederico Porto
Bola Sete (Seven Baal as in snooker game ) was a great Brazilian guitarist. Excellent video! Thanks my friend Chuck!
califgirl101
What a fun song this is! Thank you very much for this beautiful toe-tapper! Kudos my friend! :)
HenryFramusValentine
This is my favorite version of a Beatles song. Wait… Is it? Yes. Yes, it definitely is.
John Benn
wonderful playing. magnificent & enjoyable
Thomas L. Willis, PCAM
This is just beautiful.
buddylarsen
--great insight by chazinko. So true. I've been on one of my Guaraldi jags lately, and as usual always in the back of my listening mind trying to find the word that conveys the why the Guaraldi style is indescribable. I just found it, listening to this Beatles cover's melody line: "ineffable".