Brooklyn singer, Will Downing, was born in 1963 and appeared on the scenes … Read Full Bio ↴Brooklyn singer, Will Downing, was born in 1963 and appeared on the scenes in the early 1980s. Singing with Arthur Baker's group, Wally Jump Junior, Downing then used Baker as a producer when he was signed to Island Records. Before releasing his own album, Will Downing appeared on tracks with many other artists, including Daryl Payne, Marc Sadane, Warp 9 and Jennifer Holiday.

In 1988, Downing finally made his solo debut, releasing the self-titled Will Downing. The album featured a new version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." The track did not fair well on the R&B charts but it managed to reach #4 on the Dance charts. In the United Kingdom, "A Love Supreme" managed to reach #14 on the singles charts.

Downing has released many albums throughout his career, always on the brink of stardom but never quite making it. In 1989 he released Come Together As One and in '91, Dream Fulfilled. The latter featured the single "I Try" which reached #13 on the R&B charts, Downing's best performance to date.

1993 saw Downing's fourth album release with Love's the Place to Be. In 1995, he released Moods and in 1997, Invitation Only. Continuing his steady stream of releases, 1998 saw Pleasures of the Night, 2000 offered All the Man You Need and in 2002, Sensual Journey.

With so many albums under his belt, Downing never slows down, releasing Emotions in 2003, Christmas, Love and You in 2004 and Soul Symphony in 2005.

While Will Downing has never been a massive celebrity in the United States, he has seen reasonable success in the United Kingdom.

Statue of a Fool
Will Downing Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Somewhere there should be for all the world to see
A statue of a fool made of Gold
An image of a man who let love slip through his hands
Then let it sit there all alone.

So build a statue
And oh build it high so that all can see
And inscribe the worlds greatest fool, and name it after, after me.

So build a statue
And oh build it high so that all can see
And inscribe the worlds greatest fool, and name it after me.
Oh yeah and it name it after, after me

I was a fool
I was a fool
To ever let you go oh baby
Oh girl, why
Baby
And name it after, after me
The fool the fool and name it after, after me

Alright now wont make the same mistake again, no
Statue of a fool

Overall Meaning

The song Statue of a Fool by Will Downing describes the regret and realization of a man who let love slip away from his grasp. The first two lines suggest that there should be a statue for all the world to see, honoring the foolishness of throwing away love. The image of the statue being made of gold suggests that love is a valuable commodity that is lost when not appreciated. The third line portrays the man as someone who let love slip away from his hands and then did nothing to try and save it. The final line emphasizes the futility of his actions as he left love sitting alone.

The chorus of the song repeats the call to build a statue for the world to see. The use of repetition emphasizes the regretful tone and echoes the desire to be recognized for the foolishness. He wants the world to see and acknowledge his wasted love for what it truly is. The final lines of the chorus repeat the request to name the statue after himself, emphasizing the self-centered nature of his regret.

Overall, the song describes a man who realizes too late the value of love and the selfishness that led to its loss. The lyrics are reflective and emotive, with a melody that adds to the melancholic tone of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Somewhere there should be for all the world to see
There ought to be a monument that is visible for everyone to behold

A statue of a fool made of Gold
A figurine of a naive person crafted from gold

An image of a man who let love slip through his hands
A representation of a man who allowed affection to elude him

Then let it sit there all alone.
And then left it there without any companion.

So build a statue
So, create a monument

And oh build it high so that all can see
And construct it tall so that everyone can notice

And inscribe the worlds greatest fool, and name it after, after me.
And engrave it with 'the most foolish person on earth' and christen it on my name.

Oh yeah and it name it after, after me
Oh yes, and call it by my moniker.

I was a fool
I was naive

To ever let you go oh baby
For losing you, my darling, was my foolishness

Oh girl, why
Oh woman, for what reason

Baby
My dear

Alright now wont make the same mistake again, no
Alright now, I won't repeat the same blunder again, no

Statue of a fool
A cornerstone of a gullible individual

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAN CRUTCHFIELD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS