The Closet Extrovert

I must give credit to the rabble rouser for turning me on to this amazing artist. How I managed to be completely oblivious to her until recently is a shameful mystery.

Fool of Me [song clip] [lyrics]
from Meshell Ndegeocello’s album, Bitter

Punchy but tender piano notes fall like scattered raindrops into the well of Meshell’s sensual, dusky voice. At other moments her harmonies make your spirit soar even while your heart is aching with an intensity of feeling. The song itself is both a last-ditch plea for acceptance and a humbled but direct demand for closure, tinged with regret for allowing herself to be vulnerable and disbelief at being spurned so casually. Gorgeous, sultry and bittersweet.

What others are saying about it:

“Bitter traces the aftermath of a breakup, with all its recriminations, revelations, rationalizations, revisions and retrospective raunch. After a lush, orchestral instrumental prelude (”Adam”), it settles into the mournful “Fool of Me.” It’s almost unsettling to hear Ndegeocello without any of her armor; gone are the bass funkasaurus, the craft-conscious virtuoso, the avenging amazon. Instead a woman quietly murmurs “You made a fool of me/Tell me why/You say that you don’t care but we made love.” The incredulity here barely conceals the utter devastation that is processed throughout Bitter. But what’s truly wondrous is that it never feels like a wallow. This is partly due to the unerring honesty on display here, combined with Ndegeocello’s remarkable musical instincts. But it also issues from the fact that at her most vulnerable, she reveals a remarkable strength and integrity. “ [Simon Glickman]

Meshell Ndegeocello
Fool Of Me

i remember
when you filled my heart
with joy
was i blind to the truth?
just there to fill the space
’cause now
you have no interest in
anything
that i have to say
i have allowed you to make me feel
i feel so dumb
what kind of fool am i?
you so easily
set me
aside

you
made
a fool of me
tell me why

you
say
that you don’t care
but we made love
tell me why

you
made
a fool of me

you
made a fool of me

i want to kiss you
does she want you with the pain that
i do
smell you in my dreams
but now
when we’re face to face
you won’t look me in the eye
no time
no friendship
no love

you say don’t touch you
i can’t touch you no more
can’t touch you
anymore
anymore

you (you)
made (made)
a fool of me (a fool of me)
tell me why (tell me)
tell me why (tell me why)
you (you)
say (say)
that you don’t care (you just don’t care)
we made love (we made love)
tell me why (tell me why)
you (you)
made (made)
a fool of me (made a fool of me)
tell me why
you (tell me) made (tell me) a fool (why) of me
i feel like
such a fool
you (you)
made (made)
a fool of me (a fool of me)
(tell me why) tell me why