On the quest / For the holy Grail
Try and live / On razor's edge
Find a mountain / Or cross a valley
Why bother? / It's all for sale
True love was in her eyes
Burning truth was on her face
Even thought it was late at night
Saw her once There's no mistake

Now that we've found this precious place . . . .
How do we keep from going crazy now?
My life was leading to this day
Watching the whole thing slip away
It's just a fool's paradise
It's just a fool's paradise
It's just a fool's paradise anyhow

Dirty stains / On brand new linen
Fresh tracks / On virgin snow
Caught a saint / While he was sinning
People scream / What do they know
Turn it off and find religion
Tune it out and find a cause
Get it up and tell the world
Don't stop, Don't ever pause

Here in this place from all our dreams
It doesn't seem to make us better now
If it will get us through the night
With all our conscience still intact
It's just a fool's paradise . . . (etc.)

Two heads / Are better than one . . .
Two hearts / Bleed so much more
Serious / But no one laughing
Why run / When you can crawl
(True love around the corner--out of reach, so hard to hold)
My life's an open letter
Tear it up--and throw it away





Lyrics submitted by Golgotha

Fool's Paradise Lyrics as written by Danny Elfman

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Fool's Paradise song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

2 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Incredible song. It's about reaching the goal you've sought and finding, inevitably, that it doesn't live up to your expectations. There is no paradise, it is all just a fool's paradise.

    enuma elishon March 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The old expression 'fool's paradise' indicates a denial of reality so as to believe in a happier situation, and the song seems to just keep on that theme. About half the verses seem to be about love in particular, others are apparently more general ("caught a saint while he was sinnin'" etc.)

    Taliaon January 18, 2011   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.