Fool for Love

**"Fool for Love"** is Buck Vernon's song about a lovestruck but foolhardy young man on a mission to win the heart of Lily, the woman he loves, before he heads out on a journey to the hinterlands.

In the song, the Fool goes to fight a man called Big Jim, and - despite living up to the nickname - the Fool is smitten enough with Lily to challenge him, even knowing the odds of winning are low. The Fool, upon being hit, realizes his folly, saying he never should have called Big Jim's bluff. At the end of the song, the Fool "lies in the drifting snow, bleeding out as it covers [him] over" and explains that he is not afraid to die, just mad he left Big Jim alive.

## Background and influences

There is a Bo Diddely beat woven into the song.

Given the events depicted in *Vide Noir*, it seems likely that Vernon's song is a highly fictionalized version of his own quest to find his fiancée Lee Green. There are multiple similarities in the stories, including unrealistic and foolish pursuit of a woman, terrible odds against a more powerful man, awkwardly interrupting a music set, and bleeding while lying on the ground.

## Music video

In the music video, the Fool goes to George's Place to fight a man called Big Jim. Both the Fool and Big Jim have tattoos of Lily's name on their arms.

On seeing just how big and strong Jim is, the Fool initiates a fight between the Tumbleweeds and the World Enders, by whispering something in Dale Redmayne's ear. The Fool tries to escape the brawl but attracts attention by knocking the power cable for the sound equipment out of its socket, which disrupts the Buck Vernon Band's set. The Fool is chased out of the bar, leading to a confrontation with Big Jim where the Fool is lifted by his throat. It is left ambiguous as to what happens to the Fool after.

### Music video trivia

   The Fool runs past a billboard advertising the Strange Trails hotline.

Various major and minor characters support or are in the background of the action of the video. This includes Dale Redmayne, Johnnie Redmayne, Frankie Lou, and Dr. Randall Fong according to the credits.

There is a portrait of Admiral Blaquefut in the bar during the brawl.

### Behind the scenes

The main location scenes in the video for **Fool for Love** were filmed at Lord Huron's Whispering Pines Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

## Annotated lyrics

The lyrics for *Strange Trails* were never officially released, these lyrics are a transcript:

I’m leaving this place behind and I’m heading out on the road tonight

I’m off for the hinterlands way up north where the tall trees stand

Before I commence my ride, I'm asking Lily to be my bride

I know there's another man, but he ain't gonna delay my plans

I know she's gonna be my wife

Gonna fall in love, I'm gonna live my life with her

You know, I bet he's not so tough

Ain't afraid of him 'cause I'm a fool for love

I come for to find Big Jim, well, here I am and I guess you’re him

I see how you got your name, you're tall as hell and broad as a train

They say you’re a hard-worn man, the baddest guy in the whole wide land

Well, I'm not afraid to fight, let's step outside and I'll show you why

I'm hummin' like a revved-up truck

Never mind the odds, I'm gonna try my luck with her

Just tell me when you've had enough

I'm dangerous 'cause I'm a fool for love

You know, you don't hit half-bad

Oh, but I'm gonna lay you to ground tonight

Just wait until I catch my breath

Gonna send you on to an early death

I lie in the drifting snow, bleeding out as it covers me, oh

If spring comes before I’m found, just throw my bones in a hole in the ground

I lost friends along my way, I knew I’d meet 'em eventually

No, I’m not afraid to die, I’m just mad I left Big Jim alive

I know I should have never looked back

But you ain’t gonna win a woman’s heart like that

I never should have called his bluff

I was born to lose 'cause I’m a fool for love

I stare into the endless sky

And the sorry tale of my life goes by

I drift into the great unknown

I really don’t know where I’m going

I stare into the endless sky

And the sorry tale of my life goes by

I drift into the great unknown

I really don’t know where I’m going

## Potential lyrical references

Frequently, Lord Huron's songs explore similar themes, sometimes they have stories that are covered by more than one song. These lyrical connections are merely for reference:

1. ↑ Various Lord Huron songs reference a woman involved with more than one man, including "Setting Sun" and "Meet Me in the City," though in these cases, it is unclear what the nature of the woman's relationship with these men actually is, without her side of the story. The Fool speaks of winning Lily's heart, not that he already has it. In "Setting Sun," a man is angry his lover has a male "friend." In "Meet Me in the City," a man cajoles someone to leave her ball and chain.

## Questions and fan theories

* If the events of the song and video are a fictionalized retelling of Buck Vernon's exploits, does that mean the video is a movie within the world of Lord Huron, akin to a WBUB Midnight Movie? This would explain many of the inconsistencies between the events and characters in the video and those of the *Vide Noir* film.

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NPR interview
2. ↑ http://www.hitcityusa.com/editorial/post/2014/12/3/photo-set-lord-hurons-whispering-pines-studio
3. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/whispering\_pines\_studios/?hl=en

"Love Like Ghosts" (Francine Lu)
"Until the Night Turns" (The Phantom Riders)
"Dead Man's Hand" (Buck Vernon)
"Hurricane (Johnnie's Theme)" (The Phantom Riders)

"La Belle Fleur Sauvage" (Remy Fusil)
"****Fool for Love****" (Buck Vernon)
"**The World Ender**" (The Phantom Riders)
"Meet Me in the Woods" (Francine Lu and Claude Fox)
"The Yawning Grave"

"Frozen Pines" (H.W. Justine)
"Cursed" (Buck Vernon)
"Way Out There"
"Louisa" (Buck Vernon)
"**The Night We Met**" (Francine Lu)