The Triple Fool

Song Meaning

The narrator opens by admitting to being "two fools," first for falling in love and then for trying to express that love through "whining poetry." He questions if any "wiseman" wouldn't want to be in his position if the object of his affection wouldn't "deny" him. This sets up a central tension: the desire for love versus the perceived foolishness of expressing it, especially through art. The core conflict arises from the narrator's attempt to alleviate his pain through verse. He likens it to the earth purging salt water, believing that "rhymes vexation" would "allay" his suffering. The idea is that by "fetters" grief in verse, one "tames it" and makes it less "fierce." This is a common poetic conceit, aiming for catharsis through creation. However, the narrator discovers a paradoxical outcome. When his pain is sung by others to "show" their "art and voice," the very act of sharing and delighting an audience "frees again Grief, which verse did restrain." Instead of taming his pain, the public performance of his sorrow amplifies both love and grief, publishing their "triumphs." This turns his initial two follies into a "three"-fold foolishness, suggesting that the wise are those who embrace their foolishness, perhaps because it's the only way to truly live. This cyclical amplification is what makes the lyrics so effective. The narrator's attempt at control through art backfires, leading to a greater, more public display of his emotional state. The final assertion, "Who are a little wise, the best fools be," implies that true wisdom lies not in avoiding foolishness, but in understanding and perhaps even reveling in it, especially when it leads to such complex emotional and amplified emotional experiences.