I’ve been a fool, fully, yeah, I’ve been a fool

I’ve been hurtful, hateful, harmful, ungrateful, unfaithful and disgraceful

I’ve been boastful, resentful, so woefully vengeful and wasteful, quite distasteful

I’ve been awful, unlawful, frightful and spiteful, disdainfully painfully shameful,

You name it, I’ve been a fool, yeah, oo, I've been a fool, yeah, uh huh, yeah

I’ve been a fool, fully, no no, I insist

I’ve been sexist, racist, elitist, ageist and looks-ist... that’s my -ist list

I’ve been careless, thoughtless, feckless and gormless and listless... that’s my -less list

I’ve been mean, and I don’t mean average, I mean mean to mean unkind and stingy

I’ve also been whiney and whingey

Intolerant, indolent, arrogant, ignorant

Derisive and divisive, paranoid patronising

With my yearning insecurity burning like a fuel, I’ve been a fool

Yeah, but when I was shown it, I didn’t own it

When it became apparent, I became abhorrent

When confronted over being nasty, I got a bit arsey

Making lame excuses, laying blame, saying “I was only just joking”, playing that game

Offhand-ly branding it a misunderstanding

Failing to learn when taken to school

Proud as a peacock, stubborn as a mule, I’ve been a fool

Yeah yeah, oh no, I've been a fool

I’ve been a fool, fully, but no no, nothing huge

This ain’t a major mea culpa, penitent prelude to a guilt-gushing deluge

It’s acknowledging the hundred one percenters one lets slip by

Committed then omitted, in the blink of an eye

And while it might’ve been mild and subtle, that’s no rebuttal

Even imperceptible is unacceptable

Every thought, comment and action adds up and gains traction ’til it’s intractable

Like a butterfly wing fanning the flames of misery and injustice

Not just me or just us

It makes us mistrust us thus we can’t adjust us

So we get all suss and disgusted

If it’s not discussed, it’ll bust us

Flustered and fussed about stuff-ups just won’t cut the mustard

Honesty without empathy is just kind of cruel, as a rule, I’ve been a fool

Yeah yeah, oh, I've been a fool, yeah, ooh

I’ve been a fool, I admit it, yeah, I’ve been a twit

But when I say, “sorry”, don’t worry, it’s not just perfunctory

These mistakes won’t become retakes

It’s not just a pathetic apologetic aesthetic

It isn’t contrition on the condition that there’ll be repetition

It’s no dodgy, low-quality apology followed by further failure and folly, golly gee

The wise apologise and try not to reprise

Having happy devotion to emotional gain

At great pains training, so the same won’t happen again

In the fullness of time, this fool’s gonna climb and be

Hopeful, heedful, helpful and cheerful, delightful, insightful, respectful and peaceful

Merciful, thoughtful, thankful and playful, grateful and graceful, tactful and tasteful

Artful and skilful, joyful and blissful, wonderful, beautiful, soulful and songful

And strong, fully... sing out, “I was wrongful”, ’twas uncool, fully, I’ve been a fool

Yeah, oh oh, I've got to tell you, I’ve been a fool, yeah, oh