This song tells a story that can be about two things. A boy wanting to become gunslinger, fitting in with the outlaw-theme of the album, or a boy wanting to become a rockstar.
[Verse 1]
He was a poor boy, raised in a small family
He kinda had a craving for something no one else could see
They said that he was crazy, the kind that no lady should meet
He ran off to the city and wandered around in the street
[Chorus]
He wants to dance, oh yeah
He wants to sing, oh yeah
He wants to see the lights a-flashing
And listen to the thundering
[Verse 2]
He saw it in a window, the mark of a new kind of man
He kind of liked the feeling, so shiny and smooth in his hand
He took it to the country and practiced for days without rest
And then one day he felt it, he knew he could stand with the best
[Chorus]
They got respect, oh yeah
He wants the same, oh yeah
And it's a certain kind of fool
That likes to hear the sound of his own name
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
A poster on a storefront, the picture of a wanted man
He had a reputation spreading like fire through the land
It wasn't for the money, at least it didn't start that way
It wasn't for the running, but now he's running every day
Certain Kind of Fool was written by Glenn Frey & Don Henley & Randy Meisner.
Certain Kind of Fool was produced by Glyn Johns.