Used To Be Good Looking
Lyrics
"Used To Be Good Looking"
Music & Lyrics by Scott Cooley.
Well, I used to be good lookin', yeah, I used to rule the school
Now I'm too ugly to be turnin' heads, and I'm too old to be cool
I took advantage as best I could, but now I realize I was naïve
Well, I used to be good lookin', I know it's hard to believe
Well, I used to be good lookin', but now I'm just old and fat
All I've got are my memories, and the shirt that's on my back
My hair was brown but now you'd never know
Had no wrinkles on my skin
Well, I used to be good lookin', I was slim and trim
It didn't matter I was poor, I never got ignored
All I had to do was show up and wait
Didn't need a fancy car, the girls all said I'd be a star
I never had to ask for a date
Well, I used to be good lookin', got the pictures to prove it was true
From steady girlfriends to one night stands
You know I never had the blues
Inside I still feel like I'm 21
And that's the nature of the blues I've got
Well, I used to be good lookin', but the mirror says I'm not
I know it's not sayin' much, I know I'm all washed up
I didn't earn it, but my life was so good
I ain't too proud to brag, it's the only thing I have
I'd go back in time if I could
Well, I used to be good lookin', but you would never know it now
Believe it or not I was hot, this old dog was the cat's meow
You might think I'm smart and funny, with personality to spare
But I used to be good lookin', even in my underwear
Copyright © ℗ 2014 by Scott Cooley. All rights reserved.
Info
Background and Inspiration
I was initially inspired to write this based on overhearing an office break room conversation at work where a colleague was being complimented by someone on something, like having an obviously-new pair of shoes, and the compliment was that they looked cool. His reply was "I'm too old to ever be cool again." That was it right there - the spark for this song idea. This guy happened to be bald, and while replying, rubbed his bald head for added effect.
As I began writing it, I started thinking of the popular guys who sort of peaked in high school. You know, the quarterbacks dating prom queens with high opinions of themselves. The types of guys that the rest of us either secretly or openly despised. The guys who show up to the reunions to talk about the glory days.
When you hear that they struggled and didn't turn out to be successful in their adult lives, you don't mind hearing about it. I was not ever one of them. I was not ever popular, was probably a bit of a nerd, and didn't have the best dating luck, although I did have a couple of girlfriends.
A hopefully humorous, funky blues ballad with bongos. A blues with a bridge, about a subject that is semi-autobiographical. Now you might think I'm full of myself to admit I used to be good looking, and although I can't know for sure, I've been told that I once was a few times in my life.
Guys don't usually hear that kind of thing like good-looking girls do. It might be assumed they know, but I never really did, although I suspected I wasn't totally ugly. So, I am an example of someone who was born somewhat lucky genetics-wise, then didn't do the upkeep.
This is sad to all onlookers. I gained a ton of weight for one thing...to the point where people didn't recognize me and I had to tell them who I was and then experience their shocked reaction. Depending on who it was, the reaction was one where I could almost hear what they must've been thinking in their heads upon realizing it was me...something like "whoa, you're Scott Cooley?" or "wow dude, what happened?" ...things along those lines are what I imagined them not saying anyway.
I've always thought of myself as very average, but when told later in life that I was above, I thought to myself "shoot, I should've used that to my advantage" but wasn't aware of it because no one ever told me, dang it. Now I'm just an old, morbidly obese, oddly-shapen, short, ultra-pale, hairy white guy with thinning, receding grey hair. Oh yeah, and I have bad posture now too, and yellow teeth.
Yep, these lyrics necessitated a blues style for obvious reasons. This is my "fat man in the bathtub with the blues" type of song, whoever wrote that one the Grateful Dead used to play occasionally. I am especially proud of this one, however sad it may be, because I think I also made it be funny, and worked in some darned good rhymes and lyrics in there, if I do say so myself.
It just so happened around the time I wrote this, my wife saw an old picture of me and told me I looked particularly sexy, so I thought that's it - I've got the cover art, which thereby dictated the album title and designated the title track. Worked out well, I thought.