FOOLIN' MYSELF
Words by Andy Razaf; music by Thomas "Fats" Waller.*
As sung by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra, 1937.

I tell myself I'm through with love,
And I'll have nothing more to do with love.
I stay away,
But ev'ry day,
I'm just foolin' myself.

I tell my friends that I don't care.
I shrug my shoulders at the whole affair,
But they all know.
It isn't so;
I'm just foolin' myself.

And ev'ry time I pass
And see myself in the looking-glass,
I tip my hat and say:
"How do you do, you fool? You're throwin' your life away."

I'm acting gay; I'm acting proud,
And ev'ry time I see you in a crowd,
I may pretend,
But in the end,
I'm just foolin' myself.


Other early recordings were made by:
Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra, 1937.
Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy, 1937.
Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers, 1937.

* I have found some sources that say this song was written by Jack Lawrence & Peter Tinturin. I don't know what to make of this. The tune and lyrics seem consistent with the repertoire of Razaf & Waller. Did Razaf & Waller use pseudonyms? Are two different songs being confused? There certainly are other songs with the same title. I haven't seen any actual sheet music or record labels, and I haven't found any reliable sources that match a quote from the lyrics with an attribution.

Anyway, I'm certain that Holiday sang the above lyrics in 1937, although the attribution to Razaf & Waller may be questionable.