The old bastard left his ties and his suit
A brown box, mothballs and bowling shoes
And his opinion so you'd never have to choose
Pretty soon, you'll be an old bastard too
You get smaller as the world gets big
The more you know you know you don't know shit
"The whiz man" will never fit you like "the whiz kid" did

So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything
So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything

Close your eyes close your ears young man
You've seen and heard all an old man can
Spread the facts on the floor like a fan
Throw away the ones that make you feel bad

Kids today gettin' old too fast
They can't wait to grow up so they can kiss some ass
They get nostalgic about the last ten years
Before the last ten years have passed

So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything
So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything

Tears land on a hand on the chest
The old bastard had a paradigm arrest

He got smaller as the world got big
The more he knew he knew he didn't know shit
"The whiz man" never fit him like "the whiz kid" did

So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything
So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything

Copyright: BMG Rights Management
Writer(s): BEN FOLDS