I Don't Know

Beastie Boys

What's pleasing to the eye
In the delusion of my sight
Is not what I find when I reach into the light
I have lost my mind
I'm walking through time
Deluded as the next guy
Pretending and hoping to find
That distant peace of mind


I don't know
Who does know?
There is no
Where to go

It's not so simple as I try to wish
But then again what is?
There is no other worthy quest
So on I go


I don't know
Who does know
There is no
Where to go
I don't know
Who does know
Where to go
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know


Lyrics submitted by The Marine

I Don't Know Lyrics as written by Adam Nathaniel Yauch Adam Horovitz

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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I Don't Know song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment
    One word: beautiful.
    Daburaon June 08, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    Sad day in the world of music. rip, you will prosper in your next life
    cerealandmilkon May 05, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    what a fantastically underrated and beautiful beastie boys gem.
    amerikanzeroon September 18, 2009   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation
    I think it IS about a guy struggling to find meaning in his life, as riotgrl04 said. But I think the answer is there in the title- I Don't Know. Learning to live with not knowing & being OK with it. I see optimism in it. It's OK not to know. Every time you think you've got it all figured out, it all changes. Maybe the wisest man is the one who knows that he doesn't know EVERYTHING. Life is one of those stories that no one has a spoiler alert for. I'm glad to see other comments here. I was expecting it to be empty. Perhaps this song isn't quite as underrated as we all thought.
    Mushmouth Joeon June 21, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    This ia highly underrated Beastie Boys song, it's so different in my opinion from so many of their other songs but it's so great. Beastie should do more songs like this one....
    insulatedsoulon May 03, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    I completely agree with the notion that this song is highly underrated. It's a wonderful song, I love it so much. I always see a guy struggling to find some kind of meaning in his life, and just not finding it. What a relatable idea.
    riotgrl04on April 12, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    I think it's about MCA trying contemplating on who he is and going on a journey of self-discovery I guess and it's like about why he became a buddha because of the first line it says 'What's pleasing to the eye/ In the delusion of my sight' so he shouldn't be preocuppied with or fooled by material possessions and how it can be hard and confusing to figure out what to do and also staying with it but he feels that 'there is no other worthy quest' so it gives him some purpose and it is worth it in the end and spiritually enriching. That's what I think it's about anyway. Yeah, I love this song too. It is so honest and shows a totally different, vulnerable side to MCA. When I played it the first time though, at first I was like 'wha...?' coz I thought either my CD player had gone crazy or i had coz well...it didn't sound like them.
    green_monkeyon December 09, 2004   Link

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