The old bastard left his ties and a suit
A brown box, mothballs and bowling shoes
And his opinion so you never have to choose
Pretty soon, you'll be an old bastard too
You get smaller while the world gets big
The more you know you know you don't know shit
The whiz man'll never fit you like the whiz kid did
[Chorus]
So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything
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
[Chorus]
Tears land on a hand on the chest
The old bastard had a paradigm arrest
He got smaller and the world got big
The more he knew he knew he didn't know shit
The whiz man never fit him the whiz kid did
[Chorus]
A brown box, mothballs and bowling shoes
And his opinion so you never have to choose
Pretty soon, you'll be an old bastard too
You get smaller while the world gets big
The more you know you know you don't know shit
The whiz man'll 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
Why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's okay if you don't know everything
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
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
The old bastard had a paradigm arrest
The more he knew he knew he didn't know shit
The whiz man never fit him the whiz kid did
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
it is a great song, but don't you think the chorus is a bit sitcom-theme-tune-esque?
This is a copy and past from www.myspace.com/benfolds presumably it's from a real interview:
The first track the trio recorded was "Bastard," which is a driving examination of the growing ranks of young conservatives that features vocals recorded on election night. "Winston Churchill said people who are old and liberal have no brain and people who are young and conservative have no heart. I wanted to say something about the jadedness of kids who think that it's all been done and they've seen everything by the time they're 18. You're not supposed to be like that when you're a kid. You have to let yourself be idealistic for at least a couple of minutes. There's a kind of person who gets more open-minded with age too. In this song, the old bastard is actually a teenager."
college-aged conservatives is a wierd group to pick on considering we're a definite minority on any campus, but...whatever
This song is great
haha yah i love this song.
It's about people who grow up way to fast, young teens who top out when they become 25. Inadvertaintly becoming bastards, the old bastard is actually a young teen.
This song reminds me of Magnolia, with the Whiz Kid and the former Whiz Kid.
"They get nostalgic about the last ten years before the last ten years have passed"
This line really represents the theme about growing up too fast. When you're "an old bastard" in your 20's, all you have to look back on are the last 10 years, as if they were "the good ol' days".
The lyrics should be KISS some ass, not get some ass. Definitely doesn't fit the point of the song.
I like the music, and although the lyrics do have a point, I'm disappointed to see Folds slipping into his pre-solo style -- the tone of the lyrics is almost nasty (like 'Jesusland'). Rubs me the wrong way a bit. But, again, catchy song. I just wish he'd go back to being all warm and humanistic and paint characters he likes again like he did on 'Rockin the Suburbs'...what a classic album
umm... i'm fairly certain that the lyrics are kiss some ass, not get some ass; however, i could be mistaken. and although i understand the song's message, i'm curious to know what other people think the line "tears land on a hand, on a chest. the old bastard had a paradigm arrest," means. i know what a paradigm is, but i can't figure out what ben folds is trying to say... can anyone help me out with this one? merci.