Green Day's 'Knowledge' is a song about the difficulty of making decisions and the uncertainty of the future. It is an adaptation of the original song by Operation Ivy. The song begins with the narrator describing a situation of feeling stuck in life, with a seemingly narrow road of the future. The chorus repeats the phrase “all I know is that I don’t know”, emphasizing the difficulty of making decisions and the uncertainty of the future. The narrator then goes on to describe how we are constantly being told to make decisions, but that these decisions may change in the future. The song ends with the narrator accepting the uncertainty of life, with the phrase “and that’s fine, yee-ha!”. This song is a reminder to take life one step at a time and to accept that the future is uncertain.
Themes:
- Uncertainty
- Making Decisions
- Time
Analysis
The theme of uncertainty is a common one in Green Day's music, and this song is no exception. The lyrics express a feeling of not knowing what to do, and the chorus emphasizes this by repeating the phrase "All I know is that I don't know nothing." This theme is present in other Green Day songs, such as "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," which talks about feeling lost and confused.
The theme of making decisions is also explored in the song. The lyrics talk about the pressure to make a decision, even though the protagonist doesn't know what to do. This theme is also seen in other Green Day songs, such as "Wake Me Up When September Ends," which talks about the difficulty of making a decision and the consequences of doing so.
Finally, the theme of time is present in the song. The lyrics talk about running out of time, emphasizing the importance of making a decision quickly. This theme is also explored in other Green Day songs, such as "21 Guns," which talks about the importance of making the most of the time we have.