[Opening: fingerpicked acoustic guitar, upright bass, faint harmonica] [Verse 1] I bought a clock to save some time, It charged me by the hour. I built a fence around my peace, Then wondered where the neighbors were. I kept receipts from my mistakes In case regret took returns. I read a book on how to live, Then skipped the parts I hadn’t learned. I prayed for signs along the road, Then blamed the road for bending. Funny how a man can chase the truth And still outrun the ending. [Chorus] I’m the wisest fool in town, I know enough to doubt me now. Every hill I called a mountain Got smaller coming down. I used to need the final word, Now I leave a little room. There’s a whole lot I was certain of That certainty consumed. So if you ask me what I know— I know enough to know I don’t. [Verse 2] The loudest man I ever met Sold silence by the word. The quietest one changed my mind With something I barely heard. A rich man told me money talks, A poor man said, “It listens too.” One counts what money buys for him, One counts what it makes him do. I met a liar telling truths So nobody would check his lies. Met honest men who loved the facts Until the facts changed sides. And I learned a flag can point toward home Or cover what’s beneath it. Truth can wear your favorite shirt And still not mean you see it. [Chorus] I’m the wisest fool in town, I know enough to doubt me now. Every hill I called a mountain Got smaller coming down. I used to need the final word, Now I leave a little room. There’s a whole lot I was certain of That certainty consumed. So if you ask me what I know— I know enough to know I don’t. [Verse 3] I knew a man who lost himself Trying hard to find his purpose. Bought a compass, chose a north, Then moved the needle when it hurt him. A preacher warned me pride was bad With his name twelve feet high. A skeptic said he questioned all things— Except the reasons why. I saw forgiveness lock a door And hatred hold one open. Turns out boundaries can be love, And access isn’t owed by hoping. I watched a coward pick a fight So nobody would call him scared. Saw courage walk away from one Because courage didn’t need them there. [Instrumental turn: fiddle enters] [Verse 4] I spent ten years defending views I’d borrowed at nineteen. Called changing “weak” until I learned How much strength revision needs. Some people worship being right And sacrifice their friends. Some worship peace so faithfully They never confront sin. I’ve seen a rumor dress like proof Just because it matched suspicion. Seen facts rejected as “a lie” For failing someone’s intuition. And every time I thought, “At last, I’ve got the whole thing figured,” Life handed me another piece And somehow made the puzzle bigger. [Bridge: guitar drops softer] Maybe wisdom isn’t knowing Every answer on command. Maybe wisdom knows the difference Between a question and a stand. Maybe faith is not pretending There are no clouds above. Maybe truth can break your certainty Without breaking what you love. Maybe losing an argument Can sometimes save your pride— If the thing you lose was never truth, Just where you chose to hide. [Final Chorus: harmony vocals enter] I’m the wisest fool in town, Still learning how to lay things down. Every answer built a window, Every question turned me ’round. I don’t need the final word. I don’t need the biggest room. There’s a whole lot more to knowing Than convincing folks you do. So if you ask me what I know— I know the truth won’t fear the test. I know a lie can quote the rest. I know the heart can fool the head. I know the living quote the dead. I know that pride can kneel and pray. I know that fear can shout “Be brave.” I know that doubt can serve the truth— And certainty can bury proof. [Music drops to guitar only] So if you ask me what I know… [Pause] I know enough to know I don’t. [Outro: harmonica] [Spoken Male Voice] Which is more than I knew when I knew everything.
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