Frank Joseph "Frankie" Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was a… Read Full Bio ↴Frank Joseph "Frankie" Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an African-American rock and roll/R&B singer, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group called The Teenagers. The group included five boys, all in their early to mid teens. The original lineup of the Teenagers, an integrated group, included three African-American members, Frankie Lymon, Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes, and two Puerto Rican members, Herman Santiago and Joe Negroni.

The Teenagers' first single, 1956's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", was also their biggest. After Lymon went solo in mid-1957, both his career and those of the Teenagers fell into decline. Lymon eventually fell into heroin addiction, and died in 1968 at the age of twenty-five.

I'm Not A Know-It-All
Frankie Lymon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not a know-it-all,
Don't know why the grass is tall.
Don't know why there's morning dew,
I only know that I love you.

I'm not a know-it-all,
Don't know why the raindrops fall.
Don't know what's beyond the blue,

I only know that I love you.

With things that are not of you alone,
I'm not so wise.
And still I could write a book of my own,
When I look in your eyes!

I'm not a know-it-all,
Yet I know I'll run to you,

The very moment that you call.
I love you, know you know it all!

Overall Meaning

The song I'm Not a Know It All by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers is a love song that speaks to the idea that while the singer may not have all the answers to life's mysteries, they do know one thing for certain - their love for their significant other. The opening lines of the song set the tone by establishing the singer's lack of knowledge about even seemingly simple things like why the grass is tall or why there's morning dew. However, the chorus reveals that despite not knowing these things, the singer does know that they love their partner. The second verse expands on this theme, highlighting the fact that while the singer may not be wise in matters beyond their love, they still feel confident in their ability to know what they feel when they look into their partner's eyes. The final lines of the song reiterate the singer's commitment to their love interest, vowing to run to them without hesitation whenever they're needed.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm not a know-it-all,
I don't pretend to have all the answers,

Don't know why the grass is tall.
I'm not sure of the reason for things like the height of the grass,

Don't know why there's morning dew,
I don't have an explanation for phenomena like morning dew,

I only know that I love you.
But I do know that I love you, that much is certain.

Don't know why the raindrops fall.
I'm also unsure of why it rains,

Don't know what's beyond the blue,
I don't know what lies beyond the sky,

With things that are not of you alone, I'm not so wise.
When it comes to matters other than my love for you, I may not be very knowledgeable or wise,

And still I could write a book of my own, When I look in your eyes!
But when I see the depth of love in your eyes, I feel so in love that I could write volumes about it!

I'm not a know-it-all,
Just to reiterate, I'm not claiming to have all the answers,

Yet I know I'll run to you,
Despite this, I do know that I will always come to you,

The very moment that you call.
Whenever you need me, I'll be there immediately.

I love you, know you know it all!
I love you with my whole heart, and that's all that matters.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SEPTEMBER MUSIC CORP C/O MEMORY LANE MUSIC
Written by: BUDDY KAYE, FRED SPIELMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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