American Songwriter Quotes

There'll be singing, swaying, and records playing
Dancing in the street.

A child has this relationship to a creative force, you know? Yeah, your parents gradually, you know, they gradually shove your face in the concrete, and so do your teachers and school system and…everything's working against you, but…but…but the force of creativity nature is not working against you - it's right there for you, at any time! You just…you know, you just have to be ready not to judge yourself and to be open to whatever's gonna come through you and to-to be ready to not…to not…eeeh to not judge what comes through, but be alright with it, whatever it is, cause it's just the universe of expressing yourself.

John Frusciante

I have a phobia of anything that doesn't die in the microwave after five seconds.

Mammy, Mammy, look at me. Don't you know me? I'm your little baby.

Well, that's all right, mama
That's all right for you
That's all right now, mama
Any way you do.

You have to blow off your family. You have to blow off comfort. You have to blow off money.... You have to blow off your ego. You have to blow off everything except your guitar.

Townes Van Zandt

We cannot evangelize until we have been evangelized. This happens most powerfully through solitary prayer.

John Michael Talbot

My band is the best band in the world, period. So, I insist on every song being better then it is on the record. So by the end of the tour, we have to be playing the song better then how it's recorded.

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Navy housing is like tract homes. … All the houses look the same. Everybody's pop was the same rank. There's a lot of negative to the military — like, most of it. But one good thing was I lived with all kinds of people, as far as ethnic background or whatever. Because the navy was integrated. That was kind of neat. And with everybody's pop being chiefs, you could see that no one was above or below anyone else. You know how neighborhoods get all caught up in different things? Well, in the military you're not like that. You're all together. So I will say that was one positive thing that came out of it.

Sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Say brother, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

She's not a saint, and she's not what you think She's an actress, whoa She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress

Lean on me when you're not strong.
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on.
For, it won't be long 'til
I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.

Sitting by my window, baby
I was looking out at the rain.
You know something struck me, honey
Clamped onto me
Like a ball and chain.

Big Mama Thornton

You've got to take care of yourself on the path, not just when you cross the goal line, because don't forget, wherever you are, that's the goal line.

There's nothing surer,
The rich get rich and the poor get poorer,
In the meantime, in between time,
Ain't we got fun.

Oh, yeah, life goes on,
Long after the thrill of livin' is gone.

John Mellencamp

It is dangerous to exist in the world. To exist is to be threatened. We must live with threats.

You're falling all over me I'm losing myself in your mystery
I'm afraid of loving you, I'm afraid of losing me
I'm over my head and I'm seeing red
But I'm waiting right here for you in my bed

Michelle Lambert

I'm usually barefoot. That's how I'm most comfortable. I like my feet to be on the ground. I like to jump around, I like to fly across the stage.

I'm not the average girl from your video,
And I ain't built like a supermodel
But I learned to love myself unconditionally,
Because I am a queen.

There's been a load of compromising, on the road to my horizon, but I'm gonna be where the lights are shining on me.

I've got a tiger by the tail it's plain to see
I won't be much when you've got through with me
Well I'm losing weight and I'm turning mighty pale
Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail.

This Is Your Time, This Is Your Dance. Live Every Moment, Leave Nothing To Chance. Swim In The Sea. Drink Of The Deep, Embrace The Mystery Of All You Could Be. What if Tomorrow? And What If Today? Faced With The Question, Oh What Would You Say?

Michael W. Smith

In The Doors we have both musicians and poets, and both know of each other's art, so we can effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man's ideas. Most groups today aren't groups. In a true group all the members create the arrangements among themselves.