Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I knew Townes Van Zandt a little bit.
I have declared my loyalty to Americana.
Singing duets is instinctive, intuitive.
As a songwriter, metaphor is instinctual.
The poetry of country music will survive.
God gave me wisdom, but the devil's got style.
Strangely enough, I've become a Metallica fan.
At the end of the day, Johnny Cash was a poet.
My mother met my father at a Roy Acuff concert.
Don't compromise your heart for something crass.
Pain comes like the weather, but joy is a choice.
Conversation is a really good way to get things done.
To me, Hank Williams is the first rock-and-roll star.
My people came from western Tennessee and western Kentucky.
Have I felt misunderstood by Music Row at times? Of course.
You learn how to do good work by being honest with yourself.
It varies from song to song, but melody was always easy for me.
A fist in the face is all you deserve from love you've misplaced.
As a poet, Will Rogers just had this natural conversational style.
I wouldn't go as far to say that anything that I've done is timeless.
So much of inspiration comes from collaboration with other musicians.
Adolescence in our culture for a young woman, for a girl, is a hard road.
It’s hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your ass out all day long...
Collaboration allows me to challenge myself to find a new passion for music.
Try but don't try too hard. Just try hard enough, and things will go better.
My mother was an oral storyteller. She would tell stories over and over again.
My parents were sharecrop farm kids with no education - seventh, eighth grade.
I can't make a perfect record. When I try to, I bleed all the feeling out of it.
I don't think I can create anything of lasting value unless it comes from the heart.
I think, back in the '80s when I was having hits all the time, I took it for granted.
I can stitch a song together in about an hour anytime you want, but it won't have the depth.
Time to go inward, man, I hope I have the nerve, to take inventory of the causes that I serve.
Invariably, collaboration leads to new forms of self-expression and to the things that move you.
As a young man, I craved fame. I was trying to fix holes in my soul that were there from childhood.
Time to go inward would you believe that I'm afraid to stare down the barrel of choices I have made.
I've finally figured out how to make a Rodney Crowell record, and that's let it be, leave the mistakes.
There are certain choices you make as a songwriter, based on vowel sounds and melody and chord changes.
He speaks four letter language because his mind is small. His voice is like venom, I don't like him at all.
As an artist, one of the ingredients to doing good work is self-awareness, and that's something I cultivate.
Sometimes, the better writing comes when the song speaks through me and tells me what the song wants to say.
In my 15 minutes of fame around 'Diamonds and Dirt,' it was not a healthy time for me because of my insecurity.
I figure as an artist the best thing you can do is follow your heart - and if your heart is marketable, then you win.
I grew up poor in East Houston. I used to be ashamed of it, but I'm not anymore. It's kind of a badge of courage now.
I will say this: I've always sort of had maybe an inflated sense of my ability to sequence songs in a narrative flow.
I've had a nice career. I'm no David Bowie or Bruce Springsteen out there. I'm not an icon. I'm just a working artist.
Collaboration is a vital part of my creative life. I've had success with Guy Clark and Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash.
I feel like I'm a realized artist, but hey, the good news is I can get better, and I'm going to continue to aim for that.
If you're dedicated, if it's something that lives and breathes in your heart, then you've simply got to go ahead and do it.
For me, my career has never been about what I've done. But it's been about becoming, achieving, and pushing myself further.
In life's rich beauty pageant we put children on a stage, said flash your soft white belly child, but just don't act your age.