Musical Meaning Quotes

In our hands, even the straightest lyric sounded shady.

It's hard for me to always explain my songs, and people always expect a meaning and to know what it's about. Sometimes when I write these songs I'm feeling a particular emotion, so to then come back and explain what I was feeling or put it into words is quite difficult.

I try not to say exactly what songs are about sometimes, because I feel like it ruins it for people.

People assume that the meaning of a song is vested in the lyrics. To me, that has never been the case. There are very few songs that I can think of where I remember the words.

There's always a message in my music, you just gotta be able to just sit there and be open-minded.

Music is 'significant form,' and its significance is that of a symbol, a highly articulated, sensuous object, which by virtue of its dynamic structure can express the forms of vital experience which language is peculiarly unfit to convey. Feeling, life, motion and emotion constitute its import.

A song has a life of its own. It's an autonomous thing, separate from your own experience, almost. And the mere repetition of it means it's subject to change; it means approaching it differently, expressing different emotional aspects of it. It doesn't feel like wallowing.

Where prominent writers are expected to have a socially, politically responsible voice, musicians sometimes find meaning only in the voice which produces melodies with vocal chords.

All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it.

It's really deep to me. Although it seems to many people that I'm making silly music, I'm really serious.

It's not that music is too imprecise for words, but too precise.

Music is everything. Evidence of the divine. The possibility of man to be good. The possibility of improving our surroundings and expressing ourselves. All of these things are collapsed together in my mind.

You can't get so interested in just making sounds. The point of it all is some kind of expression.

I got sick and tired of hearing bands that didn't mean anything to me. I mean, there are some bands out there that are good, but if you want to hear stuff you want to hear, you got to do it yourself.

The best of my songs are more than just a joke. There's something else going on - a character, or it's not just a plain joke.

Music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all. Music expresses itself.

It can't be any new note. When you look at the keyboard, all the notes are there already. But if you mean a note enough, it will sound different. You got to pick the notes you really mean!

Music is completely not reality. There's nothing about music that has any meaning at all. A lot of people disagree with that, but it's basically true. You can listen to a piece of music, and fifteen people will give you fifteen answers of what it's about.

In other words, I think that if an audience listens to something as an experience of how in tune it is or something of that kind, that the whole point is somehow being missed, and the music has failed.

People usually complain that music is so ambiguous, and what they are supposed to think when they hear it is so unclear, while words are understood by everyone. But for me it is exactly the opposite...what the music I love expresses to me are thoughts not to indefinite for words, but rather too definite.

The point is to let the music be itself. If it doesn't mean anything to you, then it's bullsh*t.

My intent for EPs - and, really, my philosophy on my music - is that every single song has to be worth it.

I think music took hold of me and captured my imagination at such a formative age that I ascribe a mysteriousness to it, and I exalt it and take it seriously in a way that I think has just permeated my life ever since. And I'm less interested in music that is novelty or jokey or ironic.

The biggest thing when you come to my show live... is that you get to know the person's heart - the stories behind the songs, the depth of the music and there will be some amazing worship moments. You'll get an amazing experience because this is real to me and you'll see that.

I just want the songs to have the staying power as my favorite songs. If you listen to any Hank Williams song, when you're in a good mood, it's going to put you in a better mood. If you happen to be bummed-out, you're going to feel maybe a little more bummed-out and better at the same time. At any time in my life, his music has had meaning and value to me. If a song can shape-shift in that way, that's a sign of success.