Guy Clark Quotes

Singer-songwriter

American country music singer-songwriter known for his emotive voice and philosophical lyrics. Guy Clark's music has been beloved by audiences for decades, and his career has had a profound impact on the country music scene.

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All Song Writing Guitar Ifs Kind Littles Songwriting People Performing Play

Famous Guy Clark Quotes

“All these years the people said 'He’s acting like a kid.' He did not know he could not fly, so he did. Well he’s one of those that knows that life is just a leap of faith. So spread your arms, hold your breath and always trust your cape.”

Music To Thine Own Self Be True

Author:Guy Clark

“Music is supposed to be entertaining and if it touches you emotionally, so much the better. Sometimes you do it to save your own life, not anybody else's. That's why I write. I'm not trying to change anybody else's life or the world, I'm trying to keep from blowing my own brains out. That's the real point.”

Ifs World Writing Trying Real Sometimes My Own Brain Music Is Supposed To Be Entertaining Trying To Change

Author:Guy Clark

“I'm gonna build me a boat with these two hands, it'll be a fair curve from a noble plan.”

Two Hands Plans Fairs Noble Boat Curves Two Hands

Author:Guy Clark

“Ain't no chance if you dont take it.”

Ifs Sports Chance Determination Motivational Sports

Author:Guy Clark

“I get pretty much all the exercise I need walking down airport concourses carrying bags.”

Inspirational Needs Funny Walking Exercise Travel Silly Bags Funny Travel Airports Walking Away

Author:Guy Clark

“Most of the really good songs are dead true. ... It had to have happened to have the song be there. Every time I've tried to make stuff up it just kind of falls flat. So the majority of my work is something that happened to me, I saw happen to someone else, or a friend of mine told me happened. There is a certain amount of theatrical and poetic license. People are supposed to like it, that's why you're doing it. It's supposed to be fun. It's not brain surgery, it's heart surgery. They're just songs.”

“I've gone a year and not written a song just because I couldn't think of anything. But I always come back to it because there's always that little buzz you get when you do something well and sing it out loud to the public. And people clap and tell you how great you are.”

People Thinking Writing Years Wells Littles Song Gone Written Loud Songwriting Buzz

Author:Guy Clark

“Interesting little game we play with each other.”

Littles Play Games Interesting Performing

Author:Guy Clark

“I hear this song and I think, Man, this is ... great. This is the best I ever heard this. I forget I'm the one singing.”

Thinking Men Song Forget Heard Singing Performing

Author:Guy Clark

“This is a fantasy fiddle tune. The part you fantasize is the fiddle.”

Fantasy Performing Tunes Fiddle

Author:Guy Clark

“Anything that happens after I write a song...that's fine with me. It's up to the listener to read into it what they need from it. And that's part of the reason I write like I do, so I can leave the holes in the right places so people can say, 'Yeah, that happened to me,' and they're able to have their own little fantasy about it.”

People Needs Writing Littles I Can Reason Happens Able Song Fantasy Happened Fine Yeah Holes Songwriting Listeners Right Place

Author:Guy Clark

“If I knew where good songs came from, I'd go there more often.”

Ifs Song Songwriting

Author:Guy Clark

“I love playing and I love singing, and the writing. There's kind of a symbiotic relationship between the writing and the playing.”

Writing Kind Singing

Author:Guy Clark

“Things change all the time, and theyll probably never be the same again. Its just the natural evolution of the human condition. Things change, and whatever it is is what it is. I mean, you try to start second guessing that, you either get rich or die broke.”

Trying Humans Mean Dies Natural Rich Conditions Evolution Broke Human Condition Things Change Try Again Get Rich Guessing Second Guessing

Author:Guy Clark

“Its just something Ive always done. In South Texas, the first guitar you get is a Mexican guitar. And the first one I got, the first thing I did was take it apart.”

Firsts Done South Guitar Texas Mexican

Author:Guy Clark

“There arent any rules, as far as anything-and that applies especially to writing songs, whatever gets the point across. So youre just kind of brought up to feel-in any field, if you say you can do it, do it. There it is.”

Ifs Feels Writing Kind Country Motivational Song Can Do Creativity Fields Musician You Can Do It Writing Songs Artistry Musicianship Artistic Freedom

Author:Guy Clark

“All gut strings. Thats just the first kind of guitar I played, it was a nylon string guitar. And to me, its the purest form of guitar making, and I just enjoy doing it.”

Firsts Kind Form Enjoy Guitar Guts Strings Nylon Guitar Strings

Author:Guy Clark

“I don't know what the outcome will be. I put a couple away for my grandkids, like that. So I don't know, who knows? Maybe I'll start building guitars for a living.”

Knows Building Couple Guitar Outcomes Grandkids

Author:Guy Clark

“I have no reason to sit home and write songs all day without going out and playing for the folks. And I have no reason to go play for the folks unless I'm writing new songs so they can sort of feed off one another. And I just try to do the best I can.”

Writing Trying I Can Reason Play Home Song Folks No Reason Going Out Do The Best New Home New Songs

Author:Guy Clark

“I just was apologizing for maybe being a little goofy.”

Littles Apology Apologizing Goofy

Author:Guy Clark

“I've known Shawn for several years. And he's just an amazing talent. He's a great writer, a marvelous, marvelous guitar player, and plays really good fiddle.”

Years Play Known Player Talent Guitar Marvelous Guitar Player Great Writers Fiddle Amazing Talent

Author:Guy Clark

“Mary Gauthier's great. Yeah, we've played a lot of gigs together. She's really wonderful.”

Together Wonderful Yeah Mary Gigs

Author:Guy Clark

About the Author

Born: November 6, 1941
Died: May 17, 2016
Known for: Singer-songwriter
Quotes: 22

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