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Quote by John Prine

“I think the more the listener can contribute to the song, the better; the more they become part of the song, and they fill in the blanks. Rather than tell them everything, you save your details for things that exist. Like what color the ashtray is. How far away the doorway was. So when you're talking about intangible things like emotions, the listener can fill in the blanks and you just draw the foundation.”

Quote by John Prine

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John Prine

John Prine is a renowned American singer-songwriter, born on October 10, 1946. His music style blends elements of country, bluegrass, and folk, known for his profound lyrics and distinctive voice. Prine's songs often explore the lives and emotions of ordinary people, winning the hearts of his audience. more

“Some of the songs come so fully, it's like they are pre-packaged. There have been a couple that came in the middle of the night. And I thought, jeez, I'll never forget that. And went back to sleep, and it was gone. You'll hear something years later that another songwriter that you respect writes, and you go, jeez, I think that was the remnants of that song that got sent to me.”

Thinking Writing Years Has Beens Night Song Sleep Forget Gone Middle Couple Songwriting Never Forget Songwriters Middle Of The Night Remnants

Author:John Prine

“I edit as I go. Especially when I go to commit it to paper. I prefer a typewriter even to a computer. I don't like it. There's no noise on the computer. I like a typewriter because I am such a slow typist. I edit as I am committing it to paper. I like to see the words before me and I go, "Yeah, that's it." They appear before me and they fit. I don't usually take large parts out. If I get stuck early in a song, I take it as a sign that I might be writing the chorus and don't know it. Sometimes,you gotta step back a little bit and take a look at what you're doing.”

Ifs Knows Writing Looks Littles Sometimes Might Song Bits Steps Fit Paper Computer Little Bit Yeah Stuck Commit Noise Songwriting Edits Typewriters Chorus

Author:John Prine

“I think you can refine what you do, and become more consistent. And you write better songs that have a better shape and a better feeling. You evolve into and out of things, and go through stages, but, ultimately, you do improve.”

Thinking Writing Feelings Song Stage Shapes Evolve Consistent Songwriting

Author:Richard Thompson

“Writin songs is like a mystery. The most difficult thing to do is have a good idea. If you have a decent idea, the songs are the easy part. Actually having something to say is the hard part. If you get an idea for a song, then it pulls you along. There are just some ideas that you get that are really hard to edit out; it's hard to stop thinking about some bad ideas. So you just finish it and you end up putting it on a record.”

Ifs Thinking Ideas Ends Hard Song Easy Difficult Records Mystery Things To Do Decent Songwriting Good Ideas Difficult Things Edits Bad Ideas

Author:Lyle Lovett

“You know, it's a pretty mysterious thing still, why you start the songs you start, and the specific flavor of them, the nature of them. I don't know about other writers, but, for me, it's still somewhat out of my control. It's not really a logical process.”

Knows Stills Song Process Mysterious Logical Songwriting Flavor Mysterious Things

Author:Gillian Welch

“A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy - "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."”

Ifs Wells Doctors Republic Drs Monarchy Franklin Constitutional Convention Constitutional Monarchy

Author:Benjamin Franklin

“You give me a credit to which I have no claim in calling me "the writer of the Constitution of the United States." This was not, like the fabled Goddess of Wisdom, the offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and many hands.”

Giving States Hands United Brain United States Ought Calling Constitution Claims Give Me Credit Goddess Offspring Total War Constitution Of The United States Constitutional Convention Many Hands

Book:1829-1836

Source: 1829-1836

“Whatever may be the judgement pronounced on the competency of the architects of the Constitution, or whatever may be the destiny of the edifice prepared by them, I feel it a duty to express my profound and solemn conviction . . . that there never was an assembly of men, charged with a great and arduous trust, who were more pure in their motives, or more exclusively or anxiously devoted to the object committed to them.”

Source: Journal of the Federal Convention

“The example of changing a constitution by assembling the wise men of the state, instead of assembling armies, will be worth as much to the world as the former examples we had give them. The constitution, too, which was the result of our deliberation, is unquestionably the wisest ever yet presented to men.”

Men World Giving States Results Wise Example Constitution Army Former Wisest Deliberation Assembling Constitutional Convention

Book:Thomas Jefferson: Thoughts on War and Revolution : Annotated Correspondence

Source: Thomas Jefferson: Thoughts on War and Revolution : Annotated Correspondence

“It appears to me, then, little short of a miracle, that the Delegates from so many different States . . . should unite in forming a system of national Government, so little liable to well founded objections.”

Should Wells Littles Different States Government Miracle Objections Liable Delegates Constitutional Convention

Book:The Writings of George Washington: pt.III. Private letters from the time Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army to that of his inauguration as president of the United States: December, 1783-April, 1789. 1835

Source: The Writings of George Washington: pt.III. Private letters from the time Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army to that of his inauguration as president of the United States: December, 1783-April, 1789. 1835

Quote by John Prine

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