When I die, they'll bury the blues with me. But the blues will never die.
John Lee HookerRead
You can go to Europe, and there's no turnin' back - any parts of Europe. Wherever you are, there is no stop and go for the blues. The blues go but it don't stop.
Interpretation
The blues are an enduring part of life, and once you experience them, there's no returning to ignorance.
In this quote, John Lee Hooker reflects on the profound nature of the blues as a genre and an emotional experience. He implies that immersing oneself in the blues is a journey that irrevocably alters one's perspective and that the essence of the blues is a constant presence in life, representing struggles and emotions that persist regardless of one's physical location or circumstances.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the significance of music in expressing human emotions.
When I die, they'll bury the blues with me. But the blues will never die.
The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.
Like you and your woman ain't gettin' along and you're in love. You can't sleep at nights. Your mind is on her - on whatever. You know, that's the blues. You can't hug that money at night. You can't kiss it.
I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.
They wasn't gonna give you nothin'. I didn't care as long as they let me play my music. Cash on the spot... You cheat me and I'm gonna get me some money, too.
I don't think about time. You're here when you're here. I think about today, staying in tune.
In this day and time you can't even get sick; you are strung-out! Well by God, I'll tell you something, friend: I have never been strung-out in my life, except on music!
The Blues are the true facts of life expressed in words and song, inspiration, feeling, and understanding.
Some kids went to the movies for escape. We found it with jazz. This is where we got religion. It was a kind of raw spiritual anarchy.
I'm from Kenner, Louisiana, where music is played for every occasion in life. There's music for being born, there's music for dying... It's just natural. Families get really good because they play a lot together.
Making a record? You've got to have the song, then you create a record. I think it's the same with a live performance. If the material is strong, you're already 90% there. I always tell young people it's all about the music, the songs. Work on the songs, work on the songs, work on the songs.
I never saw myself as a folk singer.
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