I don't believe that songwriting has to be profound, but I truly believe that it's a crime for you to go outta your way for it not to be.
Interpretation
Songwriting should be genuine and accessible, and not overly complicated.
In this quote, Steve Earle emphasizes the importance of authenticity in songwriting. He suggests that while lyrics don't need to be overly deep or significant, it is essential for songwriters to put in the effort to create meaningful connections with their audience, implying that neglecting this effort would be a disservice to the art form.
In practice
This quote can be used during a songwriting workshop to inspire participants to embrace genuine expression.
You can go out and find ways to make your own record and get it out there now. If you really want to, you can be heard. Keep things simple. Learn to go out and play solo. That's a really really good thing to learn, if you're a singer-songwriter. Don't be dependent on a band because you may not always be able to afford one.
All we do as songwriters is rewrite the songs that have impressed us till we find our own voice. It's part of learning the craft.
The idea that murder victims' families are best served by continuing the cycle of violence is something that I consider to be not only a lie, but criminally negligent. You lie to victims' families when you tell them they're going to receive closure if they participate in the process and witness the execution of a human being.
I promise you that I did not become an addict because of anything to do with the behavior of either of my parents. Everybody has to make their own choices.
My objection to the death penalty is based on the idea that this is a democracy, and in a democracy the government is me, and if the government kills somebody then I'm killing somebody.
It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things.
It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument, handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely.
There's only two givens with choosing acting as a profession: one is you will always be unemployed, always, and it doesn't matter how much money you make, you're still always going to be unemployed; and that you have no power.
Colours shone with exceptional clarity in the rain. The ground was a deep black, the pine branches a brilliant green, the people wrapped in yellow looking like special spirits that were allowed to wander over the earth on rainy mornings only.
There's so many films from around the world, I emphasize, that are so beautifully photographed, but they don't get the recognition.
Movies are movies: they take you back in time, and how it still is for some
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