The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.
John Lee HookerRead
When I die, they'll bury the blues with me. But the blues will never die.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the enduring nature of blues music, suggesting that while individual artists may pass away, the art form itself remains eternal.
In this quote, John Lee Hooker expresses the idea that although he, like all people, will eventually die and leave the world, the blues music he represents will continue to live on. This highlights the power and impact of music as a cultural legacy that transcends individual existence, showing that art can persist long after its creators are gone.
In practice
Using it in a speech about the importance of musical heritage.
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.
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.
I don't think about time. You're here when you're here. I think about today, staying in tune.
Ambient music must be as ignorable as it is interesting.
I've always been obsessed with drums. They fascinate me. Any other instrument - nothing. I play acoustic guitar a bit. But it's always been drums first and foremost. I don't reckon on this Jack-of-all-trades thing. I thing that felling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts.
I never listen to the radio to keep up with current trends.
Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.
I'm saying: to be continued, until we meet again. Meanwhile, keep on listening and tapping your feet.
I owe very, very much to Mozart; and if one studies, for instance, the way in which I write for string quartet, then one cannot deny that I have learned this directly from Mozart. And I am proud of it!
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