The Lord doesn't like us to be dead. Be alive. Sometimes I dance to the glory of the Lord, because He said so.
Mahalia JacksonRead
Anybody singing the blues is in a deep pit yelling for help.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that those who express sorrow through music are seeking assistance and understanding.
Mahalia Jackson's quote highlights the emotional depth behind expressing sadness or struggle through music, particularly the blues. It conveys the idea that when someone sings about their pain and despair, they are not merely entertaining, but rather reaching out for support and connection, often from a place of deep vulnerability.
Themes
MusicBluesHelpEmotionSorrowPain
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the significance of blues music in expressing emotional struggles.
More from Mahalia Jackson
All quotes βThe old Devil gets mad when you're trying to do good. Pray that God will move the stumbling blocks.
Mahalia JacksonRead
It is easy to be independent when you've got money. But to be independent when you haven't got a thing, that's the Lord's test.
Mahalia JacksonRead
Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; man cannot live in health without them.
Mahalia JacksonRead
Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.
Mahalia JacksonRead
When you sing gospel you have a feeling there is a cure for what's wrong.
Mahalia JacksonRead
Similar quotes
I joined Count Basie's band to make a little money and to see the world. For two years I didn't see anything but the inside of a Blue Goose bus, and I never got to send home a quarter.
Billie HolidayRead
The bass is the link between harmony and rhythm. It is the foundation of a band. It is what all the other instruments stand upon, but it is rarely recognized as that.
Victor WootenRead
As a very small girl, I listened to Charlie Parker and loved him and Max Roach and people like that.
Aretha FranklinRead
I used to be followed by a moon shadow. Now I'm followed by all these misconceptions, and they're like a ball and chain. I just want to write music from my heart and give people a message of hope and the search for a better place.
Cat StevensRead
'Society's Child' was a real hard record to start with. That's all you want is for you to put your first record out and have people screaming at you in the streets. But it taught me right away that what I was doing was valuable and important.
Janis IanRead
Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory. That was the way it was with the great Dixieland Five.
Louis ArmstrongRead