I fear for the democratic system. And I fear for our liberties. Only a small group of people fights for our liberties. Once we start on the slippery ….

I've written a song for Prince. I never showed it to Prince, but just to see if I could do it. At the time, when I sort of knew him, he was recording….

There is no moral to my song, I praise no right, I blame no wrong; I tell of things that I have seen, I show the man that I have been As simply as a ….

I was never trained for anything.

Taylor Swift dates guys so she can write a breakup song about them. I don't think she's dating for love - I think she's dating for creativity. So let….

I do not sing politics. I merely sing the truth..

To me the poets are closer than I am to the idea of voice, to a sort of primeval song that we all participate in..

There's two facets to writing a song. There's you sitting in your room writing the sentiments of the song; the lyrics, the melody and the changes, an….

Life had sure been simpler when I hadn't dated..

On the song 'Dangerous,' it feels like a teenager picking up a new instrument and writing something with all of that naive excitement..

I am not a Hemingway aficionado..

You would think with all the genius and the brilliance of these times, we might find a higher purpose and a better use of mind..

In country and R&B, there's much more of that division between writers and performers, and that's where you see more of those [crossover] songs, but ….

There must be nothing in my daily conduct that, copied by another, could lead that one into unholiness..

There are certainly a lot of people - and I won't name names - who are getting by simply on expression. And I guess that's valuable in some sense. Bu….

It’s not what you do some of the time that counts, it’s what you do all of the time that counts..

Things that Never Cross a Mans Mind is probably one of my favorite upbeat tempo songs because it is just a sassy song, and its a fun song..

If the song was upbeat, we'd get out a funky Harry Connick, Jr. album, some Louis Prima big band, or a Bob Wills swing record for inspiration and swi….

For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouchsafed me knowledge of his works; deep thanks that he has set in my darknes….

So what I do, more than play any instrument - I mean, I love to play - but more than that, I write songs. Songs that are about living, about what it'….

I cut my teeth playing rock songs on the accordion when I was a teenager and my friends always thought that was extremely amusing. I think that was t….