Guitarists From The United States

"What you spend your energy on, that’s the day."

"This is the proudest and happiest I've ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I've ever been."

"No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship. I’ve made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform. I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again."

"I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of."

"Leaden trumpets spit the soot of power they say "I'm on your side when nobody is, cause nobody is. Come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear""

"Let go of the people who bring you down, and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you."

"The drug issue is hard to separate from a class issue, an education issue, a wonky foreign policy issue, and a race issue. What I do know is, be it caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, or adrenaline, let's face it: people like to get high. From Starbucks to Budweiser to your own brain, everybody's a pusher these days. If I could substitute another drug to be consumed in the country as much as alcohol is, it would be helium from children's birthday party balloons. Try not laughing when someone sounds like a chipmunk!"

"I was sixteen when suddenly I wasn't that little girl you used to see. But your eyes still shined like pretty lights, And our daddies used to joke about the two of us. They never believed we'd really fall in love. And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes And said oh my my my..."

"You should've said no, you should've gone home. You should've thought twice before you let it all go. You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her Would get back to me...And I should've been there, in the back of your mind. I shouldn't be asking myself why. You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet... You should've said no, baby and you might still have me."

"To me, fearless is not the absence of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. Fearless is falling madly in love again, even though you've been hurt before. Fearless is walking into your freshman year of high school at fifteen. Fearless is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again...even though every time you've tried before, you've lost. It's fearless to have faith that someday things will change. Fearless is having the courage to say goodbye to someone who only hurts you, even if you can't breathe without them. I think it's fearless to fall in love with your best friend, even though he's in love with someone else. And when someone apologizes to you enough times for things they'll never stop doing, i think it's fearless to stop believing them. It's fearless to say "you're NOT sorry", and walk away. I think loving someone despite what people think is fearless. I think allowing yourself to cry on the bathroom floor is fearless. Letting go is fearless. Then, moving on and being alright...that's fearless too. But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in it. You have to believe in love stories and prince temu charmings and happily ever afters. Because I think love is fearless."

"If you listen to my albums, it's like reading my diary."

"I want to say to all the young women out there: there will people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame, but if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you're going you'll look around and you'll know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."

"What does it mean to be the woman of this decade? Well, it means I've seen a lot. […] I saw that people love to explain away a woman's success in the music industry, and I saw something in me change due to this realization. This was the decade when I became a mirror for my detractors. Whatever they decided I couldn't do is exactly what I did. Whatever they criticized about me became material for musical satires or inspirational anthems. […] In 10 years I've seen forward steps in our industry, in our awareness, our inclusion, our ability to start calling out unfairness and misconduct. I've seen the advent of social media, the way it can boost the breakthrough of emerging artists and I've seen fans become more engaged and supportive than ever before. […] Thank you for a magnificent, happy-free, confused, sometimes lonely but mostly golden decade."

"See my baby doll She's my beauty queen She's my movie star Best I ever seen I ain't hooked it up yet But I'm tryin' hard as I can It's just a high maintenance woman Don't want no maintenance man."

"How was I supposed to know? She was slowly letting go? If I was puttin her through her hell, Hell I couldn't tell.She could've given me a sign, Could've opened up my eyes. How was I supposed to see? She never cried in front of me."

"Every dog has its day, dog And today, dog, just ain't yours."

"Well all week long I'm a real nobody, But I just punched out and its paycheck Friday, Weekends here, good God almighty, I'm going to get drunk and be somebody."

"I've played every beer joint tavern from New York City out to Pasadena Every corn dog fair and rodeo And sold out every basketball arena I like to get down with my boys in Afghanistan and Baghdad city too I am a red, white and blue blood graduate of Honkytonk U."

"I'm gonna miss that smile, I'm gonna miss you my friend Even though it hurts the way it ended up, I'd do it all again So play it sweet in heaven 'cause that's right where you wanna be I'm not cryin' 'cause I feel so sorry for you, I'm cryin' for me."

"I ain't as good as I once was I got a few years on me now. But there was a time back in my prime When I could really lay it down. And if you need some love tonight, Then I might have just enough. I ain't as good as I once was, But I'm as good once as I ever was."

"Music’s playin’ up and down the block Mostly Christian, Blues, Country, Folk, and Southern Rock It’s our little piece of paradise way out here in the woods There is always somethin’ goin’ on down in the trailerhood."

"We got winners, we got losers Chain smokers and boozers And we got yuppies, we got bikers We got thirsty hitchhikers. And the girls next door dress up like movie stars. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I love this bar.We got cowboys, we got truckers Broken-hearted fools and suckers And we got hustlers, we got fighters Early-birds and all-nighters And the veterans talk about their battle scars. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I love this bar."

"She ain't into wine and roses Beer just makes her turn up her nose and She can't stand the thought of sipping champagne No Cuervo gold margaritas Just ain't enough good burn in tequila She needs somethin' with a little more edge And a little more pain She's my little whiskey girl, she's my little whiskey girl My ragged on the edges girl, ah but I like em rough."

"I don't do it for the money There's bills that I can't pay I don't do it for the glory I just do it anyway. Providing for our future's my responsibility. Yeah I'm real good under pressure Being all that I can be.And I can't call in sick on Mondays When the weekends been too strong I just work straight through the holidays And sometimes all night long You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey, I'm true down to the core."

"I’m gonna rock you baby to sleep I’m gonna make you crazy over me I’m gonna hold you like you’ve never been held before And love you till you tell me you can’t love anymore I’m gonna shake your emotion right down to your soul And then I’m gonna love you all over in and out of control If this is how love is supposed to feel Baby I know I’ve fallen head over heels I’m gonna rock you baby."

"And I will always do my duty no matter what the price I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice. Oh, and I don't want to die for you, But if dyin's asked of me, I'll bear that cross with honor, 'Cause freedom don't come free.I'm an American soldier, an American Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand When Liberty's in jeopardy, I will always do what's right I'm out here on the front line Sleep in peace tonight American soldier, I'm an American soldier."

"Grand pappy told my pappy back in my day son A man had to answer for the wicked that he'd done Take all the rope in Texas, find a tall oak tree Round up all of them bad boys, hang them high in the street For all the people to seeThat justice is the one thing you should always find You got to saddle up your boys, you got to draw a hard line When the gun smoke settles, we'll sing a victory tune And we'll all meet back at the local saloon. We'll raise up our glasses against Evil forces singing Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses."

"Well, I'm not talkin' bout locking down forever, baby. That would be too demanding. I'm just talkin' bout two lonely people Who might reach a little understanding. I'm not talkin' bout knocking out heaven with whether we're wrong or we're right. I'm not talkin' bout hooking up and hanging out, I'm just talkin' bout tonight."

"Now this nation that I love Has fallen under attack A mighty sucker punch came flying in From somewhere in the back Soon as we could see clearly Through our big black eye Man, we lit up your world Like the 4th of July."

"Hey Uncle Sam Put your name at the top of his list And the Statue of Liberty Started shaking her fist. And the eagle will fly Man, it's gonna be hell When you hear Mother Freedom Start ringing her bell And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue."

"You shouldn't kiss me like this Unless you mean it like that Cause I'll just close my eyes And I won't know where I'm at. We'll get lost on this dance floor, Spinnin' around And around And around And around."

"Ooo there's a thin line between dreams and memories I'll be losin' my mind 'til she comes back to me."

"How do you like me now? How do you like me now, Now that I'm on my way? Do you still think I'm crazy, Standin here today? I couldn't make you love me. But I always dreamed about living in your radio. How do you like me now?"

"Justice will be served And the battle will rage This big dog will fight When you rattle his cage. And you'll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A. 'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass, It's the American way."

"I run around with hillbilly girls The weekend sits on my hillbilly world You better be ready when the sun goes down That's when country comes to town."

"Yeah I'm in love with the girl in the four-wheel drive Chrome steel bumpers and red step side She has a large time in her large machine Man I wonder how she gets up in that thing It casts a big shadow sittin' in the sun She's got it revved up rockin' ready to run And someday soon I'm gonna climb right up And take a little ride in her big ol' truck."

"Lately I've been lookin' through the windows of my soul And I can see there's not much left to hold Just an empty space surrounded by the pieces of A badly broken heart that's forgotten how to love."

"Day by day, we let love just walk away And I'll be the first to say, I was glad to see it go And day by day, ever since you went away I'm finding I'm still missing you, and I just got to know...Does that blue moon ever shine on you? I wanna hold you close to me, feel just like it used to be. And baby, if you feel like I do, You can come to me."

"That's my house and that's my car That's my dog in my backyard There's the window to the room Where she lays her pretty headI planted that tree out by the fence Not long after we moved in That's my kids and that's my wife Who's that man, runnin' my life?"

"Who's your daddy? Who's your baby? Who's your buddy? Who's your friend? And who's the one guy that you come runnin' to When your lovelife starts tumblin'?I got the money if you got the honey Let's cut a deal, let's make a plan Who's your daddy? Who's your baby? Who's your buddy? Who's your man?"

"Oh I'm just a man, that's the way I was made. I'm not too good at sayin' what you need me to say. It's always right there on the tip of my tongue. It might go unsaid but it won't go undone. So when those three little words come so easy to you, I hope you know what I mean when I say, me too."

"I should've been a cowboy. I should've learned to rope and ride. Wearing my six-shooter, riding my pony on a cattle drive Stealing the young girls' hearts Just like Gene and Roy Singing those campfire songs. I should've been a cowboy."

"Oh he ain't worth missin' Oh we should be kissin' Stop all this foolish wishin' He ain't worth missin' I know your head is turnin' I know your heart is burnin' Girl you gotta listen Don't you know he ain't worth missin'"

"I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then I wish I could start this whole thing over again I'm not sayin' it's you could never be true I just don't wanna know how it ends You'd still have my heart in the palm of your hands I'd still look like a fool in front of your friends Yeah I wish somehow I didn't know now what I didn't know then."

"The truth is, all we ever cared to do was top the bullshit hair metal bands that enjoyed undue success for their subpar existence."

"Most of the girls who dated us back then were these innocent chicks whose lives were changed forever after one of us came into it for however long it lasted. We were like a vacuum back then that sucked people up and spit them out; a ton of people around us fell by the wayside that way. Some people died, not because of anything we did, but as a side effect of being too close to the flame. People would get attracted to our fucked-up weird life and just get it wrong and drown in our riptide."

"I've always had to do things my way; I've gotten high my way, I've gotten clean my way, I've been in and out of relationships my way. I've taken myself to the edges of life my way. And I'm still here. Whether or not I deserve to be is another story."

"It makes sense that the bands first show took place in Seattle because as much as L.A. was our address, we had as much in common with the average "L.A." band as Seattle's weather has with Southern California."

"The guitar players that inspire me today are basically all the same guitar players that inspired me when I first started. That hasn't really changed, but additionally I think that Tom Morello, Jack White & Jerry Cantrell are great and are some of the really inspiring lead guitar players that have come out in the last 20 years."

"I recognized my own creative voice filtered through those six strings, but it was also something else entirely. Notes and chords have become my second language and, more often than not, that vocabulary expresses what I feel when language fails me."