Musicians From Texas

"It was all role playing. I felt Larry was my little brother, Ben my big brother. Role playing was something I had known since I was born, but it wasn't a good basis for a marriage."

"Never, never, never can I say I had a frustrating childhood. It was all joy. Mother used to say she never had seen such a happy child — that I awakened each morning with a smile. I don’t remember that, but I do remember that I never wanted to go to bed, to go to sleep, for fear I’d miss something."

"Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. But that’s the way I was made; I truly don't think I could help it"

"Mother was the disciplinarian, but it was Daddy who could turn me into an angel with just one look."

"You are my Peter Pan."

"Neverland is the way I would like real life to be … timeless, free, mischievous, filled with gaiety, tenderness, and magic."

"I can't tell you the joy I felt in flying in that show … I loved it so. The freedom of spirit that was Peter Pan was suddenly there for me. I discovered I was happier in the air than on the ground."

"Peter Pan is perhaps the most important thing, to me, that I have ever done in theater."

"Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes."

"The distance between folk society and literate society is ever decreasing, and Teresa Brewer will yet shake hands with Mrs. Texas Gladden. But until that happens—until my own culture, and Teresa Brewer's, develops a folk tradition of its own—If I want to learn something about real folk music, I'll stick with Mrs. Gladden."

"The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own."

"Folk music is not so much a body of art as it is a process, an attitude, and a way of life; its distinguishing features lie not within the songs themselves, but in the relations of those songs to a folk culture."

"A professional entertainer who allows himself to become known as a singer of folk songs is bound to have trouble with his conscience—provided, of course, that he possesses one. As a performing artist, he will pride himself on timing and other techniques designed to keep the audience in his control [...] his respect for genuine folklore reminds him that these changes, and these techniques, may give the audience a false picture of folk music."

"I rarely get mentioned in the same category as these other guys who have come out after me...[b]ut maybe I’m not that, maybe I’m not an Internet rapper."

"I wasn’t reluctant about it. I’ve had so many fans online and at shows ask for my old material that I was surprised. So when I had the chance to release my back catalog on iTunes it was really for the fans. I’m still surprised when a fan comes up to me and ask about F.O.O.D. I want to please those fans that have enjoyed my previous albums and I also want to be able to see the progression of my music for posterity sake."

"[Relationships] never seem to work out, I mean it gets to the point where I have to be extremely cautious. You have to understand, this stardom thing is still new to me, I don't even consider myself "famous". It's 2008: if you have a blog, a mixtape and two pairs of skinny jeans you, too, can be 'famous'."

"But she just stood there, scared that I might snapI looked in her eyes and there were years of disappointment starin' right backAnd I was scared too, scared of what she would sayBut I was embarassed like I, like I sat through three Madea playsBefore she walked away, Misery stoppedAnd she said 'look at your music career, you're in the same spotNah,' I said, 'don't even try meBecause you used to stand beside meBut I moved so far ahead you're ninety feet behind me'"

"I, once was retired but he's sort of backHaven't been the same since Uncle L sneezed on a track(Heee-shay!) I'm 'bout to throw some D's on the 'LacSike...my guest appearances is cheese for the ratsPease porridge hot? Nah nigga, pease porridge blackPlease pour a batch of Singaporan tea, more than thatY'all gon' need some bigger cups if you fuckin' with me and NaledgeEven college was a hustle to him, like me at ClaflinWe is laughin' at the competition deviouslySo much accomplished, Wikipedia's peeved"

"Tribe purist to the fullestIf'n you ain't feelin' this track, then you're full of itPull that li'l shit if you wanna, ya digBut you ain't gonna do me like you did those Kidz, and clown meHomage, comma, propsCall it what you want, but I'm not gonna stopRecord hit the store and I'm not gonna flopAnd if I do, well then it's fodder for the message boards tomorrow"

"So one time for my disillusioned artists, I hear yaTwo times for the kid that air-guitars in the mirrorThree times for the 9-to-5-in' bus ridin' dudesAnd four times for my dreamers, yo I'm just like youThat's why I sing for my queens with their own pair of wingsMy brothers flyin' beside me, drama behind meMama tried to find me, she inquired emphaticallyI was in the sky with all these other ghetto kids, defying gravity, uh"

"D. Swain ain't never dwell on shitSo why would he start now?The perfect time for him to depart, vowedTo make a name for myselfGet some fame, maybe gain some wealth (what else?)I gave you the pain of a black man going through thangsJust being myself and showing you SwainNow a nigga feelin' disenchanted, jaded'Cause instead of gettin' props, Danny got hatedYeah I made it to the top, but I'm tossin' myself offD. Swain kill his image? Chalk it up as a lossGoodbye"

"I guess it's true what they say, the third time's a charmI grabbed the game and let it die in my armsThen resurrected itChanged clothes, same flow, perfected itThey know Swain though they still won't respect the kidBut I ain't slowin' upThis time, blowin' upSponsors, concerts, everybody showin' upKnow enough tricks of the trade to get a record deal:Fresh kicks, press kits, sex appealHad to mail my demo out 'cause I ain't had enough bus passTo take the bus first classSo frustrated, had to puff-puff-passSent my CD out to Puff, Puff passedMust've had enough trash on his desk this yearSent one to So So Def, but it fell on so so deaf earsI never once shed tears, this must be a test here"

"Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less travelledI'm patient so that's one less hassleIf I dream it, I can live itI've seen the light with vivid imageryI need to write with fits of energyBut it's hard tryin' to get where I'm goin'Without a hint or an omenIt's too late to turn aroundPerseverance, gotta learn it nowBut I'm stubborn howAm I supposed to survive this rollercoaster hurtlin' to the ground?"

"You mad at the last album, I apologize for itYo, I can't call it, man muh'fuckin' Wyclef spoiled it"

"I wish the government would quit tappin' phones in the ghetto(Leave us alone) I wish my student loans were all settledI wish they'd quit riggin' elections, the shit is depressin'Bet your bottom dollar Bush wins again, no questionI wish AIDS didn't existI wish I didn't have flashbacks of my cousin slittin' his wristsI wish there weren't so many single mothers and deadbeat dadsYeah"

"And as the mouthpieceOf every single citizen without peaceDirection and leadershipI'ma spit it 'til your ears can't believe this shitWe got weapons of mass destruction, and we is it"

"You recall a girl that's been in nearly every song? This is what I heard of course the story could be wrong.She's the one — I've been told Now she's wearing a band of gold. Peggy Sue got married not long ago."

"It's so easy to fall in love — it's so easy to fall in love. People tell me love is for fools, So here I go breaking all of the rules."

"Buddy Holly and the Crickets had the most influence on the Beatles."

"Conspiracy theorists might have it otherwise, but any mystery relating to Buddy Holly's death has nothing to do with the plane crash. Far more intriguing is why the six marvellous songs he wrote shortly before he was killed should be among the most angst–ridden in the entire canon of rock. … Whatever the reason, Holly's last compositions were a wonderful achievement. Heard as he recorded them, without the overdubs, his voice is crystal clear yet raw with emotion. Close your eyes and, 50 years later, Buddy Holly is singing directly to you from across the room."

"A long long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while. But February made me shiver With every paper I'd deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldn't take one more step I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride But something touched me deep inside The Day the Music Died."

"I just want to say that one time when I was about sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play … at a Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him. … And he LOOKED at me. And I just have some kind of feeling that he was — I don't know how or why — but I know he was with us all the time when we were making this record in some kind of way."

"Words of love you whisper soft and true Darling I love you."

"Hold me close and tell me how you feel Tell me love is real."

"Everyday — it's a gettin' closer, Goin' faster than a roller coaster. Love like yours will surely come my way A hey — a hey hey."

"If you knew Peggy Sue — then you'd know why I feel blue Without Peggy — my Peggy Sue. Oh well, I love you gal — yes, I love you Peggy Sue.Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue — oh how my heart yearns for you. Oh Peggy — my Peggy Sue. Oh well, I love you gal — yes, I love you Peggy Sue."

"That'll be the day — when you say goodbye. That'll be the day — when you make me cry. You say you're gonna leave — you know it's a lie, 'cause That'll be the day when I die."

"I'm a-gonna tell you how it's gonna be, You're gonna give your love to me. I wanna love you night and day, You know my love a-not fade away. A-well, you know my love a-not fade away."

"All of my love — all of my kissin’ You don’t know what you’ve been a-missin’ Oh boy — when you’re with me — oh boy The world will see that you were meant for me"

"Crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back. I just can't seem to get you off my mind. Crying, waiting, hoping, that you'll come back. You're the one I love and I think about you all the time."

"Sometimes we'll sigh — sometimes we'll cry And we'll know why just you and I know true love ways."

"Maybe baby I'll have you, Maybe baby you'll be true. Maybe baby I'll have you for me. (All for me)It's funny honey you don't care-a-are, You never listen to my prayer-a-yer, Maybe baby you will love me someday (someday)."

"You could make the case that Owens should have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an early influencer, considering he was a pioneer of the Bakersfield sound that many future country acts latched onto."

"A pioneer of the electric guitar-based honky-tonk Bakersfield sound of the late 1950s, Buck Owens (1929-2006) boasted a phenomenal 21 number-one hits on the Billboard country music charts. He blasted a bright, loud and twangy Telecaster tone that stood in stark contrast to the syrupy strings and choruses of the Nashville sound, with nimble fretwork ably abetted by Buckaroos guitarist Don Rich."

"I Shall Sing No Song That Is Not A Country Song. I Shall Make No Record That Is Not A Country Record. I Refuse To be Known As Anything But A Country Singer. I Am Proud To be Associated With Country Music. Country Music And Country Music Fans Made Me What I Am Today. And I Shall Not Forget It."

"I've got a tiger by the tail it's plain to see I won't be much when you've got through with me Well I'm losing weight and I'm turning mighty pale Looks like I've got a tiger by the tail."

"Where, where, are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone? I searched the world over, And thought I found true love. You met another and Pfft! you were gone."