Soul Singers

"A man decides after seventy years, That what he goes there for, is to unlock the door. While those around him criticize and sleep... And through a fractal on a breaking wall, I see you my friend, and touch your face again. Miracles will happen as we trip.But we're never gonna survive, unless... We get a little crazy"

"Myself and the people close to me are all part of a social system, and we were being conditioned to accept the status quo. But on this album, I'm saying it's time for us to take charge. We can change it. We can take control of our emotional system and be happy. My point is don't just sit there and allow life to happen to you. Go out and take charge if you want change, but it begins closer to home."

"Family, my wife and children, that's my reason for being. Everything is done with them in mind, so perhaps that's the reason this new album is up-tempo. It does feel like a celebration of life. I am finally in a content and happy place to the point where I feel like I need to sing about it. It's made me want to address things that are close to home."

"There were signs in England that the only way for me was down. The media turned against me. I was given a hard time because my outlook wasn't one of pure debauchery. I was a sensitive male and I was singing about spirituality; I didn't choose the loutish Oasis approach to my profession. Britpop was just building up at the time and my attitude somehow counted against me."

"I've heard everything — that they were the result of ancient ritual induction into childhood that involved wrestling a wild boar, that I was viciously attacked by a gang. Someone even wrote that I was abducted by aliens who left me with a mark. You know, I really don't care. People can believe whatever they want to believe."

"There's nothing better than going out there and performing and making that connection with audiences. Even after all this time I get the biggest buzz from that."

"And I know that it's a wonderful world, but I cant feel it right now."

"Please give me something because someday I might know my heart."

"when there's no, no storm Then how can I feel the calm ? If theres nothing, nothing, nothing left to lose Then what is this feeling That keeps on bringing me back to you?"

"The truth hurts and lie's worse."

"Oh it tears me up I try to hold on but it hurts too much I try to forgive, but it's not enough to make it all okay."

"But if the rain must fall...It won't matter much to me If I had you And all I need is your love."

"Some people say that i'm not worth it I've made mistakes but nobody's perfect"

"Oh well dreams can come true if you know inside you really want them to or you can sit you can wait you can leave your fate in someone elses hands."

"I'm scared Of all this emotion for years I've been holding it down."

"Im not lost, no no, just undiscovered."

"I've got to take this chance and make it into something good."

"Who am I to dream?, dreams are for fools, they let you down..."

"But if I had someone I would do anything and never never never never let you feel alone."

"No don't you know my daddy told me, Told me right from the start About youth. He said no matter how old a man is, He's partly a boy in his heart. Yeah, and that's the truth."

"…I still have a bunch of childlike [energy] in me. I still feel young and vibrant. I don’t ever want to lose that. I still feel that way. I’m 80, but I feel like I’m 30. I really do, physically and emotionally. I was a kid, and I was getting a chance to embark upon a life that I had thought was my impossible dream. Where I grew up, I didn’t think it was going to be possible for me to actually be in show business, to write songs and sing and make records, and all that. But that was my dream. It was what I wanted to do with my life, if possible. And I didn’t think it would be, so no, I wasn’t tripping like that."

"…As far as I’m concerned, Motown was a once-in-a-lifetime musical event. Nothing like that happened before. I seriously doubt anything like that will ever happen again..."

"…If you had a good song, and you were a producer or writer at Motown, you had access to all the artists. It didn’t matter who had the last hit record. If they liked you at all, you had the opportunity. I wanted to write something sweet for David Ruffin to sing, which became “My Girl.” And he sang the shit out of it, so it was contagious. I don’t regret that whatsoever."

"…“Who’s Loving You” is about a person who had somebody they really loved but did that person wrong and took them for granted, so that person left. And they’re sitting around later, grieving, thinking about the wrong that they did to this person, and who’s loving that person now. There’s no way an 11-year-old child could know that. But this dude sang that song like he had written it, like he knew all about it. It became his song. If I sing it somewhere now, if I even sing a part of it, young people in the audience come to me and say, “Why are you singing a Michael Jackson song?”…"

"…it’s disappointing for the people who are still of that frame of mind to be in that place where they think that people are different. The only difference between people is the texture and the color of our skin. If you skinned everybody alive, you wouldn’t know who anyone was. All our hearts are in the same place, our organs, our everything is in the same place. We all have red blood. We’re all human beings. It’s almost 2021. It’s a damn shame that all this time’s gone in life, and people still don’t get that. I’ve wished many times that we would get attacked by some outer-space planet or something like that so we can all come together as earthlings and help each other. See, there’s evil, and there’s good, and people who adopt evil, that’s who they are. It ain’t got shit to do with the color of their skin or where they live. And young people are seeing through that shit…"

"…The concept of the United States of America is the greatest concept in the world. It’s beautiful. It’s a wonderful concept. There’s no place like America. So, for people to come in and try to fuck that up is ridiculous. I’m a Black man, and I’m telling you this: I’ve been all over the world. The only places I haven’t been are Africa, China, and Russia. Here, people say “African American.” Don’t call me no African American. I’m a Black American. [You’re not] going to label me to try to say that I don’t belong in this country when my people have fought and died to establish this country. Black soldiers have fought and died for this country. They were doing it for Mississippi and Georgia and Alabama. I’m a Black American."

"…I don’t think I started [show business], and I know that I’m not going to finish it. I have my place in it, and I’m going to cherish that place. It’s a gift. I’m not going to squander it."

"She's not a bad girl because She made me see, hmmm... How love could be. But she's a bad girl because (bad girl because) She wants to be free, hmmmm... (bad girl because) She wants to be free (bad girl)"

"Ah, they tell me that the river's too deep And it's much too wide for you can't get across to the other side. But they don't know I've got to get there and hold her in my arms Just a one more time like I did before when she was mine all mine. Cause I can hear her saying (come to me baby) I'm going away. I'm going to stay. I'm gonna get to you, no matter what I have to do."

"Just because you've become a young man now, There's still some things that you don't understand now. Before you ask some girl for her hand now, Keep your freedom for as long as you can now.My mama told me...'you better shop around' (Shop, shop around) a-whoa-yeah You better (uh-huh) shop around."

"If ever I have a son in life, I'll call him in one day Sit him down upon my knee and here is what I'll say.You might lose your lover, people do sometime. Oh, but it won't make sense for you to sit around cryin'. Son, don't you know that when you fall in love, Sometimes, you're gonna have the blues. Well it may take years, but you're gonna shed some tears. 'Cause everybody's got to pay some dues, now, now. Everybody's got to pay some dues."

"What's so good about goodbye? All it does is make you cry. Well, if leaving causes grieving, And depart can break you heart,Tell me (what's so good about it) I could have done without it. What's so good about goodbye?"

"I will build you a castle with a tower so high It reaches the moon. I'll gather melodies from birdies that fly And compose you a tune. Give you lovin' warm as Mama's oven. And if that don't do, Then I'll try something new."

"I don't like you But I love you. See that I'm always Thinking of you. Oh, oh, oh, You treat me badly; I love you madly. You've really got a hold on me. You've really got a hold on me, baby."

"You better beware, my friends all told me When they saw that I was falling for you. You better beware they told me that girl ain't gonna be true. She'll have you walking with your head in the air, Have you thinking that she really, really care. Then-a, then she'll let you down, she'll really let you down. She's a girl with no understanding. And when she's getting tired of you hanging around, She'll let you drop and say... have a happy landing (happy landing)."

"Ooo la la la la I did you wrong; my heart went out to play. But in the game I lost you. What a price to pay, hey I'm crying.Ooo baby baby. Ooo baby baby."

"People say I'm the life of the party 'Cause I tell a joke or two. Although I might be laughing loud and hearty, Deep inside I'm blue.So take a good look at my face. You know my smile looks out of place. If you look closer, it's easy to trace The tracks of my tears."

"My girl has gone, and said goodbye. Don't you cry, hold your head up high. Don't give up, give love one more try, 'Cause there's a right girl for every guy."

"Maybe you want to give me kisses sweet, But only for one night with no repeat. Maybe you'd go away and never call, And a taste of honey is worse than none at all (oh little girl) Oh little girl, in that case I don't want no part. (I do believe that) That would only break my heart. Oh, but if you feel like loving me, If you got the notion, I second that emotion."

"Now if there's a smile on my face, It's only there tryin' to fool the public, But when it comes down to foolin' you; Now honey, that's quite a different subject. But don't let my glad expression Give you the wrong impression. Really I'm sad. I'm sadder than sad. You're gone and I'm hurtin' so bad. Like a clown I pretend to be glad."

"Baby, let's cruise away from here. Don't be confused, the way is clear. And if you want it, you got it forever. This is not a one night stand, babe, yeah. So let the music take your mind, whoa. Just release and you will findYou're gonna fly away, glad you're going my way. I love it when we're cruisin' together. The music is playing for love. Cruisin' is made for love. I love it when we're cruisin' together."

"I don't care what they think of me, And I don't care what they say. I don't care what they think if you're leavin'. I'm gonna beg you to stay. I don't care if they start to avoid me. I don't care what they do. I don't care about anything else But bein' with you, Bein' with you."

"Stringer is very calculating and he has to be for so many reasons. He'll calculates the next steps, shipments, inventory, pays workers..all that. But the wicked part is that he can plan murders because that's a part of his business. I'll tell you, if I, Idris, had to contract for murders as part of my job, I couldn't do it because I have a heart. I have no stomach for ordering other people's deaths. Stringer just gets in there, orders the deed and bam..that's it..it's done and he doesn't think twice about it. There's no way I could be that cold. I'm also a more lively kid out there, doing stuff and I can't just do one thing forever. Stringer is committed to his job and business so much so he doesn't have much of a personal life so he's more one dimensional. As for me I have a child, a life, thirst for travel, you know I'm curious..whereas Stringer is more interested in being the best business person and his interests don't go further than that."

"I'm an ambitious person. I never consider myself in competition with anyone, and I'm not saying that from an arrogant standpoint, it's just that my journey started so, so long ago, and I'm still on it and I won't stand still."

"Work hard, sleep less"

"But piece by piece, he collected me Up off the ground, where you abandoned things, yeah. Piece by piece, he filled the holes that you burned in me At six years old. And you know, he never walks away, He never asks for money. He takes care of me, he loves me. Piece by piece, he restored my faith That a man can be kind and a father could stay."

"Remember all the things we wanted? Now all our memories, they're haunted. We were always meant to say goodbye, Even with our fists held high. It never would've worked out right, yeah. We were never meant for do or die."

"A trophy wife how cute? Ignorance is bliss."

"I hope the ring you gave to her turns her finger green. I hope when you're in bed with her, you think of me. I would never wish bad things, but I don't wish you well. Could you tell, by the flames that burned your words?"

"I'm restless and wild I fall, but I try I need someone to understand."