Songwriters From The United States

"(My mother) loved Madea…She told me whatever you do, don't stop playing this character. She loved Madea. My mother, even though we look alike, she was a much more beautiful version of this character for sure."

"When you put on your shortest dress, please leave some mystery in it. That's the difference between a miniskirt and a ho-skirt. A ho-skirt shows your frisbee. A miniskirt shows just enough to cause some mystery. What these young women lack is mystery."

"My audience and the stories that I tell are African-American stories specific to a certain audience, specific to a certain group of people that I know, that I grew up, and we speak a language. Hollywood doesn't necessarily speak the language. A lot of critics don't speak that language. So, to them, it's like, 'What is this?"

"…when I come to work here and every black person that comes to work here they go, 'Oh my God, it's heaven. Here we are. We're represented.' Where everybody's represented. LGBTQ's represented. Black, white, gay, straight, whatever. We're all represented, working hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm."

"Music will always be young."

"If you don't have ability, you wind up playing in a rock band."

"[N]ow keep your fuckin' mouth shut or I'll show you what it's like!"

"Then see what kind of a band you got up there, without all the assistance."

"He was one of the greatest drummer to ever play the instrument. He had the probably the greatest hands ever, and played with fire and tenacity unmatched by none. Could have played double bass if he wanted, and there are pictures, but he didn't need it, he was that good! And no one f*cked with him on the bandstand!"

"I saw Buddy play live (and stood about 20 feet from him every time) about three or four times when I was very young. It was always utterly jaw dropping. I still watch and listen to him on a regular basis. His presence on the drums and his command of the instrument was second to none. I’ve always referred to him as “the Rolls Royce of drumming.""

"If there is one jazz drummer who can truly claim to have influenced a tsunami of rock’n’roll musicians, it’s Buddy Rich. Despite surfacing from the golden age of jazz, the New York City-born drummer’s awe-inspiring solos predicted a future in which time-keepers ventured beyond the backbeat with improvisatory fills and ultra-busy drum patterns. The beauty of Rich’s playing is that he made drums the star of the show without ripping up the rhythmic roots of his brass section. Officially the only drummer to beat Animal on The Muppet Show (yes, seriously!), Rich’s sheer power and showmanship inspired the likes of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, Queen’s Roger Taylor and Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward, all of whom tried to emulate their hero’s mix of uncompromising ferocity and jazz-influenced professionalism. Easily one of the best drummers of any era, Buddy Rich was a legend in his own time."

"You're not my kind of people, at all."

"Listening to as many guitar solos as possible is the best method for someone in the early stages. But saxophone solos can be helpful. They're interesting because they're all single notes, and therefore can be repeated on the guitar. If you can copy a sax solo you're playing very well, because the average saxophonist can play much better than the average guitarist."

"Guitarists who play fast are insecure. I can’t really stomach too many guitar players who just play these non-stop, incessant runs. It gets crazy; it’s just exercises. There has to be a reason for soloing. Usually, guitar players who play that fast and put everything they can into solos are insecure. The more sophisticated and mature guitarists become, the more they go with the feel. If you try to play too technically, you lose something in the music—like you’re playing for another guitarist. I like to play for people. The most important thing to me are the vocals, then the arrangement, and then the song. And way down, ‘Oh yes, there has to be a guitar solo.’ Whereas for a lot of players, everything revolves around the solo."

"I spent a lot of time teaching myself theory and harmony so I could be free to express myself on the instrument. I learned what relatives and substitutes could be played against a root of a chord, like E minor related to G, and so forth. I've also gathered all this knowledge because for ten years all I've done is play jazz, every day."

"If of these United States I was the President, No man that owed another should ever pay a cent; And he who dunn'd another should be banished far away, And attention to the pretty girls is all a man should pay."

"Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way; Oh! what joy it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh."

"Sailing is not a romantic song"

"Just what makes that little old ant Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant? Anyone knows an ant, can’t Move a rubber tree plant. But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes."

"Three coins in a fountain Each one seeking happiness Thrown by three hopeful lovers Which one will the fountain bless?"

"Call me irresponsible Yes, I'm unreliable But it's undeniably true That I'm irresponsibly mad for you."

"When somebody loves you It's no good unless he loves you - all the way Happy to be near you When you need someone to cheer you - all the way."

"It seems to me I've heard that song before. It's from an old familiar score. I know it well, that melody."

"Till you're walking beside me, I'll walk alone."

"I fall in love too easily I fall in love too fast I fall in love too terribly hard For love to ever last My heart should be well-schooled Cause I've been fooled in the past But still I fall in love so easily I fall in love too fast"

"Don't, don't," that's what you say Each time that I hold you this way When I feel like this and I want to kiss you Baby, don't say "don't"

"I never looked for trouble, but I never ran I don't take no orders from no kind of man I'm only made out of flesh, blood, and bone But if you're gonna start a rumble, don't you try it all alone'Cause I'm evil My middle name is Misery Yes, I'm evil So don't you mess around with me"

"Pick up the papers from the trash. Cans and bottles you can cash. We'll better just recycle, or We're not gonna rock 'n' roll no more Yakety Yak, Take it Back.Don't be no square. Don't be no chump. Don't make this Earth a garbage dump. This planet's screaming "NO MORE FUNK!". There's no more room for no more junk. Yakety Yak, Take it Back.Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back.Kids, you don't have to go to school To teach your folks this simple rule. If it's a drink, or just a snack, Well, when it's empty, take it back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back.Who says you can't fight City Hall? Just write a letter. Make a call. Sign a petition. And, what's more, Make 'em get it at your door. Yakety Yak, Take it Back.Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back. Yakety Yak, Take it Back."

"Charlie Brown Charlie Brown He's a clown That Charlie Brown He's gonna get caught Just you wait and see Why is everybody always pickin' on me?"

"Well, it's Christmas time, pretty baby And the snow is falling down Well, it's Christmas time, pretty baby And the snow is falling down You be a real good little girl, 'cause Santa Claus is back in town"

"Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that's all there is, my friends Then let's keep dancing Let's break out the booze and have a ball If that's all there is"

"Well, now, if I have to swim a river, You know I will. And a if I have to climb a mountain, You know I will. And a if she's a hiding up On a blueberry hill, Am I gonna find her, child? You know I will. 'Cause I've been searchin'. Oh, yeah, searchin'. My goodness, searchin' every which a-way."

"We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout, We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out. I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around. Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson, Look out Jackson town."

"The warden threw a party in the county jail The prison band was there and they began to wail The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds singLet's rock Everybody, let's rock Everybody in the whole cell block Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock"

"I plopped down in my easy chair and turned on Channel Two A bad gunslinger called Salty Sam was a-chasin' poor Sweet Sue He trapped her in the old sawmill and said with an evil laugh "If you don't gimme the deed to your ranch, I'll saw you all in half"And then he grabbed her And then? He tied her up And then? He turned on the buzz saw And then? And then? Eh-eh!And then along came Jones…"

"Lucky lips are always kissing Lucky lips are never blue Lucky lips will always find a pair Of lips that will be true I don't need a four-leaf clover Rabbit's foot or good luck charm With lucky lips, I'll always have A fellow in my arms"

"They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway They say there's always magic in the air But when you're walkin' down that street And you ain't had enough to eat The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere"

"When the night has come and the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by meSo darling, darling stand by me Oh, stand by me Oh, stand - stand by me, stand by me."

"There is a rose in Spanish Harlem A red rose up in Spanish Harlem With eyes as black as coal That look down in my soul And start a fire there and then I lose control I have to beg your pardon I'm going to pick that rose And watch her as she grows In my garden"

"I can wash out forty-four pairs of socks an' have 'em hangin' out on the line I can starch an' iron two dozens shirts before you can count from one to nine I can scoop up a great big dipper full of lard from the drippin's can Throw it in the skillet, go out an' do my shopping, and be back before it melts in the pan'Cause I'm a woman W-O-M-A-N I'll say it again"

"I took my troubles down to Madame Ruth You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth She's got a pad down at Thirty-Fourth and Vine Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number NineI told her that I was a flop with chicks I've been this way since 1956 She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign She said, "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine""

"She comes on like a rose But everybody knows She'll get you in dutch You can look, but you better not touchPoison Ivy, Poison Ivy, Late at night while your sleepin' Poison Ivy comes a-creepin' around"

"I said, "Take it easy, baby, I worked all day And my feet feel just like lead You got my shirt tails flyin' all over the place And the sweat poppin' out of my head"She said, "Hey, Bossa Nova baby, keep on workin' 'Cause this ain't no time to quit" She said, "Go, Bossa Nova baby keep on dancin' I'm about to have myself a fit""

"I wanna know if she loved me. Did she really love me? Was she just playing me for a fool?I wonder why she left me. Why did she leave me so all alone? So all alone.I was gonna tell her that I loved her And that I need her Beside my side to be my guide."

"Well, I got a girl and Ruby is her name She don't love me but I love her just the same Ruby, Ruby, how I want ya Like a ghost I'm-a gonna haunt ya Ruby, Ruby, when will you be mine?"

"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog Quit snoopin' 'round my door You ain't nothin' but a hound dog Quit snoopin' 'round my door You can wag your tail But I ain't gonna feed you no more"

"One day while I was eatin' beans at Smokey Joe's Cafe Just sittin' diggin' all the scenes at Smokey Joe's Cafe A chick came walkin' through the door That I had never seen before At least I never saw her down at Smokey Joe's Cafe And I started shakin' When she sat right down next to me"

"I'm going to Kansas City Kansas City, here I come I'm going to Kansas City Kansas City, here I come They got a crazy way of lovin' there And I'm gonna get me someI'm gonna be standing on the corner Twelfth Street and Vine I'm gonna be standing on the corner Twelfth Street and Vine With my Kansas City baby And a bottle of Kansas City wine"

"The warden said, "come out with your hands up in the air If you don't stop this riot, you're all gonna get the chair" Scarface Jones said, "It's too late to quit Pass the dynamite, 'cause the fuse is lit""

"I saw her standin' on the corner A yellow ribbon in her hair I couldn't keep myself from shoutin' Look-a there...Young Blood Young Blood Young Blood I can't get you out of my mind"