Townes Quotes & Sayings

I started out as a folk singer, and kinda got sidetracked playin' honky tonks and such, but I was always a working musician. I didn't want to be Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark, but I wanted to play in front of their audiences, you know what I mean? — Ray Wylie Hubbard

All my records have been written to be records, rather than writing a group of songs and seeing if they fit together. — Justin Townes Earle

When God said "Let there be light" he surely must have meant perfectly coherent light. — Charles Hard Townes

I don't think that science is complete at all. We don't understand everything, and one can see, within science itself, there are many inconsistencies. We just have to accept that we don't understand. — Charles H. Townes

I don't know why I write really depressing songs. I'm a kind of melancholy guy, I suppose. But I figure I'm about normal. — Townes Van Zandt

All of a sudden there's a song - there in your hotel room playing your guitar - and you write it, and two or three years later it will come true. It keeps you on your toes. — Townes Van Zandt

I know I'm never going to be a big pop star, because I'm not willing to conform. — Justin Townes Earle

Well I was born a rambler friends, and I intend to die that way. It could be twenty years from now it could be most any day. But if there ain't no whiskey and wimen lord behind those heavenly doors, I'm gonna take my chances down below and of that you can be sure. — Townes Van Zandt

What I'm doing is basically the same as Bob Dylan did with folk songs and Woody Guthrie songs, the same as folk music's always done. I'm not going to sing about ploughing, but I'll write a song that sounds like it should be about ploughing. — Justin Townes Earle

I was brought up as Christian, and while my ideas have changed, I have always felt myself religiously oriented. — Charles H. Townes

I knew I wanted to be a scientist. Which kind of scientist was the question. — Charles H. Townes

It's nice coming to Nashville, and we have four-bedroom house and a dog, and we go swimming a lot. We get down here and spread out a lot, and I miss my sweet tea and my cornbread and my good southern cooking - but I'm down here eating pretty for two weeks and I'm ready to go back to New York City. — Justin Townes Earle

I always watched movies and rooted for the bad guys, you know? I've always been that kind of guy. I still hold some respect for criminals that are good at their jobs. — Justin Townes Earle

I grew up in a racially mixed neighborhood. So going over to friends' houses for dinner, their parents listened to Al Green and Luther Ingram. It was something that hit me early on, the feeling that came across. — Justin Townes Earle

It was strange, in a way, because there were no ideas involved in the laser that weren't already known by somebody 25 years before lasers were discovered. The ideas were all there; just, nobody put it together. — Charles H. Townes

Alfred Nobel really understood very well the necessary supra-natural character of the human enterprise. — Charles H. Townes

There is some truth to the idea that, in the fields of science, individual contributions of great significance are possible. — Charles H. Townes

The late Richard Feynman, a superb physicist, said once as we talked about the laser that the way to tell a great idea is that, when people hear it, they say, 'Gee, I could have thought of that.' — Charles Hard Townes

I got a feeling that when I have kids, I'm going to have a little girl, and she's going to be completely sensible. — Justin Townes Earle

At least this is the way I see it. I am a physicist. I also consider myself a Christian. As I try to understand the nature of our universe in these two modes of thinking, I see many commonalities and crossovers between science and religion. It seems logical that in the long run the two will even converge. — Charles Hard Townes

It's almost a sort of fairy story tale, just what a novelist would write about a discovery. — Charles Hard Townes

I think the best thing an artist can do is not hang out with other artists. I really dislike hanging out with musicians, for the most part, except for a few select friends, because I don't like to talk about music all the time. — Justin Townes Earle

As a southern man, there's two things I'm definitely not scared of: bow ties and white pants. — Justin Townes Earle

That our selves and all men are apt and prone to differ it is no new Thing in all former Ages in all parts of this World in these parts and in our deare native Countrey and mournfull state of England.
That either part of partie is most right in his owne eye his Cause Right his Cariage Right, his Argumts Right his Answeres Right is as woefully and constantly true as the former. And experience tells us that when the God of peace hath taken peace from the Earth one sparke of Action word or Cariage is too too powrefull to kindle such a fire as burns up Families Townes Cities Armies, Navies Nations and Kingdomes.
[Letter of Roger Williams to Town of Providence, March 28, 1648] — Roger Williams

come on mama, let's rent us a boat
sail down that gibraltar moat
shed a tear every time we pass tangier — Townes Van Zandt

I'm the mold that grunge was grown in. — Townes Van Zandt

One has ideas, does experiments, meets people, seeks advice, calls old friends, runs into unexpected remarks, meets new people with new ideas, and in the process finds a career of shifts and often serendipitous meanders that may be rewarding and rich, but is seldom marked by guideposts glimpsed very far in advance. — Charles H. Townes

Many have a feeling that somehow intelligence must have been involved in the laws of the universe. — Charles Hard Townes

I didn't do anything differently than what my father was doing. It's a really hard family to rebel in. I could have become an accountant. Or I could have become a Republican. — Justin Townes Earle

I'm Artistry through Fluent and Flowing Poetry in Motion and I'm Letting it Flow..... — De Ann "Native" Townes Jr.

I love Motown, but I've obviously always been more of a Memphis soul fan. If it's Stax or Motown, I go Stax. — Justin Townes Earle

Nashville's like any other hometown - after a while, it's stifling. — Justin Townes Earle

I think that it's the job of the artist to be in transition and constantly learn more. — Justin Townes Earle

There's no such thing as a teenager that listens to a single word their father says. — Justin Townes Earle

Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that. — Steve Earle

The imposing edifice of science provides a challenging view of what can be achieved by the accumulation of many small efforts in a steady objective and dedicated search for truth. — Charles H. Townes

I've always written. When I was in school, the only teacher who ever liked me was my creative writing teacher. I used to enter poetry competitions, and I don't think I ever lost one. So I had the idea for a while of being some kind of poet. — Justin Townes Earle

I don't envision a long life for myself. Like, I think my life will run out before my work does, y'know? I've designed it that way. — Townes Van Zandt

I didn't get into music to become a blues musician, or a country musician. I'm a singer-songwriter. In my book that means I get to do whatever I want. — Justin Townes Earle

When I first was trying to play the clubs around Houston to start playing my own songs, songwriters like Eric Taylor and Vince Bell and Townes Van Zandt and Don Sanders were just really encouraging to me and would let me sit in with them during their sets and introduce me to the person that owned and booked the club. — Lyle Lovett

My parents split up when I was about 2. I realize more and more how much I'm like my father. My gentleness comes from my mother. — Justin Townes Earle

There's a certain urgency that comes from the records of the early 60s before overdubbing and multitracking came into play. — Justin Townes Earle

You have to live what you write, or you have to know it. There are exceptions, like story songs, where you just have to have your facts straight. But I think you don't have to live a hard life to be a good or interesting songwriter. — Justin Townes Earle

I strongly believe in the existence of God, based on intuition, observations, logic, and also scientific knowledge. — Charles Hard Townes

Science, with its experiments and logic, tries to understand the order or structure of the universe. Religion, with its theological inspiration and reflection, tries to understand the purpose or meaning of the universe. These two are cross-related. Purpose implies structure, and structure ought somehow to be interpretable in terms of purpose. — Charles Hard Townes

On the road, I weigh 168. At home, ten more. — Justin Townes Earle

I'd like to write some songs that are so good that nobody understands them. Not even myself. — Townes Van Zandt

Sorrow and solitude, these are the precious things/ And the only words that are worth remembering. — Townes Van Zandt

I don't envision a very long life for myself. I think my life will run out before my work does. I've designed it that way. — Townes Van Zandt

I heard Nirvana, and discovered that songs could be like poetry, but a little bit more refined: you didn't have to have 20 verses to get your point across. — Justin Townes Earle

I try and eat good. On the road, that's next to impossible. And we eat a lot of unhealthy things when we're in Texas - that's what you do there. — Justin Townes Earle

What I do is between me and the Lord, to examine and possibly alter the state of grace in which I live, and thereby the state of grace of anybody who listens. — Townes Van Zandt

I kind of came from the Townes Van Zandt school of throwing yourself off a cliff and then that's what you write about, and that rule number one of creative writing is you have to have conflict. But if you write about yourself mostly, then if you don't have conflict, then you create it. And the older I get, the more I realize that that's not a very smart way to do this. Not to say I'm the most self destructive person on earth, but it's easy to do. — John Fullbright

Every time I finish a song ... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van Zandt song, or whoever. I realize there are so many melodies and chord progressions in pop and rock music that are so similar that you can kind of trace it back to other things. Most of the time it's just in your head. — Conor Oberst

I think a lot of men are afraid of pretty things, and I'm not, I like pretty songs. — Justin Townes Earle

The beaver told the rabbit as they stared at the Hoover Dam: No, I didn't build it myself, but it's based on an idea of mine — Charles Hard Townes

I've met Bob Dylan's bodyguards, and if Steve Earle thinks he can stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table, he's sadly mistaken, — Townes Van Zandt

I've got a 27-inch waist. Before, I was stupid smaller. Finding clothes in the South was impossible. — Justin Townes Earle

Science is exploration. The fundamental nature of exploration is that we don't know what's there. We can guess and hope and aim to find out certain things, but we have to expect surprises. — Charles H. Townes

Humans can't live in the present, like animals do. Humans are always thinking about the future or the
past. So it's a veil of tears, man. I don't know anything that's going to benefit me now, except love. I
just need an overwhelming amount of love. And a nap. Mostly a nap. — Townes Van Zandt

New York has always had a love for Southern artists. There's no place else that makes me feel like the city does. I just love the immediate nature of the city, you can get whatever you want whenever you want it and do whatever you want whenever you want to. — Justin Townes Earle

I've never been good at rock'n'roll songs, anyway; either I'm blessed or I'm cursed, but whatever I write comes out sounding old. — Justin Townes Earle

One of the things my family taught me - I think very important in religion and science - is that you must be ready to stand up for what you think. Decide what you really think is best, and stick with it. — Charles H. Townes

Human's can't live in the present as animals do; they just live in the present. But human's are always thinking about the future or the past. — Townes Van Zandt

I don't think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best. — Townes Van Zandt

We can't avoid age. However, we can avoid some aging. Continue to do things. Be active. Life is fantastic in the way it adjusts to demands; if you use your muscles and mind, they stay there much longer. — Charles H. Townes

Now the dark air is like fire on my skin, And even the moonlight is blinding — Townes Van Zandt

The development of science is basically a social phenomenon, dependent on hard work and mutual support of many scientists and on the societies in which they live. — Charles H. Townes

In many cases, people who win a Nobel prize, their work slows down after that because of the distractions. Yes, fame is rewarding, but it's a pity if it keeps you from doing the work you are good at. — Charles H. Townes

Now you wear your skin like iron — Townes Van Zandt

Much public thinking follows a rut. The same thing is true in science. People get stuck and don't look in other directions. — Charles H. Townes

There's only two kinds of music: the blues and zippety doo-dah. — Townes Van Zandt

I was very eager to produce an oscillator for short waves. I was doing science with microwaves, and I would get down to a few millimetres in wavelength, but I wanted to get shorter wavelengths; I wanted to get into the infra-red because I saw there was a lot more to be done there. — Charles H. Townes

Aloneness is a state of being, whereas loneliness is a state of feeling. It's like the difference between being broke and being poor. — Townes Van Zandt

I discovered the same thing Gram Parsons did, that soul music and country music are practically identical. Based off of the same chord structures, and the songs are of heartache and loss. The main connection is they both came up in church. — Justin Townes Earle

Science has faith. We make postulates. We can't prove those postulates, but we have faith in them. — Charles H. Townes

There are only two kinds of songs; there's the blues, and there's zip-a-dee-doo-dah, — Townes Van Zandt

I don't think I have any right to say I belong to that [Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan tradition]. I think that's something that eventually maybe you get inducted into. I'm just experimenting. — Justin Townes Earle