A place in this world

So right now I'm listening to this public radio show called American Routes. It's this really great show about roots music that's produced in Louisiana. Anyway, they're doing this show about Woody Guthrie. This year is, like, the year he would be 100 years old, I think. Happy birthday, Woody Guthrie.


He's one of the greats, farmboy.


You don't have to tell me twice, man. He's an amazing songwriter. Fuckin' incredible. Dig this quote, man:

I hate a song that makes you think you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim. Too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling. I'm out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you.

I mean, that quote makes me want to fuckin' cry, man. 'Cause I've always felt like I don't have a right to anything in this world. I'm undeserving. And that quote reminds me that I do have a place in this world. His songs, man, they're empowering. 

That's the kind of songs that the world needs. Songs about real people, real subjects...

Songs that are written because they need to be written. These are not those paint-by-numbers songs that are written solely for the reason of making money. Or at least the songs that sound like they were only written to make money. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with earning money for your craft. But those songs that just manipulate you...fuck, man, I have no need for those songs. No matter what anyone says, those songs aren't written for me.

There's a lot of songs like that, I'm afraid.

I've tried to write them, and they never turn out any good. It feels like you're just fuckin' lying to people. And that's...man, I don't know. I don't like judging other songwriters, all I know is that I don't want to write that way. So I guess Woody Guthrie is kind of a role model for me.

You could do worse, farmboy.

Yeah. And I don't know if I could do any better than having Woody as my main man, man.