I've always been aware of having feelings that were pretty intense at times. I imagine most people have had that, or they wouldn't be human.

I don't know what other people are like, I haven't been able to crawl inside anybody else.

I was mainly influenced by the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, and others like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash.

Turn off the TV and start digging around for information that's not from a corporation trying to make money.

I never set out to write songs about the world around me... it just kind of came about as a result of paying more attention to things.

This is how it has been since time began: If you want to make something really worthwhile and true, then you have to suffer for it.

Some guy refuses to fight and we call that the sin, but he's standing up for what he believes in and that seems pretty damned American to me.