Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.

I did [picking cotton] from - until I was 18 years old, that is. Then I picked the guitar, and I've been picking it since.

People call me wild. Not really though, I'm not.I guess I've never been normal, not what you call Establishment. I'm country.

I worked there [on Pontiac] three weeks, got really sick of it, went back home and joined the Air Force.

Six foot six he stood on the ground He weighed two hundred and thirty-five pounds But I saw that giant of a man brought down To his knees by love

I would take songs that I'd loved as a child and redo them in my mind for the new voice I had, the low voice.

You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.