Other arms reach out to me, Other eyes smile tenderly, Still in peaceful dreams I see, The road leads back to you.

My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.

All my life I've always been so blue, born to lose, and now I'm losing you.

[On his heroin addiction:] I did it to myself. It wasn't society...it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.

What I've got to live up to, is being myself. If I do that, the rest will take care of itself.

Music to me is like breathing. I don't get tired of breathing, I don't get tired of music.

Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.