Quotes from Ray LaMontagne


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I want to write music that will outlive me.


In order to get a note out, I have to dig deep, and I mean that on an emotional level. To physically sing, I have to get somewhere deep before I can do it.


The label doesn't do anything but put your record in the store, that's all they do. And tell you, you don't have a single... and tell you, it's not gonna sell... that's what the label does.


Well... you know, I love motorcycles. They're just beautiful, and there's a certain craftsmanship in older bikes, older Triumphs or BSAs or Norton. I'm just very attracted to it.


Every song asks to be sung in a different way.


I don't like myself, and I don't like to be looked at.


I don't really think of myself as a folk singer.


I feel calm when I'm on my own.


I have a strong sense of self, but that's not a negative thing.


I was really lost for a while in my teens. I was angry. But when I found music - Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell - it was a new discovery. It was a door to this other world where I wanted to be.


I'd much rather be playing songs than talking to people.


I'm a private person.


I'm very uncomfortable in my own skin.


It bugs me that people think my songs are personal because it means I have to explain myself all the time.


It's so easy to get caught up in your own experiences. They can seem so important. But there are billions and billions of other experiences going on.


My voice sucks. I don't like the tone.


When I think of folk music, I think of topical songs. And I don't write topical songs.


There's a real sense of desperation when you grow up in poverty.


When I pick up the guitar, it's a melody, and that's what drives the lyrics. It's bits and pieces of truth, but it is storytelling.


Social situations, for me - it's very natural for me to be an observer. That's where I'm most comfortable. I observe things.