Great Quotations: John Prine

In a recent interview with The Guardian, country-folk singer-songwriter legend John Prine expounded on the difference between writing poetry and writing lyrics.

“If I wanted to be a poet, I’d write poetry,” the 70-year-old artist said. “I know what poetry is. I’m not writing poetry, I’m writing song lyrics. Whatever the subject is, I’m trying to write as well about that subject as I possibly can but still within the confines of a song. I’m not trying to put my words down as a poem set to music. To me, that’s a different thing,” he says. “But I like the idea of it being accepted.” — via The Guardian