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I Aim To Write Songs In A Way That You Don't Have To Have Gone To Ghana To Relate To It, You Really Just Have To Have A Heart.
-Jason Mraz
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I Aim To Write

Jason Mraz
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I Aim To Write Songs In A Way That You Don't Have To Have Gone To Ghana To Relate To It, You Really Just Have To Have A Heart.

Understanding the Quote: "i aim to write songs in a way that you don't have..."

This quote by Jason Mraz reflects deeply on the theme of song. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Song, Writing, Heart, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Jason Mraz interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz is celebrated for insightful thoughts on song and writing. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Song
Writing
Heart
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Other People's Lives Are Affected By How You Are Treating Yourself And The Way In Which You Are Performing.
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I'll Experience Vulnerability When I Just Don't Have Any More To Give.
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I Love The Sound Of The Wind In The Trees And The Song Of The Birds And The Shuffle In The Leaves Of My Many Woodland Friends.
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I Get My Most Creative Energy After A Show, So I Love To Go Back To The Hotel And Compose New Material. I Generally Do It In A Rush. I Have To Get It Out, Otherwise I Can't Sleep.
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In My Lifetime, I Want To See Humanity Start Being Conscious Of Our Waste, The Things We Buy, And How We Can Reuse And Recycle Things. I Want People To Live Harmoniously With Our Planet. I Hope Everybody Wakes Up And Appreciates Life.
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When You Play A Smaller, More Intimate Venue, You Can Have Real Conversations With Your Audience, Take Risks, And Stay Current. You Can Also Change The Set List, On How The Day Feels Or How The Audience Reacts. When You Do Arena Shows, Every Arena Looks And Feels The Same. You Can't See Who Is In The Room.
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I'm Not A Virtuoso On An Instrument. You Know, I'm Not Always Singing In Pitch. I Laugh Sometimes My Way Through The Shows, But I'm An Honest Songwriter Who's Always Tried To Bring The Audience With Me On My Journey In Hopes That They See Their Own Lives Reflected In The Work.
Journey
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Cause Even The Stars They Burn, Some Even Fall To The Earth. We've Got A Lot To Learn, God Knows We're Worth It.
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Just Take It Easy And Celebrate The Malleable Reality. You See, Nothing Is Ever At Is Seems, Yeah This Life Is But A Dream.
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One Thing I'm Most Passionate About Is That I'm Geared Up And Ready For Another Cycle Of Touring, To Go Out In The World And Be Whoever I Need To Be For Someone. For A Lot Of People They Just Want To See You Or Want To Take A Photograph Of That Moment. Some People They Simply Just Want To Hear You. And Others Actually Have Things They Want To Share And Talk With You About.
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Whether Or Not I Tour Forever, I'm Not Sure. I Would Love To Spend More Time Living In Harmony With Nature Rather Than Flying All Over The World And Contributing To Global Warming, You Know What I Mean?
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Well, I've Been Happily Supporting Myself For Ten Years Now On The Hustle And Trade Of Live Entertainment. I Guess My Breakthrough Moment Was When I Decided To Go For It Once And For All.
Years
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I Call It Sacred Geometry. When Everything's Just Right And It Feels Really Balanced, So That When It Unfolds To The Next Part, You Feel Totally Familiar And At Ease Within The Song.
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I Had Always Been Singing, All Of My Life, But It Wasn't Until I Got Out Of High School And Was On My Own That I Didn't Have Any Accompaniment.
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Music Was Always The Distraction, So It Was The Obvious Choice To Pursue. My Dad Always Said To Find A Job I Love To Do, That Way It Wouldn't Feel Like A Job. So I Did That.
Jobs
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You Win Some, You Learn Some.
Winning
Music Is A Weapon In The War Against Unhappiness.
War
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Because I Trust In The Ever-changing Climate Of The Heart. (at Least, Today I Feel That Way.) I Think It Is Necessary To Have Many Experiences For The Sake Of Feeling Something; For The Sake Of Being Challenged, And For The Sake Of Being Expressive, To Offer Something To Someone Else, To Learn What We Are Capable Of.
Inspirational
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I Listened To The Radio, So I Was Influenced By Everyone From Michael Jackson To Milli Vanilli. But Thankfully My Dad Had A Collection Of Cat Stevens Albums While My Mom Was Listening To Jazz.
Mom
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There's No Shame In Being Crazy.
Crazy
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I Think Surprises Are What's Great About Life: "whoa! I Didn't See That Coming!"
Thinking
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If I Were To Lose My Memories, I Would Rely On Music. There Is So Much Of My Story Embedded In Each.
Memories
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"be Nice To Your Parents." When They Made The Decision To Have A Child, Whether It Was Planned Or Not, They Were Changing Their Entire Lives To Do The Best They Could For This New Human Being. A Lot Of Young People, We Don't Understand That.
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I Had Never Made A Record Before, So I Didn't Know Anything About It. I Don't Know Anything About Knobs, Frequencies, Tones.
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Spirituality Is Nothing More Than The Art Of Paying Attention. When I Give My Whole Heart And Mind To A Task Such As Singing - Life's Worry, Suffering, Or Conflicts Don't Exist In That Moment. Additionally, Singing Is About Breath Work, Which Is The Most Essential Practice To Living A Conscious & Healthy Life.
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I’ve Come To The Conclusion That People Who Wear Headphones While They Walk, Are Much Happier, More Confident, And More Beautiful Individuals Than Someone Making The Solitary Drudge To Work Without Acknowledging Their Own Interests And Power.
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I Look Around My Life And It's Hard To Believe That Music Has Given Me All That I Have.
Believe
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If You Have Nothing But Love For Your Avocados, And You Take Joy In Turning Them Into Guacamole, All You Need Is Someone To Share It With.
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Inspirational Love
Joy
It’s Strange How Dreams Get Under Your Skin And Give Your Heart A Test For What’s Real And What’s Imaginary.
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Open Up Your Heart And The Sky Is Yours.
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Music Is My Way To Shine Back And Express Positive Vibrations For A Common Healing. It's Similar To Farming, Or Surfing, Or Yoga. Before World Peace, We Have To Have Inner Peace And Music Helps Us Get There.
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Open Up Your Plans And Damn You're Free!
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Writing Songs Is No Different Than Explaining To Somebody What You Dreamed Last Night: No One Ever Gives You Crap For What You Dreamed Last Night. "i Was Laying In My Bed, And All Of A Sudden A Stallion Jumped On My Bed And The Next Thing I Know I Was In Mars But It Looked Like My Kitchen"... That's Kind Of What I Do With My Songs, Write Them In A Dream-like Manner. It's Up To People To Swallow It However They Want.
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If You Got The Poison, I've Got The Remedy.
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When I Was In High School, The Dave Matthews Band Was A Local Band, And That Was The First Time I Was Starting To Connect With A Live Band That Was Something That Wasn't On The Radio Or Tv.
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You Know, There's Still A Lot Of Great Songwriters Out There Who Hand In Songs. And There's A Lot Of Brilliant Singers And Performers Out There Who Sing Other People's Words. I Enjoy Doing Both.
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Life Doesn't Come At You. It Comes From You.
Everything Is Perfect. Everything Is Fine. The Rules Of Life Are Made Up. The Rules Only Exist In Your Mind. Of Course There May Be Courtesies And Closures And Laws To Abide, But The Zeal With Which You Play Relies On Where You Draw The Line
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For Every Action There’s A Reaction. And Also, For Every Action There’s An Equal And Opposite Criticism.
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Thanks To Music I Have Found A Deeper Connection To An Otherwise Elusive God. Thru Music I Get To Commune Directly, And Daily. On A Side Note To Readers, Any Service Or Craft You Give Your Heart To Will Give You The Same Effect. Don't Be Afraid To Work Less And Play More! We Are Human. We Didn't Come Here To Hold Down A Dayjob. We Came Here To Live And Learn!
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The Rules Of Life Are Made Up. The Rules Only Exist In Your Mind.
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Hold Your Own. Know Your Name. And Go Your Own Way. And Everything Will Be Fine.
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Sometimes Touring Can Warp Reality Because You're Never In One Place Long Enough To Get A Feel For It. You Don't Interact With People Long Enough To Know What Real Life Is. That's Why A Lot Of Artists Write Songs About Longing And Missing People When They're On The Road. I Do My Best To Keep My Mind Open And I Read A Lot When I'm On Tour, So I Hope I Have Good Things To Write About. I'm Constantly In The Songwriting Process.
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I Still Go Through Stages Of Wanting To Try Other Trades. When I Was Young I Thought I'd Be A Magician. And Then A Cartoonist. Or A Professional Roller-skater. But There Wasn't Much Support For Those On Career Day.
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Creating The Record Is Like Digging Up The Earth, Planting Your Seeds And Waiting To See What Happens.
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I Thought I Was The Center Of The World And That My Parents Had Nothing To Do With Me, And I Regret That. I Wish I Had Been A Little Kinder To My Family And Been Friends With Them And Let Them Into My Life And Shared With Them The Things I Was Doing Rather Than Feel Like I Needed To Do My Life In Secret.
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I Was Raised Playing Music In Coffeehouses And I Feel That Was The Foundation For My Career. I Think It Is Important That We Remember Where We Came From.
Thinking
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The Foolish Idea That My Music Can Actually Make A Difference In Someone's Life - That Right There Is Proof That It's Working. It Makes Me Feel Great, It Really Does.
Ideas
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Creativity Is A Religion. When You Get Into It, You Will Find Your Life Becomes More Spiritual.
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You Can't Live The Rest Of Your Life Carrying A Pain Because Your Parents Couldn't Get Along. I Choose To Spend My Life Crafting A Joy.
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I Love Writing Songs With People, Which Is About Really Taking Risks, Throwing Yourself Over The Falls And Really Seeing What You're Made Of And Seeing How It Sticks. Seeing How Others React To It, And Seeing Also How It Can Become A Melody And How It Can Really Take Off From Your Experience. It's A Way Of Seeing Life Unfold On The Page Before Me.
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I Ride A Bicycle Everywhere I Go, The Physical Strength Is Obvious, But My Mental Strength And My Capacity To Love Myself And To Love Others Has Definitely Expanded. And That's The One Thing I Need The Most In Taking On A Life Of Touring And A Life Of Basically Being With Hundreds Of People Every Day And Not Exhaust One's Energy.
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I Struggle Sometimes Superficially With My Management Or With My Own Career About How Much Time I Spend Traveling Or Giving Myself Away To Promote My Music Or Myself When I'd Rather Be Gardening Or Surfing Or Being At Home With My Loved Ones. And Everyone Struggles With That; Everyone Struggles With Having To Go To Work. And I Struggle With How Humankind Ended Up This Way.
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I Think Anyone Who Uses The Web Is Smart And Will Profit.
Smart
Thinking
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I Meet People Every Single Day Who Have Heard The Music And Incorporated It Into Their Lives. I Feel Like I Have A Tribe All Around The World.
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World
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Do You Ever Wonder What Happens To The Words That We Send Do They Bend, Do They Break From The Flight That They Take And Come Back Together Again With A Whole New Meaning In A Brand New Sense, Completely Unrelated To The One I Sent ((did You Get My Message?))
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I Want To Be Surrounded By Women, I Want To Be Snuggled And Cuddled And Pampered.
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The Power Of Yes: That's What Allows Creativity To Breathe And To Come In. That's What Allows Your Ideas To Become Living, Breathing, Moving Dreams In Action.
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The Measure Of Your Character Is Not What You Do When People Are Looking. It’s What You Do When You Think No One Is Looking.
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Thinking
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I Would Enjoy Doing What Cats Do: Singing, Sleeping, And Licking My Nuts.
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If We Truly Want To Have World Peace, We Have To End Human Trafficking.
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Listen To The Music Of The Moment, People....dance And Sing!
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My Touring Isn't About Collecting Souvenirs And Always Being On The Go. My Souvenirs Are Writing In My Journal And Creating New Music, Because That Fits Easily Into My Backpack When I'm Travelling Around The World. It's Something That I Can Share Later With Fans Or With Future Family Members.
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You Can Help Me By Advancing Equality, Supporting Arts And Education, And Saving This Goddamn Planet.
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How We Treat Food Is How We Treat Ourselves. Eating And Buying Organic Means We're Committed To A Healthier World Overall. It's Good Karma.
Karma
Mean
World
I Recently Read That It's The Left Brain That Does All That Calculating, And The Right Brain That Does The Poetry. Somehow I've Veered Way Towards The Left. I've Been Doing It For Years. Maybe I Do Art To Balance It Out.
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Brain
Our Shows Are Packed With Laughter And Light-hearted Songs To Lift The Listener From Their Everyday Life. We Encourage The Audience To Participate In Any Way.
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New York City Has The Most Beautiful Women.
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New York
Cities
You're An Island Of Reality In An Ocean Of Diarrhea.
Ocean
Reality
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If I'm In A Relationship, That Girl Gets Showered With Letters From The Road. I Pour My Heart Into It.
Girl
Heart
Letters
I Discovered At 18 That Singing And Songwriting Was My Strength. I Decided That It Was Closest To My Heart And If I Pursued It Then There Would Be No Competition. I Would Just Live My Life Being Myself And Living My Dream.
Music
Dream
Heart
Being Out In Nature Inspires Me As A Writer.
Inspire
Well, For Me, What I've Learned At The Very End Of This, Love Is Sharing, And I Think That Really Is, For Me, The Best Place To Go To Experience Love, Is Sharing.
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Thinking
Places To Go
I Was Looking For Inspiration. I Found It In California. The Weather Was Always Great, And The Majority Of San Diego Seemed To Be Youth-and If You Weren't 21 And Couldn't Get Into The Clubs, You'd Go To A Coffeehouse And Hang Out.
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California
I Can't Predict What Songs Will Do To The Collective Consciousness.
Song
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Collectives
I Like To Sit In Front Of The Computer, Going Through Files Of Music, And Recording The Final Vocals, Guitars And What- Nots. But The Windows Are Always Open And You Can Hear The Crickets, Birds, Chickens, And Even The Sound Of Rain Hitting The Studio. The Farm Is A Great Place To Hang Out In, Learn From And Create Music.
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Bird
I've Been Compared To People Since The Beginning. When You're Starting Out, You Need A Comparison So People Will Understand You Right Away.
People
Needs
Starting Out
I Think Especially With The Internet And The Amount Of Reality Shows That Are Going On, There's No Way To Keep A Secret Anymore, So I Try To Let My Project Be As Much As Reality Show As I Can Allow It To Be.
Reality
Thinking
Secret
Lucky To Have Been Where I Have Been
Lucky
Has Beens
When You Choose To Be A Loving Person, It's Magical How Love Comes Back To You And Brightens Someone's Day, Changing Your Mood And That Of The World.
World
Mood
Loving Person
Genre-spanning Is The Effort To Make The Live Show Interesting. It's Also A Great Way To Challenge Yourself As A Writer.
Interesting
Effort
Challenges
I Use Music And Mantras That Transform My Thoughts From The Negative To The Positive. If I'm Thinking The World Is A Horrible Place, I Can Transform My Life By Saying, 'i Won't Give Up', 'i Won't Worry My Life Away' And 'i Won't Hesitate No More', Using These Lyrics To Change My Experience. That Is, I Believe, What Makes Me Seem Like A Positive Person.
Giving Up
Believe
Thinking
Don't Let Your Mind Stop You From Having A Good Time.
Humor
Mind
Good Times
And If You're Singing To Someone, Or If They're Singing Along, And Suddenly You're In Harmony, Then It's Actually Making A Huge Difference On A Subatomic Level That Is Actually Transforming The World.
Differences
Singing
World
I Know That If I Do The Right Amount Of, Say, Meditation And Hot Yoga Or Something, I Can Move The Energy Through My Body And Get Rid Of My Cold Within Twenty-four Hours.
Moving
Yoga
Meditation
It Was A Very Bizarre Experience For Me, To Get The Songs Together, Go In There, And Try To Deliver Them As I Would Perhaps In A Live Setting. But I Realized That I Couldn't Take On That Coffeehouse Style That I Came From And Go In There And Burn It Up.
Song
Style
Trying
The Easiest Songs To Write Are Pure Fiction. There Is No Limit To How You Can Tell The Story. I Find It Difficult When I'm Replaying An Event Through A Song.
Song
Writing
Events
The Power Of The Masses Can Influence Any Government In The World. The Power Of The Masses Can Elect An Official, Start A Revolution, And Drive History. Nelson Mandela Did It Alone From His Prison Cell. Ghandi Did It Lying Down. Egypt Did It Singing Songs.
Song
Lying
Singing
And It's Okay If You Have To Go Away Oh Just Remember The Telephone Works Both Ways And If I Never Ever Hear Them Ring If Nothing Else I'll Think The Bells Inside Have Finally Found You Someone Else And That's Okay Cause I'll Remember Everything You Sang ((you And I Both))
Thinking
Remembers Everything
Found You
Last Weekend A Young Man Asked Me How I Remain So Positive. “it Seems All The Negativity In The World Doesn’t Affect You,” He Said. I Had No More Than A Minute With The Young Man So I Offered This: It’s All About Where You Choose To Put Your Attention, And I Choose To Be Happy.
Weekend
Men
Negativity
I'm Not Always A Positive Person. I Wake Up Grumpy, I Read The Newspaper And I Get Furious That The World Is Still At War.
War
Wake Up
World
A Lot Of Those Ideal Towns Are All Starting To Look The Same, The Specifics Are Starting To Disappear. So We Need To Retain A Love For Life, A Love For One's Family, A Love For Where One's Really From.
Love Life
Needs
Looks
Getting On Stage Is A Bonus, That's My Therapy, That's When I Can Tell Stories And It All Makes Sense.
Stories
Bonus
Stage
My Dad Is Still The Only Mraz In The Mechanicsville Phone Book, So He's Getting Calls From Girls To See If I'm Home!
Girl
Dad
Book
I Won't Give Up. Even If The Skies Get Rough.
Giving Up
Sky
Tenacity
What I Get On A Yoga Mat, And From A Yoga Teacher, Has Been More Beneficial Onstage Than Any Other Workshop I've Ever Done. And It Starts With That Breath; It Starts With Getting Out Of My Head And Really Just Slowing The System Down And Being In A True Present Moment With Each And Every Breath. That Then Allows Me To Be A More Balanced And Focused Individual Onstage.
Teacher
Yoga
Done
Yoga Makes My Day Better As I Am Less Likely To Fall Victim To My Otherwise Foolish & Forgetful Mind.
Yoga
Fall
Mind
If I'm Having Relentless Thoughts, I Just Won't Shut Up In My Head. I Know That If I Put Myself On The Mat And Just Focus On A Flow That I Will Transmute Or I Will Transform, Transfer The Energy Into Some Other Act Or Put My Attention Somewhere Else, I'll Be Back. I'll Feel Stronger Not Only In My Body But Most Certainly In My Brain.
Somewhere Else
Focus
Brain
When I Fall In Love I Take My Time There's No Need To Hurry When I'm Making Up My Mind You Can Turn Off The Sun But I'm Still Gonna Shine And I'll Tell You Why.
Falling In Love
Shining
Mind
I'm Always Thinking About The Next Record. I've Got Like 20 Different Themes And Then I'll Scratch The Themes. It's A Learning Process.
Thinking
Different
Scratches
Oh My, Justifying Reasons Why Is An Absolutely Insane Resolution To Live By ((live High))
Insane
Reason Why
Resolution
The Studio And Road Both Have Their Charms. The Studio Allows Me To Be A Mad Scientist And The Tour Lets Me Feel Like James Bond.
Mad
Scientist
Charm
I Love Eating Healthy And Doing The Yoga Thing, Because I Think I'm Going To Live To A Thousand Doing So. And That's Because I Don't Want To Leave Here So Soon. I Want To Stick Around As Long As I Can, But I Know That's Not Going To Be The Case. We're All Going.
Yoga
Thinking
Long
The Internet Is Awesome And Responsible For My Success.
Internet
Responsible
I Would Love To Blog Daily But I Have Not Been Making Time For It Because My Internet Is Very Slow. Everyone Should Make Time For Writing.
Writing
Internet
Making Time
Everything Is Love, So The Only Thing That's Not Love Is Our Resistance To Love, Is Us Trying To Be Separate From The World.
Love Is
Trying
World
Whenever I'm In Need Of Inspiration And Mantras, I Go Straight To Simple Affirmations. 'i Am Strong', 'i Am Brave', 'i Can Do This' And 'i'm Awesome'. Whatever You Put After 'i Am', You Will Become. 'i Am' Are The Two Most Powerful Words, So Make Sure What You Say After 'i Am' Is What You Want To Experience. It's Like A Magic Trick.
Strong
Powerful
Inspiration
The More I Travel Around The World, The More I See People Want The Same Thing - To Be Happy. We Wouldn't Be In A Monetary System If We Didn't Have To Work, So If My Music Can Contribute To Happiness, Then That's My Main Responsibility.
Responsibility
People
World
Music Is Such A Powerful Fundraising Tool And It's So Easy For Me To Share That And It's Such A Light.
Powerful
Light
Fundraising
There's Nothing More Vulnerable Than Just Standing In Front Of A Thousand People, Or Ten Thousand People, And Doing Your Best To Entertain Them, Touch Them In Some Way.
People
Way
Vulnerable
I've Been Fortunate To View The World As If Tom Cruise Is Constantly Walking In Front Of Me On His Way Across A Tarmac Before An Aerial Dogfight. I'm Speaking Cinematically Here. The Homoeroticism Was An Accident That I Wont Dismiss.
Views
World
Way
Live High, Live Mighty, Live Righteously
I'm Lucky I'm In Love With My Best Friend Lucky To Have Been Where I Have Been Lucky To Be Coming Home Again
Home
My Best Friend
Lucky
I Could Experience Vulnerability If I Just Constantly Gave Myself Away Without Ever Taking Time Out Once A Day Or A Couple Times A Day Or Whatever It Is I Need To Restore, Whether It's More Sleep, Or Whether It's Going To See A Movie Or Writing Something New.
Couple
Writing
Sleep
I Have Always Wanted To Do An Acoustic Record From The Very Beginning Of My Career. I Was A Coffeeshop Artist Where Everything I Did Was Acoustic.
Artist
Careers
Records
My Memory Is Not So Good So My Most Memorable Show Is The Last One I Played. Songs Are Written With Intention But They Only Emerge In The Moment.
Song
Memories
Memorable
The Unavoidable Kiss, Where The Minty Fresh Death Breath Is Sure To Outlast His Catastrophe.
Art
Kissing
Media
I Think There’s No Greater Joy Than Completing A Song Out Of Thin Air. It’s Like Inventing Something, But It’s Invisible, You Know? It’s Weird. It Amazes Me. You Can Send It Out In The World, And That’s The Joy. It’s Like Giving Birth To All These Songs And Letting Them Go Like They’re Your Kids.
Song
Kids
Thinking
I Came From Mechanicsville, Virginia, Where You Have Four Seasons.
Virginia
Four Seasons
Four
You Just Send Your Love And Gratitude To Everything That Came Through The Experience And You Wish It The Best. If You Don't Wish It The Best, Then You're Only Holding On To Its Failure, You're Only Holding On To Something That Needs Something From You, Whereas If You Wish It The Best, It's Not About You Anymore.
Gratitude
Wish
Needs
I Struggle With How Humankind Ended Up This Way. We Made Ourselves Slaves To Money, And We All Have To Work And Be A Part Of This Thing When Time Is Always Ticking. And Before We Know It, A Decade Has Gone By, And Did I Really Get To Do Everything I Wanted To Do Or Say Everything I Wanted To Say?
Struggle
Way
Gone
Sometimes You Forget Where The Heck You Are But When You Get On Stage, You Know By The Look On The People's Faces And The Accent In Their Voices Where You Might Be.
Voice
People
Looks
It's When You Cry Just A Little, But You Laugh In The Middle That You've Made It.
Laughing
Littles
Cry
One Thing I'm Most Passionate About Is That I'm Geared Up And Ready For Another Cycle Of Touring, To Go Out In The World And Be Whoever I Need To Be For Someone.
Needs
Passionate
World
With Everything You're Letting Go, I'm Sure It's Going To Have A Different Value To You. And Every Time You Let Go You're Going To Be A Different Age Or There's Going To Be Different Circumstances. So I Think The Best Way To Do It Is To Simply Wish The Best For That Thing.
Letting Go
Thinking
Wish
You Make All The Fashion Statements Just By Dressing Up Your Mind.
Fashion
Dressing Up
Mind
In A Song You Can Shine A Light On A Topic And With Your Voice At A Concert You Can Shine A Light On An Actual Issue Or A Person, You Can Acknowledge Whatever You Like With Music And People Will Listen.
Song
Light
Voice
To Create An Album Of 12 Songs, I've Got To Write About 80 Songs. Half Of Those Are Totally Weird And Rubbish.
Song
Writing
Albums
I Didn't Want To Be A Headshot And Get A Chance To Go Compete To Sing-that's Not Me.
Want
Chance
Headshots
The Soil Is Actually The Greatest Technology We Have For Adapting To Climate Change. And I Feel It's Our Generation's Duty To Build It Back Up.
Technology
Our Generation
Soil
Performing Live Is Like Harvesting Your Crops And Sharing Your Food With People.
People
Crops
Performing
By The End Of The Writing Process, Which Is About 80 Songs Per Album, I Look At The Material And Think, What's Going To Make A Difference In Someone's Life.
Song
Writing
Thinking
And It's Okay If You Have To Go Away. Oh, Just Remember The Telephone Works Both Ways ((you And I Both))
Going Away
Telephones
Remember
If You Are What You Eat, In My Case, I'd Be Sweet So Come And Get Some.
Sweet
Cases
Ifs
I'm Most Grateful For My Health. It's Taken Me A Long Time To Get Where I Am, To Feel As Strong As I Do In My Mind And In My Body. It's Through That That I'm Able To Be Present In All My Relationships And Not Get Overwhelmed By What Could Seem Like A Big Task, Going All Around The World Constantly.
Strong
Taken
Grateful
My Days Could Be Described As An Ever Changing Palette Of Blues, Greens, Browns, And Golds. Mostly Because Of Surfing And Garden-gazing. On Tour, The Colors Are Desaturated By Florescent Lights And Dull Grey Carpets.
Garden
Light
Color
Musicians Are So Well Covered In The Press, It Would Be Great To See More Outspoken Practitioners Of Green Life.
Would Be
Green
Musician
Whenever There's A Camera In My Face, That's When I Feel Vulnerable, And Then It Turns Into A Little Bit Of Being Self-conscious, Which I Think Is The Worst Kind Of Vulnerability.
Thinking
Self
Littles
My Parents Dreaded The Fact That I Was Changing My Life To Do This, But I Just Kept Doing It.
Fear
Parent
Facts
I Had To Have A Lot Of Jobs Until I Was Supporting Myself Through Music, But I Knew That Those Jobs Were All Leading Me To Something. It Was All, Again, About Taking Things One Step At A Time, One Day At A Time.
Jobs
One Day At A Time
Steps
We Have The Ability To Manifest Our Thoughts: To Actually Say Something And Express What Our Feelings Are. That, Then, Transforms The World And Puts Something Into Action.
Feelings
World
Action
I Was A Horrible Student! It Just Sort Of Evolved As I Started Playing. I Guess I Became A Master Of It When I Declared Myself A Wordsmith Or A... Word-play Guy. As Soon As I Declared It And Started That Affirmation, I Just Became It.
Play
Guy
Students
Yoga Has Had A Profound Effect On My Songs And Performances. I Don't Meditate In The Traditional Style Of Sitting And Doing Nothing. I Prefer The Zen Of Paying Attention, Such As The Meditation Of Yoga Flow, Or Walking Meditations. I Also Consider Singing, Surfing And Gardening To Very Meditative.
Song
Yoga
Walking Meditation
Some People They Simply Just Want To Hear You. And Others Actually Have Things They Want To Share And Talk With You About. So It's Important For Me To Be As Strong As I Can When I Leave Home So I Can Hold Space For All Of It.
Strong
Home
Space
I Get Tired Of The Same Albums, The Same Look And Singing The Same Songs. When I Get Bored I Paint, I Plant Trees And Just Do Something Different. I Get Far Away From Singing.
Song
Tired
Bored
To Create An Album Of Love, I Really Had - I Thought It Was Going To Be Easy, Because I've Always Written Love Songs. But I Thought If I Really Want To Make A Love Album That Contributes, That Actually Means Something, I've Got To Go Deep.
Song
Mean
Albums
In The Words Of Michael Jackson: I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter.
Lovers
Fighter
I Feel Like I Write The Same Album Every Time But Each Time I Try To Convey The Message More Simply.
Writing
Trying
Albums
It Takes No Time To Fall In Love, But It Takes You Years To Know What Love Is.
Falling In Love
Love Is
Years
But You Are Beautiful And You Better Go Show It So Go Look Again You Gotta Be True To Your Own If You Really Wanna Go To The Top Do You Really Wanna Win Don’t Believe In Leaving Normal Just To Satisfy Demand ((beauty In Ugly))
Beautiful
Believe
Winning
Two Halves Don't Make A Whole. Two Wholes Make A Whole.
Two
Half
Whole
Here’s To Freedom, Cheers To Art. Here’s To Having An Excellent Adventure And May The Stopping Never Start.
Art
Travel
Cheer
I Feel At Home In Intimate Concert Halls. I Can Take Risks And I'm Immediately Forgiven If The Risk Is A Failure Because It's Such A Cozy Atmosphere. It Opens Up The Opportunity For Conversation And For Interacting With The Crowd.
Home
Opportunity
Risk
In Case You Never Noticed, The Path You Never Chose Has Chosen You.
Path
Cases
Chosen
It's Our God Forsaken Right To Be Loved, Loved, Loved.
Forsaken
I Buy Records From All Across The Board. I Get Kind Of A Hybrid Of Influences In My Own Music.
Records
Boards
Kind
When I First Started, My Message Was About Joy, But I Didn't Really Have The Vocabulary And Life Experience To Fully Deliver It.
Vocabulary
Joy
Messages
But That Guitar Is The Perfect Companion To The Human Voice. You Rest It Against Your Gut, Against Your Heart, And When You Strum It The Vibrations Go Outwards For All To Hear, But The Vibration Also Hits You On Your Body.
Heart
Guitar
Voice
Sometimes People Forget Their Own Greatness.
Greatness
People
Sometimes
My Goal Is To Show Everyone That They, Too, Can Do What They Love To Do.
Goal
Shows
Can Do
I Love Surfing And Bodysurfing. I Love Getting Slammed By The Waves - That Makes Me Feel Alive. The Waves Are A Good Reminder That I'm Small And Fragile.
Surfing
Alive
Wave
If You Have A Dream, This Is Your Chance. We Don't Always Have To Play It Safe Because People Might Think You're Weird.
Dream
Thinking
Play
I Will Find A Way To You If It Kills Me If It Kills Me If It Kills Me (i Think It Might Kill Me).
Broken Heart
Thinking
Might
I Love Getting A Smile Out Of My Girlfriend - That Makes Me Feel Like I'm Seen, Or Heard.
Girlfriend
My Girlfriend
Heard
Paul Mccartney And John Lennon Would Often Write A Song A Day, So I Have The Same Workmanlike Philosophy.
Song
Philosophy
Writing
A Picture Can Say 1000 Words But It Can Also Inspire You To Write 1000 More.
Writing
Inspire
The Best Thing For You To Do Is Shop At Your Local Farmer's Market And Support The Organic Growers Who Are There. Because Those Are The Guys Who Are Taking Care Of The Soil That Is Ultimately Going To Take Care Of Us.
Support
Guy
Care
Quite Simply I've Distilled My Mission Down To The Essence. The Only Thing I'm Really Here To Do Is Shine Light On People's Lives Through Music, Through Laughter And To Simply Enjoy Being With People.
Laughter
Light
Essence
And When You're Needing Your Space To Do Some Navigating...i' Ll Be Here Patiently Waiting To See What You Find
Space
Waiting
Patiently Waiting
You're Letting Go Of Having The Best Possible Experience You Can Have Regardless Of Who You Are And Where You Are. I Think That Can Be Applied To All Things, But It's Easier Said Than Done.
Letting Go
Thinking
Done
I've Always Used Songwriting As A Way To Help Me Organise Reality.
Reality
Way
Helping
I Write A Lot Of Material You've Never Heard That Live Inside My Sadness. You'll Hear A Song That Lasts Six To Seven Minutes Of Just Beautiful Sadness. But I Can't Just Go Out On The Stage To Ask Five Thousand People To Be Sad With Me For Seven Straight Minutes.
Beautiful
Song
Writing
I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter. No Battles For Me.
Battle
Lovers
Fighter
Well, My View Before Was A Western View, And I Certainly Understand Marriage Equality And Civil Rights, Equal Rights For All, But Having Visited Developing Nations And Some Of The Poorest Nations In The World, I Realize How Deep It Goes And How Much Work Really Needs To Be Done To Create Equality For All.
Rights
Views
Needs
Surrender To Life Itself And You'll Just Be Rewarded With So Many Things. And I've Been Rewarded So Many Times, In So Many Mysterious Ways. So I Have No Reason To Be Disappointed With Anything.
Life
Letting Go
Way
If It's A Broken Part, Replace It. If It's A Broken Arm Then Brace It. If It's A Broken Heart, Then Face It.
Heart
Broken
Wicked
Well, It Kind Of Hurts When The Kind Of Words You Write And Kind Of Turn Themselves Into Knives And Don't Mind My Nerve You Can Call It Fiction 'cause I Like Being Submerged In Your Contradictions, Dear 'cause Here We Are, Here We Are Although You Were Biased, I Love Your Advice Your Comebacks They're Quick And Probably Have To Do With Your Insecurities There's No Shame In Being Crazy Depending On How You Take These Words They're Paraphrasing This Relationship We're Staging And It's A Beautiful Mess, Yes, It Is It's Like We're Picking Up Trash In Dresses
Beautiful
Hurt
Crazy
I Aim To Write Songs In A Way That You Don't Have To Have Gone To Ghana To Relate To It, You Really Just Have To Have A Heart.
Song
Writing
Heart
When You're Writing A Song And There Are Five People Invested In It, It's Easy For One Person To Say, 'oh, This Song Is About This And That', And Everyone Has To Hear The Idea And See If They Can Do Better.
Song
Writing
Ideas
Stress Is The Result Of Not Listening To Your Heart. If You Ignore It For Too Long, And Surrender Your Power To Someone Else, Your Chest Will Explode With Panic. I Take Plenty Of Time For Me.
Stress
Heart
Long
I Write My Miserable Songs. I Write Songs About Disgust And Self-pity. We’re All Going To Have Bummer Moments. That’s Not The Stuff I Choose To Share.
Song
Writing
Self
Timeless Comes To Mind. When You Listen To It, You Can't Tell What Year The Thing Was Made. And You Don't Even Care.
Years
Mind
Care
Love Is The Only Thing That Makes The World Spin Around, I Think. It's Weird. We Have To Call It "love," Because We Have To Call It Something, But It's Not A Word. It's An Energy. It's An Act. It's An Action. It's A Natural Thing.
Love Is
Thinking
Energy
Another Year Is Fast Approaching. Go Be That Starving Artist You’re Afraid To Be. Open Up That Journal And Get Poetic Finally. Volunteer. Suck It Up And Travel. You Were Not Born Here To Work And Pay Taxes. You Were Put Here To Be Part Of A Vast Organism To Explore And Create. Stop Putting It Off. The World Has Much More To Offer Than What’s On 15 Televisions At Tgi Fridays. Take Pictures. Scare People. Shake Up The Scene. Be The Change You Want To See In The World.
Inspirational
Life
Friday
You Come To Realize That Only One Person Can Tell You What's Expected Of You, And That's You.
Realizing
Persons
Expected
It Makes Me Feel Great, Knowing My Songs Are Being Heard And Of Service To People.
Song
Knowing
People
You Are The Mountain, You Are The Rock You Are The Cord And You’re The Spark You Are The Eagle, You Are The Lark You Are The World And You’re Remarkable You’re The Ocean Eating The Shore You Are The Calm Inside The Storm You’re Every Emotion, You Can Endure You Are The World And The World Is Yours. ((the World As I See It))
Ocean
Rocks
Eagles
What I Get On A Yoga Mat, And From A Yoga Teacher, Has Been More Beneficial Onstage Than Any Other Workshop I've Ever Done.
Teacher
Yoga
Done
Life Can't Work For You If You Don't Show Up As You.
Shows
Frustration In Life
Anger Frustration
I Enjoy Going On Stage Knowing That There's Going To Be That Vulnerability And That Transparency And Hopefully Things Will Be Realized Or Accomplished Or That Confidence Will Be Revealed. I Think That's Another Element That People Like About Shows: In Addition To Hearing The Songs That They Love, I Think There Are Some People Who Really Get Off On Connecting With What's Happening Right Now.
Song
Thinking
Knowing
My Parents Were Always Very Supportive And Accepting. They Even Shared My Curiosity For Life, Or Perhaps I Theirs.
Parent
Curiosity
Supportive
I Think More Obvious To Others, Is That I'm Most Vulnerable On Stage. Even Though I Know Which Songs I'm Going To Play, I Try And Keep It Loose And Base My Stage Time More On What The Audience Is Requesting Of Me.
Song
Thinking
Play
Humans Will Always Endure Suffering - Even Accepting The Fact That We're Going To Die Will Cause Us Suffering, And From That Stems A Little Pessimism And Negativity That All Of Us Are Susceptible To.
Negativity
Suffering
Facts
You Don't Have To Live Near The Ocean For It To Have An Impact On You. And You Don't Have To Live Near The Ocean For You To Have An Impact On It.
Ocean
Impact
I Try Not To Write Songs. I Would Rather Emote Them, And I Found Myself Going Back To My Room Every Night While On My Trip, Just Pouring Out New Songs And New Stories About What I Was Seeing, What I Was Feeling.
Song
Writing
Night
I Do Feel Most At Home Playing Live, But The Feeling Of Getting Into The Studio To See The New Songs Take Shape Was Really Incredible.
Song
Home
Feelings
When We All Sing In Unison - Sing In Harmony - Things Come To Us On Levels That Are Much Deeper Than Can Be Seen By The Naked Eye. Much Deeper Than Even Our Subconscious. Things Are Happening.
Eye
Naked
Levels
Well You Are Fresh Your Face Is Fabulous Don’t Forget You’re One Of A Kind When Nobody’s Checking The Deeds You’ve Done And Nobody’s Hearing Your Cries You Make All The Fashion Statements Just By Dressing Up Your Mind ((beauty In Ugly))
Fashion
Dressing Up
Mind
I Am Who I Am, You Are Who You Are, And Everything Else Is A Perception Based On Acceptance, Deception, Smoke, Mirrors, And So On. It's What's Between Us That Seems To Justify Our Accidental Identities.
Acceptance
Mirrors
Who I Am
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