A good poem is an amazing thing: a perfectly distilled, articulate moment. It opens you up - sometimes slowly, like the blooming of a flower, and sometimes with a quick knife-slice.
People get comfort from music. They get joy from it and understanding from it, and most of all, the average person can't do without it in some sense.
Sondheim writes the music and lyrics, and because he's so smart and goes so deep with his feelings, there's a lot to explore, get involved with and learn about.
A music serves truth up to you in a really interesting way that allows you to luxuriate in its beauty and, at the same time, to hopefully see yourself in its fragility.
When I wrote 'Mushaboom', I was living in the second verse, but I suddenly found myself in the first.
As a songwriter, I was always mining my own depths, which were filled with confusion and darkness.
When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it's composition.
Chelsea Morning is a great Joni Mitchell song and I guess I'm partial to her lyrics because they show me a slightly different perspective on life.