Stevie Ray Vaughan Quotations

I'm just doing the best I can now to keep this going... trying to grow up and remain young at the same time.

What I am trying to get across to you; is please take of yourselves and those that you love; because that is what we are hear for, that's all we got, and that is all we can take with us. Are you with me?

I wanted to play saxophone, but all I could get were a few squeaks.

So, my big brother was playing guitar and I figured I'd try it too.

Ya know, right now the most important thing in my life is to make sure you understand that, first of all I thank God I'm alive today, and I mean that. I spent too many years of my life thinking that the big party was the whole thing.

And sometimes to help them we have got to help ourselves.

I actually wanted to be a drummer, but I didn't have any drums.

I got a lot of paradoxes in my life. I guess I'm a real confused person, but there are some focused parts to my life now, and I'm slowly trying to put all the pieces back together.

The way people come into your life when you need them, it's wonderful and it happens in so many ways. It's like having an angel. Somebody comes along and helps you get right.

You see, we are here, as far as I can tell, to help each other; our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our enemies. That is to help each other and not hurt each other.

The way I play, I go through a set in a year. So I put '58 Gibson Jumbo Bass frets on all my necks.

Some of us can be examples about going ahead and growing, and some of us, unfortunately, don't make it there, and end up being examples because they had to die. I hit rock bottom, but thank God my bottom wasn't death.

Lots of times I'll play lead and rhythm together.

I kept listening, kept going to see people, kept sitting in with people, kept listening to records. If I wanted to learn somebody's stuff, like with Clapton, when I wanted to learn how he was getting some of his sounds - which were real neat - I learned how to make the sounds with my mouth and then copied that with my guitar.

I've put my life back together, but it's all a growing process and that's neat, too, because if you stop growing, what good is it musically? So that is what I am looking forward to - growing. In some ways, I felt stagnant in my life and it showed.

I hit rock bottom, but thank God my bottom wasn't death.

I took music theory for one year in high school and flunked all but one six-week period. That's because I couldn't read music, and the rest of the class was already eight or nine years into it. The teacher would sit down and hit a ten-fingered chord on the piano and you had to write all the notes down in about ten seconds. I just couldn't do it.

I've been trying to grow up some myself, in my heart, and it's happening quick and I feel good about it, and I want that to come out in the music.

You know, there's a big lie in this business. The lie is that it's okay to go out in flames. But that doesn't do anybody much good. I may be wrong, but I think Hendrix was trying to come around.

But between sets I'd sneak over to the black places to hear blues musicians. It got to the point where I was making my living at white clubs and having my fun at the other places.

I was taught to think the next week or month or year will only get better than it is today. So I just keep waiting to see how great it will get!

The Marshall is supposed to be 200 watts, but mine's never worked right; it peaks out at 80.

The problem with taking amps to a shop is that they come back sounding like another amp.

Jazz changes and all. But I don't know the names of what it is I'm doing.

After I changed the string we picked up right where we left off - and punched back in at the same time. I don't know if this has ever been done before. The engineer sort of looked at us weird, but we got it on the first take.

I mainly use Stratocasters. I like a lot of different kinds of guitars, but for what I do, it seems that a Stratocaster is the most versatile. I can pretty much get any sound out of it, and I use stock pickups.

The whole deal is when you walk onstage, you're up there bigger than life. People idolize you.

Lonnie was ahead of his time, but at the same time he was right in there with Albert Collins's Cool Sounds.

Well there's floodin' down in Texas. All of the telephone lines are down. Well, I've been tryin' to call my baby, Lord, and I can't get a single sound.

I figured out how to get the guitar to rumble...I put it on the middle pickup, turn the tone know down, grab it by the wang bar, and just shake it on the floor... a Stratocaster is pretty tough - I wouldn't recommend that anybody do that with their ES-335

God it's good to be here walkin together, my friend.

I love my baby like the finest wine, I'll stick with her until the end of time.

My baby she's a long and lean, you mess with her you see a man get mean.

If you hit the front end on the right-hand side you could turn that one on by itself and if you hit on the left-hand side you could turn it on and off. And in the middle it was like serious overdrive.

To be honest with you, I'm not sure what a pop tune is. I'm sure if I hear it on the radio, I'd say that's pop or this or that. But, really, what I pay attention to the most is just music that moves me. It's all at least a root-type music instead of a formula.

Even though there's reasons to try things that may or may not work, it's still a real intimate way to finish the song with everybody right there in the band just locked in.

All the Strats have personalities of their own and feel completely different.

I play as many different things - piano, sax and harp parts - as I can at once. Whatever I can fit, whenever I need to.

Some people don't understand that but it's nice when it really just gets to the point then that it [music] doesn't get played so much that you're overdoing a lot of things; that it's fresh ideas. And they come out fresh and if you're already in the mode, I guess, to simplify some things so that it comes across better on record, it's the right time to be tasteful with somethin'.

Day by day night after night Blinded by the neon lights Hurry here, hustlin' there No one's got the time to spare Money's tight, nothin' free Won't somebody come and rescue me? I am stranded, caught in the crossfire Stranded, caught in the crossfire! Tooth for tooth, eye for an eye Sell your soul just to buy, buy, buy Beggin' a dollar stealin' a dime Come on can't you see that I I am stranded, caught in the crossfire

Looking back in front of me, in the mirror a grin. Through eyes of love I see, I'm only looking at a friend.

While I was sleeping, I had a beautiful dream that all the people of the world got together on the same wavelength and began helping each other.

I don't play with a lot of finesse. I usually play like I'm breaking out of jail!

When I play from my mind I get in trouble.

That's how it happens, livin life by the drop.

I was walking around trying to act cool, like I had no fear at all. But I was afraid, afraid that somebody would find out just how scared I was. Now I'm finally realizing that fear is the opposite of love.

Music really is a way to reach out and hold on to each other in a healthy way.

Music has become really important now. It's helped me to open up more and take a chance on loving people. Music is a good reason to care. It's just a vehicle though. It's a way to try and give somebody something that you feel. If trying the best I can isn't good enough, I'll just have to try harder next time...it's all I can do. If I do the best I can, then at least I did the best I could in this life The way I like to look at it is....if that's the last time /I ever got to play, I'd better give it everything I've got.

Your sound is in your hands as much as anything. It's the way you pick, and the way you hold the guitar, more than it is the amp or the guitar you use.

I use heavy strings, tune low, play hard, and floor it. Floor it. That's technical talk.

It is the human things that make life good, the unexpected kindness, the friendly note, the bracing word, the neighbour's extra loaf of bread she leaves at our back door.