---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasn't getting any work as a songwriter…"
description: "\"I wasn't getting any work as a songwriter in Texas because I was only known as a fiddle player.\" — Amanda Shires"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/amanda-shires-14190_fiddle_i-wasn-t-getting-any-work-as-a-songwrite_582325.jpg"
---

#  I wasn't getting any work as a songwriter in Texas because…

![“I wasn't getting any work as a songwriter in Texas because I was only known as a fiddle player.” quote by Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/amanda-shires-14190_fiddle_i-wasn-t-getting-any-work-as-a-songwrite_582325.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/amanda-shires-14190_fiddle_i-wasn-t-getting-any-work-as-a-songwrite_582325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/amanda-shires-14190_fiddle_i-wasn-t-getting-any-work-as-a-songwrite_582325.jpg)

> “I wasn't getting any work as a songwriter in Texas because I was only known as a fiddle player.”

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Being type by a single skill can restrict opportunities; showcasing versatility opens doors.

**In simple terms:** Don’t let one label limit you.

Key Takeaway

Expand your artistic identity.

Themes

career development identity versatility

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

motivational practical

When to use this quote

- music industry networking
- genre crossover
- personal branding
- skill diversification

Key Concepts

branding self‑redefinition

Questions to Reflect On

- What other talents could you highlight?
- How might you rebrand yourself without losing authenticity?

A Different Perspective

Changing perception can be slow and risky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Songwriter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriter/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

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> [Now, this one might be a little stringy, but then again, it's fiddle player." That isn't fiddle player, it's piccolo player." How can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/now-this-one-might-be-a-little-stringy-but-then-again-it-s-fiddle/)

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> [I first knew Laurie Lewis by her considerable reputation as a fiddle player and a writer of songs. When an opportunity came along to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-first-knew-laurie-lewis-by-her-considerable-reputation-as-a-fiddle/)

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> [You know, if you really want to fiddle the old-time way, you've got to learn the dance. The contra-dances, hoedowns. It's all in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-krauss/you-know-if-you-really-want-to-fiddle-the-old-time-way-you-ve-got-to/)

[Alison Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-krauss/)

> [And I also think it's a violin when you're selling it and a fiddle when you're buying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/and-i-also-think-it-s-a-violin-when-you-re-selling-it-and-a-fiddle/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/a-fiddler-on-the-roof-sounds-crazy-no-but-here-in-our-little-village/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [I've been hearing fiddle music since I was in the womb, I'm sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/i-ve-been-hearing-fiddle-music-since-i-was-in-the-womb-i-m-sure/)

[Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/)

> [Greece is a sort of American vassal; the Netherlands is the country of American bases that grow like tulip bulbs; Cuba is the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/greece-is-a-sort-of-american-vassal-the-netherlands-is-the-country-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Oh, I'm being eaten By a boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor, And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/oh-i-m-being-eaten-by-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa/)

[Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/)

> [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/)

Rory Block

> [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george-bohn/friends-are-like-fiddle-strings-they-must-not-be-screwed-too-tight/)

[Henry George Bohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george-bohn/)

> [The earth keeps some vibration going There in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why fiddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-earth-keeps-some-vibration-going-there-in-your-heart-and-that-is/)

[Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/)

> [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## More by Amanda Shires

> [It's weird to take your work into a room and everybody reads it. Then comes the terror part, the dissection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/it-s-weird-to-take-your-work-into-a-room-and-everybody-reads-it-then/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [And I also think it's a violin when you're selling it and a fiddle when you're buying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/and-i-also-think-it-s-a-violin-when-you-re-selling-it-and-a-fiddle/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [I'm well-read as far as literary fiction, but I wanted to make better decisions about my writing, to use words or phrases more confidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-m-well-read-as-far-as-literary-fiction-but-i-wanted-to-make-better/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [Instinct is still important, but now I can easily identify problems like cliches and mixed metaphors, and I have a broader palette to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/instinct-is-still-important-but-now-i-can-easily-identify-problems/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [There's a stability in being a side person that can be kind of dangerous if you also want to be an artist on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/there-s-a-stability-in-being-a-side-person-that-can-be-kind-of/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [At about 33 weeks along in my pregnancy, the doctor suggested that I stay pretty close to home and not be touring and flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/at-about-33-weeks-along-in-my-pregnancy-the-doctor-suggested-that-i/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [I think I prefer for the listener to decide for themselves what stuff means, because I always hate it when I think a song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-think-i-prefer-for-the-listener-to-decide-for-themselves-what-stuff/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [I consider myself more of a rock 'n' roll fiddler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-consider-myself-more-of-a-rock-n-roll-fiddler/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

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[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [Sometimes when you're going through life you're not really noticing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/sometimes-when-you-re-going-through-life-you-re-not-really-noticing-it/)

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> [I write really slowly, and my lines are really, really terrible all the time. It takes so long for me to get them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-write-really-slowly-and-my-lines-are-really-really-terrible-all-the/)

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> [I don't really have anything nice to say about pop-country radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-don-t-really-have-anything-nice-to-say-about-pop-country-radio/)

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[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

[Explore all 47 Amanda Shires quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

## More Fiddle quotes

> [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [The earth keeps some vibration going There in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why fiddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-earth-keeps-some-vibration-going-there-in-your-heart-and-that-is/)

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> [Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george-bohn/friends-are-like-fiddle-strings-they-must-not-be-screwed-too-tight/)

[Henry George Bohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george-bohn/)

> [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/)

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> [I've been hearing fiddle music since I was in the womb, I'm sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-macmaster/i-ve-been-hearing-fiddle-music-since-i-was-in-the-womb-i-m-sure/)

[Natalie MacMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-macmaster/)

> [A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-harnick/a-fiddler-on-the-roof-sounds-crazy-no-but-here-in-our-little-village/)

[Sheldon Harnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-harnick/)

> [And I also think it's a violin when you're selling it and a fiddle when you're buying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/and-i-also-think-it-s-a-violin-when-you-re-selling-it-and-a-fiddle/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [“A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle To a double-e waterfall over my back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/a-leaf-of-all-colors-plays-a-golden-string-fiddle-to-a-double-e/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [He liked to think that Heaven was what each person wanted it to be. He could see no future in lying around on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-kelton/he-liked-to-think-that-heaven-was-what-each-person-wanted-it-to-be-he/)

[Elmer Kelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-kelton/)

> [Music is my mistress and she plays second fiddle to no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-ellington/music-is-my-mistress-and-she-plays-second-fiddle-to-no-one/)

[Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-ellington/)

> [There's an easy method for finding someone when you hear them scream. First get a clean sheet of paper and a sharp pencil. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-an-easy-method-for-finding-someone-when-you-hear-them-scream/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For 'Singin' in the Rain,' I bought most of the costumes - the 'Fit as a Fiddle' costumes and the 'Make Them Laugh' Donald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/for-singin-in-the-rain-i-bought-most-of-the-costumes-the-fit-as-a/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

Browse all 166 Fiddle quotes

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