--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...and if you hear something you know…" description: "\"...and if you hear something you know, please sing along. No wait - I take that back - you can't sing along - this is about me now - this is my show.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/audra-mcdonald-9650_ifs_and-if-you-hear-something-you-know-pleas_2663270.jpg" --- # ...and if you hear something you know, please sing along… ![“...and if you hear something you know, please sing along. No wait - I take that back - you can't sing along - this is about me now - this is my show.” quote by Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/audra-mcdonald-9650_ifs_and-if-you-hear-something-you-know-pleas_2663270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/audra-mcdonald-9650_ifs_and-if-you-hear-something-you-know-pleas_2663270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/audra-mcdonald-9650_ifs_and-if-you-hear-something-you-know-pleas_2663270.jpg) > “...and if you hear something you know, please sing along. No wait - I take that back - you can't sing along - this is about me now - this is my show.” [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The performer claims ownership of the stage, refusing audience participation. **In simple terms:** I own the show, no sing‑along. Key Takeaway Own your narrative, set boundaries. Themes art ownership performance Mood assertive defiant Type performance personal When to use this quote - live shows - creative presentations - solo acts Key Concepts theatre authorship control Questions to Reflect On - When is collaboration beneficial? - How to balance control and connection? A Different Perspective Audience engagement can enrich art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hear Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-know-712604/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Know Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-sing-356564/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sing/) [Sing Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sing-wait-583364/) [Wait Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-sing-952064/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) ## Related quotes > [“So forget this cruel world Where I belong I'll just sit and wait And sing my song. And if one day you should see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-drake/so-forget-this-cruel-world-where-i-belong-i-ll-just-sit-and-wait-and/) [Nick Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-drake/) > [Little Bird if you do not sing for me, I will wait for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ieyasu-tokugawa/little-bird-if-you-do-not-sing-for-me-i-will-wait-for-you/) [Ieyasu Tokugawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ieyasu-tokugawa/) > [I used to sing when I was younger. I left it alone for a long time, 'cause I was like, I don't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dreezy/i-used-to-sing-when-i-was-younger-i-left-it-alone-for-a-long-time/) [Dreezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dreezy/) > [It would be awesome to know how to sing and be some sort of performer; to feed off other's people's energy is intense. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-viall/it-would-be-awesome-to-know-how-to-sing-and-be-some-sort-of-performer/) [Nick Viall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-viall/) > [A lot of times they don't want to hear it. But you know, if some good is done to you, you should pass it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/a-lot-of-times-they-don-t-want-to-hear-it-but-you-know-if-some-good/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [And we hope that when they hear it, you know, it'll make people get out of their cars and just go live life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-toro/and-we-hope-that-when-they-hear-it-you-know-it-ll-make-people-get-out/) [Ray Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-toro/) > [Whenever I hear.it cant be done, I know I m close to sucess,,,,...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulfat/whenever-i-hear-it-cant-be-done-i-know-i-m-close-to-sucess/) [Mulfat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulfat/) > [I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/i-hear-i-know-i-see-i-remember-i-do-i-understand/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Whenever I hear, 'It can't be done,' I know I'm close to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-flatley/whenever-i-hear-it-can-t-be-done-i-know-i-m-close-to-success/) [Michael Flatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-flatley/) > [I swear I only want to hear about you, to know what you've been doing. It's a hundred years since we've met-it may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/i-swear-i-only-want-to-hear-about-you-to-know-what-you-ve-been-doing/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [When you hear me, you know it's me, regardless of the song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/when-you-hear-me-you-know-it-s-me-regardless-of-the-song/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [I see all. I hear all. I know all. And I spend a great deal of time in the bathroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/i-see-all-i-hear-all-i-know-all-and-i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-in/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [“Who doesn’t cry when they hear, “Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-lende/who-doesn-t-cry-when-they-hear-would-you-know-my-name-if-i-saw-you-in/) [Heather Lende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-lende/) > [I want people who live in small towns to know I hear them, I see them and I know what it's like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-kahan/i-want-people-who-live-in-small-towns-to-know-i-hear-them-i-see-them/) [Noah Kahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-kahan/) > [I'm making some changes in my life and if you don't hear from me than you should know you are one of them..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megannn/i-m-making-some-changes-in-my-life-and-if-you-don-t-hear-from-me-than/) [Megannn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megannn/) ## More by Audra McDonald > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [One thing that is constantly on my iPod is India Arie - I like her a lot; I listen to her a lot. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/one-thing-that-is-constantly-on-my-ipod-is-india-arie-i-like-her-a/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [And I found the theater, and I found my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/and-i-found-the-theater-and-i-found-my-home/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I was a little girl with a pot belly and Afro puffs, hyperactive and overdramatic, and I found the theater and I found my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-was-a-little-girl-with-a-pot-belly-and-afro-puffs-hyperactive-and/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I find that I'm just drawn to anything that's going to challenge me as an actress. So, anything that's going to help me grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-find-that-i-m-just-drawn-to-anything-that-s-going-to-challenge-me/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I choose things that challenge me. I was afraid of the camera - that's why I chose to do 'Private Practice.' It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-choose-things-that-challenge-me-i-was-afraid-of-the-camera-that-s/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [When you become a parent, it blows you open in ways that you never thought possible in terms of a level of love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/when-you-become-a-parent-it-blows-you-open-in-ways-that-you-never/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [Without theater, I don't think I would have thought I was a smart person or excelled at anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/without-theater-i-don-t-think-i-would-have-thought-i-was-a-smart/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I feel a connection to many songs that I won't sing because I don't think they are right for me! There is something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-feel-a-connection-to-many-songs-that-i-won-t-sing-because-i-don-t/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I've spent my whole career trying to stay out of any box that anyone could put me in. 'I'm going to do a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-ve-spent-my-whole-career-trying-to-stay-out-of-any-box-that-anyone/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I auditioned for Julliard because I wanted to live in New York, and I wanted to be on Broadway at the time. Julliard seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-auditioned-for-julliard-because-i-wanted-to-live-in-new-york-and-i/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I used to practice Tony speeches in my bathroom with my hairbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-used-to-practice-tony-speeches-in-my-bathroom-with-my-hairbrush/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I think in the end there is one ultimate goal with all my careers, and that is, as a performing artist, you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-think-in-the-end-there-is-one-ultimate-goal-with-all-my-careers-and/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [I guess what I know now that I definitely didn't know as a child, is that being truest to yourself is the greatest weapon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/i-guess-what-i-know-now-that-i-definitely-didn-t-know-as-a-child-is/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [Every human being has a dream. I think what's special about the American Dream is that it implies, given everything that's happened with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/every-human-being-has-a-dream-i-think-what-s-special-about-the/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) [Explore all 71 Audra McDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. 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