--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to write songs with complete…" description: "\"I want to write songs with complete sentences. I almos have this obsession with short-changing words. I would never be so pretentious to say that my ly..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/ben-gibbard-7584_lyrics_i-want-to-write-songs-with-complete-sent_245098.jpg" --- # I want to write songs with complete sentences. I almos… ![“I want to write songs with complete sentences. I almos have this obsession with short-changing words. I would never be so pretentious to say that my lyrics are poetry. ... Poems are poems. Song lyrics are for songs.” quote by Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/ben-gibbard-7584_lyrics_i-want-to-write-songs-with-complete-sent_245098.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/ben-gibbard-7584_lyrics_i-want-to-write-songs-with-complete-sent_245098.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/ben-gibbard-7584_lyrics_i-want-to-write-songs-with-complete-sent_245098.jpg) > “I want to write songs with complete sentences. I almos have this obsession with short-changing words. I would never be so pretentious to say that my lyrics are poetry. ... Poems are poems. Song lyrics are for songs.” [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distinguishes lyrics from poetry, valuing straightforward language over pretentiousness. **In simple terms:** Lyrics should be clear, not overly poetic. Key Takeaway Embrace simplicity in songwriting. Themes songwriting authenticity artistic integrity expression Mood reflective determined Type advice creative When to use this quote - writing songs - performing - studio sessions - collaborations Key Concepts lyricism poetry vs song creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance clarity with emotional depth? - When does simplicity become bland? A Different Perspective Over-simplification may limit artistic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Lyrics Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics-poetry-2100183/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Poems Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-song-2448542/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Pretentious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Song lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song-lyrics/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Write Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-songs/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There's no difference between lyrics and poetry. Words are words. The only difference is the people who are in academic positions and call themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/there-s-no-difference-between-lyrics-and-poetry-words-are-words-the/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Don't call my lyrics poetry. It's an insult to real poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-taupin/don-t-call-my-lyrics-poetry-it-s-an-insult-to-real-poets/) [Bernie Taupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-taupin/) > [Sonic Youth has always been the vehicle for my writing, you know, because it's a collective songwriting entity: we write our songs as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ranaldo/sonic-youth-has-always-been-the-vehicle-for-my-writing-you-know/) [Lee Ranaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ranaldo/) > [What is it that makes you want to write songs? In a way you want to stretch yourself into other people’s hearts. You want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/what-is-it-that-makes-you-want-to-write-songs-in-a-way-you-want-to/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I think after doing Push and Shove and having it not be successful, I lost a lot of confidence. Songwriting, for me, has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-stefani/i-think-after-doing-push-and-shove-and-having-it-not-be-successful-i/) [Gwen Stefani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-stefani/) > [I don't really premeditate what I write my songs about; you know, they just kind of happen, and I can't start writing songs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-don-t-really-premeditate-what-i-write-my-songs-about-you-know-they/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Not too many songwriters, when they write songs go for broke. When someone does who's really good, it's astonishing. There's a reason a three-minute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/not-too-many-songwriters-when-they-write-songs-go-for-broke-when/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [It was my 16th birthday - my mom and dad gave me my Goya classical guitar that day. I sat down, wrote this song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/it-was-my-16th-birthday-my-mom-and-dad-gave-me-my-goya-classical/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [Those in power write the history while those who suffer write the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-harte/those-in-power-write-the-history-while-those-who-suffer-write-the/) [Frank Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-harte/) > [I always try to write the best song I can in the moment, and those songs are often going to end up on Death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-always-try-to-write-the-best-song-i-can-in-the-moment-and-those/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I decided a handful of years ago that I just want to write songs that you can understand as soon as you put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-decided-a-handful-of-years-ago-that-i-just-want-to-write-songs-that/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/more-times-than-not-it-s-a-failed-endeavor-you-will-fail-more-times/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The songwriting of Hall & Oates is deceptively complex. There are a number of key changes that pass you by as you're listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/the-songwriting-of-hall-oates-is-deceptively-complex-there-are-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [Sometimes I might go too far with the pretentious references, which I might not do again. But when you're writing, you're sitting alone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-mcdonagh/sometimes-i-might-go-too-far-with-the-pretentious-references-which-i/) [John Michael McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-mcdonagh/) > [“A novel is no different than graffiti in a bathroom stall, it's just more pretentious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/a-novel-is-no-different-than-graffiti-in-a-bathroom-stall-it-s-just/) [Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/) ## More by Ben Gibbard > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [We never sit down before we start making a record and talk about this new sonic palette that we are going to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/we-never-sit-down-before-we-start-making-a-record-and-talk-about-this/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [When I'm old, I'd like to wake up in the morning and not really do anything - just be happy to exist. I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/when-i-m-old-i-d-like-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-not-really-do/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [An ex-girlfriend once got upset when I told her that music is the most important thing in my life. It's more important than anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/an-ex-girlfriend-once-got-upset-when-i-told-her-that-music-is-the/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [At some point, I thought that, as I got older, I'd come to terms with a lot of things. I'd solve some big problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/at-some-point-i-thought-that-as-i-got-older-i-d-come-to-terms-with-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The songwriting of Hall & Oates is deceptively complex. There are a number of key changes that pass you by as you're listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/the-songwriting-of-hall-oates-is-deceptively-complex-there-are-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [When you connect as many memories to your geography as I have, and then you see that geography change around you, you're forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/when-you-connect-as-many-memories-to-your-geography-as-i-have-and/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [It's trippy to think we have an album that's 10 years old. It's even trippier to think we have a couple of albums older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/it-s-trippy-to-think-we-have-an-album-that-s-10-years-old-it-s-even/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [We all pine for a time in life when things were simpler. Even when they weren't necessarily simpler, hindsight makes them look a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/we-all-pine-for-a-time-in-life-when-things-were-simpler-even-when/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I kind of dropped a lot of bad habits about three years ago and became kind of accidentally straight-edge. I don't have Xs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-kind-of-dropped-a-lot-of-bad-habits-about-three-years-ago-and/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [For 'Narrow Stairs', the majority of the songs I brought in were guitar songs - songs we could sit in a room and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/for-narrow-stairs-the-majority-of-the-songs-i-brought-in-were-guitar/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I've always had a soft spot for Phil Collins. He's a great vocalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-ve-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-phil-collins-he-s-a-great-vocalist/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/more-times-than-not-it-s-a-failed-endeavor-you-will-fail-more-times/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I think a lot of people who become music fans have that moment where they break from their parents' music, they break from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-think-a-lot-of-people-who-become-music-fans-have-that-moment-where/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I'm not like a 90-mph fastball kind of guy, but I can hit 70 on radar gun. I hit 70 one time on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-m-not-like-a-90-mph-fastball-kind-of-guy-but-i-can-hit-70-on-radar/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) [Explore all 89 Ben Gibbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) ## More Lyrics quotes > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [The lyrics are constructed as empirically as the music. I don't set out to say anything very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-lyrics-are-constructed-as-empirically-as-the-music-i-don-t-set/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [No matter how many quotes you read, songs lyrics you hear, or how much you write your heart out, sometimes words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-many-quotes-you-read-songs-lyrics-you-hear-or-how-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [When you are happy you enjoy music but when you are sad you understand the lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-happy-you-enjoy-music-but-when-you-are-sad-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. 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