--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like a very dark house, just black. I…" description: "\"I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just think. Once I'm still and quiet inside, I'll begin. It's very personal; it has to be. One so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/bobby-mcferrin-12039_black_i-like-a-very-dark-house-just-black-i-si_1577335.jpg" --- # I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just… ![“I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just think. Once I'm still and quiet inside, I'll begin. It's very personal; it has to be. One song may be Bach, the next blues, a song from TV, or a nursery rhyme or jazz piece.” quote by Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/bobby-mcferrin-12039_black_i-like-a-very-dark-house-just-black-i-si_1577335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/bobby-mcferrin-12039_black_i-like-a-very-dark-house-just-black-i-si_1577335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/bobby-mcferrin-12039_black_i-like-a-very-dark-house-just-black-i-si_1577335.jpg) > “I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just think. Once I'm still and quiet inside, I'll begin. It's very personal; it has to be. One song may be Bach, the next blues, a song from TV, or a nursery rhyme or jazz piece.” [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. McFerrin describes his dark, solitary creative space where diverse musical influences converge, emphasizing personal, introspective composition. **In simple terms:** He finds inspiration in solitude and varied music. Key Takeaway Embrace quiet moments and diverse influences for creative work. Themes creativity solitude musical diversity introspection Mood reflective introspective Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - improvisation - personal reflection Key Concepts music theory psychology artistic process Questions to Reflect On - How does darkness influence artistic expression? - What role do varied musical styles play in creativity? A Different Perspective Relying on solitude may limit collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Nursery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nursery/) [Nursery rhymes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nursery-rhymes/) [Rhyming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhyming/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I like Fisher Price music, nursery rhymes, and the alphabet song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tre-cool/i-like-fisher-price-music-nursery-rhymes-and-the-alphabet-song/) [Tre Cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tre-cool/) > [When I'm drawing a picture, I feel...quiet inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/when-i-m-drawing-a-picture-i-feel-quiet-inside/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [To be aware of little, quiet things, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required. Be still. Look. Listen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-be-aware-of-little-quiet-things-you-need-to-be-quiet-inside-a-high/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [You've been quiet lately...but it's not so much the quiet as something inside the quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/you-ve-been-quiet-lately-but-it-s-not-so-much-the-quiet-as-something/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Be quiet. Part of your responsibility is to honour the quiet inside yourself so you can hear the call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/be-quiet-part-of-your-responsibility-is-to-honour-the-quiet-inside/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“War is no strife To the dark house and the detested wife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/war-is-no-strife-to-the-dark-house-and-the-detested-wife/) [william shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When you bring the light into your dark house, that is when you see the cobwebs and spiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-you-bring-the-light-into-your-dark-house-that-is-when-you-see/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [There are no windows within the dark house of depression through which to see others, only mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/there-are-no-windows-within-the-dark-house-of-depression-through/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [“These were always the weirdest trips for me, when it was midnight or even later, and we pulled up to a dark house, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/these-were-always-the-weirdest-trips-for-me-when-it-was-midnight-or/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“The past is a dark house, and we have only torches with dying batteries. It's probably best not to spend too much time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/the-past-is-a-dark-house-and-we-have-only-torches-with-dying/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [Dark house, by which once more I stand Here in the long unlovely street, Doors, where my heart was used to beat So quickly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/dark-house-by-which-once-more-i-stand-here-in-the-long-unlovely/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [If this universe is the House of God, then I must say it is quite a dark house despite several hundred billion suns!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-this-universe-is-the-house-of-god-then-i-must-say-it-is-quite-a/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [A dark house is always an unhealthy house, always an ill-aired house, always a dirty house. Want of light stops growth and promotes scrofula,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/a-dark-house-is-always-an-unhealthy-house-always-an-ill-aired-house/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [There is not one among us in whom a devil does not dwell; at some time, on some point, that devil masters each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-not-one-among-us-in-whom-a-devil-does-not-dwell-at-some-time/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I like 'Goodbye My Lover' because it's a really personal song and I recorded it in my landlady's bathroom in Los Angeles. She had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blunt/i-like-goodbye-my-lover-because-it-s-a-really-personal-song-and-i/) [James Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blunt/) ## More by Bobby McFerrin > [The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-true-musician-is-to-bring-light-into-people-s-hearts/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-voice-gets-to-the-soul-of-a-person-more-than-any-other-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Then I left that school and I went to Cerritos College, which was in southern California; they had one of the best big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/then-i-left-that-school-and-i-went-to-cerritos-college-which-was-in/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I have a lot of albums yet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-have-a-lot-of-albums-yet-to-do/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s-not-just-me-up-there-it-s/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/here-s-a-little-song-i-wrote-you-might-want-to-sing-it-note-for-note/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-do-a-lot-of-performing-but-don-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-the-studio/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-use-the-audience-as-my-color-palette-my-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-prepared-five-songs-i-sang-them-and-he-hired-me-i-started-working/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-love-the-song-my-songs-are-like-my-children/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/my-biggest-musical-influences-are-probably-my-parents/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-m-not-a-scholar-or-a-psychologist-so-i-don-t-really-think-about-why/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life. You can try a new way of singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/remembering-that-life-can-be-full-of-surprises-is-useful-in-any-part/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) [Explore all 56 Bobby McFerrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. 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