--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was very, very young, I decided…" description: "\"When I was very, very young, I decided that I was gonna catalogue my times because that's what other people who I admired did. That's what Bob Dylan di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/bruce-springsteen-546_bob_when-i-was-very-very-young-i-decided-tha_258824.jpg" --- # When I was very, very young, I decided that I was gonna… ![“When I was very, very young, I decided that I was gonna catalogue my times because that's what other people who I admired did. That's what Bob Dylan did, that's what Frank Sinatra did, Hank Williams did, in very different ways.” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/bruce-springsteen-546_bob_when-i-was-very-very-young-i-decided-tha_258824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/bruce-springsteen-546_bob_when-i-was-very-very-young-i-decided-tha_258824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/bruce-springsteen-546_bob_when-i-was-very-very-young-i-decided-tha_258824.jpg) > “When I was very, very young, I decided that I was gonna catalogue my times because that's what other people who I admired did. That's what Bob Dylan did, that's what Frank Sinatra did, Hank Williams did, in very different ways.” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker emulates admired artists by systematically recording experiences, believing documentation fuels creative growth. **In simple terms:** He records life like his idols to develop his art. Key Takeaway Keep a personal log of moments. Themes creativity influence self‑reflection Mood reflective determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - personal journaling - career planning - legacy building Key Concepts documentation artistic development role modeling Questions to Reflect On - How does recording shape your identity? - What risks come from over‑cataloguing? A Different Perspective May become obsessive, limiting spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Good or bad, the one thing I can say about my art is, if I can quote Sinatra, I did it my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-frazetta/good-or-bad-the-one-thing-i-can-say-about-my-art-is-if-i-can-quote/) [Frank Frazetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-frazetta/) > [Frank Sinatra did 'Born Free', Tony Bennett did 'Walkabout,' but you have no control over who does what, really. So you just hold yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barry/frank-sinatra-did-born-free-tony-bennett-did-walkabout-but-you-have/) [John Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barry/) > [Tom Jones told me only a few singers have got the pipes, and he's right. He has. Sinatra did. I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-hucknall/tom-jones-told-me-only-a-few-singers-have-got-the-pipes-and-he-s/) [Mick Hucknall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-hucknall/) > [ That's what \[Frank\] Sinatra did. He was the first artist to come out in a major way against anti-Semitism and racial bigotry. And those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-davi/that-s-what-frank-sinatra-did-he-was-the-first-artist-to-come-out-in/) [Robert Davi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-davi/) > [And I don't expect anyone can bring about a revolution in the way that Bob Dylan did - and really didn't - in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/and-i-don-t-expect-anyone-can-bring-about-a-revolution-in-the-way/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [Bob Dylan did the first really long record - Like A Rolling Stone - I think it was four minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/bob-dylan-did-the-first-really-long-record-like-a-rolling-stone-i/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [ Frank \[Sinatra\] sang to you, not at you, like so many pop singers today. Even singers of standards. I never wanted to be a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/frank-sinatra-sang-to-you-not-at-you-like-so-many-pop-singers-today/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [To me, Godard did to movies what Bob Dylan did to music: they both revolutionized their forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/to-me-godard-did-to-movies-what-bob-dylan-did-to-music-they-both/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Those electric albums that Dylan did from '65 to '67 are great. That's the period I like Dylan. I think Television would've sounded a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marky-ramone/those-electric-albums-that-dylan-did-from-65-to-67-are-great-that-s/) [Marky Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marky-ramone/) > [I was a working-class kid from Boston. But I never lost my accent because I felt like that was what I was doing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-was-a-working-class-kid-from-boston-but-i-never-lost-my-accent/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [You weren't supposed to hear Elvis Presley. You weren't supposed to hear Jerry Lee Lewis. You weren't supposed to hear Robert Johnson. You weren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-weren-t-supposed-to-hear-elvis-presley-you-weren-t-supposed-to/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I've always loved the fact that Bob's \[Dylan\] been able to sustain his mystery over 50 or 60 years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-ve-always-loved-the-fact-that-bob-s-dylan-been-able-to-sustain-his/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The first time I heard Bob Dylan, I was in the car with my mother listening to WMCA, and on came that snare shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-first-time-i-heard-bob-dylan-i-was-in-the-car-with-my-mother/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ The things that I loved about Bob's \[Dylan\] music - and I describe him in the book as the father of my country, which… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-things-that-i-loved-about-bob-s-dylan-music-and-i-describe-him-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [There's only one Hank Williams, man. Singing that high-voiced style, them bluegrassers, I don't see how they do it - Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/there-s-only-one-hank-williams-man-singing-that-high-voiced-style/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [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/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audience-reaction-you-re-doing-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More Bob quotes > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Over the past 50 years Bob Hope employed 88 joke writers who supplied him with more than one million gags, and he still couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/over-the-past-50-years-bob-hope-employed-88-joke-writers-who-supplied/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Because of my tremendous respect for Bob Barker and for the show's high standards of professionalism I consider this a tremendous honor that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-west/because-of-my-tremendous-respect-for-bob-barker-and-for-the-show-s/) [Randy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-west/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [I figure if I keep my health, I have no intention of retiring. I love to work. I want to be like Bob Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-figure-if-i-keep-my-health-i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-i-love/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) Browse all 886 Bob quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was very, very young, I decided that I was gonna catalogue my times because that's what other people who I admired did. 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