--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then at last the opening music came…" description: "\"“Then at last the opening music came again, with all the different instruments bunched together for each note like a hard, tight fist that socked at he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/carson-mccullers-1694_long-time_then-at-last-the-opening-music-came-agai_2886091.png" --- # Then at last the opening music came again, with all the… ![“Then at last the opening music came again, with all the different instruments bunched together for each note like a hard, tight fist that socked at her heart. And the first part was over. This music did not take a long time or a short time. It did not have anything to do with time going by at all…” quote by Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/carson-mccullers-1694_long-time_then-at-last-the-opening-music-came-agai_2886091.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/carson-mccullers-1694_long-time_then-at-last-the-opening-music-came-agai_2886091.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c58/carson-mccullers-1694_long-time_then-at-last-the-opening-music-came-agai_2886091.png) > ““Then at last the opening music came again, with all the different instruments bunched together for each note like a hard, tight fist that socked at her heart. And the first part was over. This music did not take a long time or a short time. It did not have anything to do with time going by at all. She sat with her arms held tight around her legs, biting her salty knee very hard. It might have been five minutes she listened or half the night. The second part was black-colored--a slow march. Not sad, but like the whole world was dead and black and there was no use thinking back how it was before. One of those horn kind of insturments played a sad and silver tune. Then the music rose up angry and with excitement underneath. And finally the black march again.”” [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music can evoke intense, shifting emotions, from tight fists of pain to angry excitement. **In simple terms:** Music mirrors inner turmoil and transformation. Key Takeaway Use art to explore emotional depth. Themes emotion music transformation Mood melancholic intense Type literary artistic When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - film scoring Key Concepts psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - Which emotions does this passage stir? - How does music affect your mood? A Different Perspective Music may also numb or distract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) ## Related quotes > [“Life is just a slow march towards death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marley/life-is-just-a-slow-march-towards-death/) Marley > [Music came first and I started to jam with people I couldn't communicate in their language. Then, because I could make friends thanks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromi/music-came-first-and-i-started-to-jam-with-people-i-couldn-t/) [Hiromi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromi/) > [“As his hands fell upon the keyboard, it was still possible to believe a beautiful harmony had been formed at random, in spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-makine/as-his-hands-fell-upon-the-keyboard-it-was-still-possible-to-believe/) [Andreï Makine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-makine/) > [I guess my life was in a pretty disorderly fashion, so I think the music came out that way a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sune-rose-wagner/i-guess-my-life-was-in-a-pretty-disorderly-fashion-so-i-think-the/) [Sune Rose Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sune-rose-wagner/) > [I never really set out to do anything in the charts with music. It came as a total surprise that I did, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blunt/i-never-really-set-out-to-do-anything-in-the-charts-with-music-it/) [James Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blunt/) > [Music always came first. I never set out to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-soul/music-always-came-first-i-never-set-out-to-be-an-actor/) [David Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-soul/) > [Lupe's like a brother to me. Me and him, we be on some laughin' about life shit. It has nothing to do with music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trae/lupe-s-like-a-brother-to-me-me-and-him-we-be-on-some-laughin-about/) [Trae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trae/) > [My dad turned me onto Led Zeppelin, the Stones, and the Who, but Madonna and pop music came from my mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-potter/my-dad-turned-me-onto-led-zeppelin-the-stones-and-the-who-but-madonna/) [Grace Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-potter/) > [Remember when the music Came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire And as we sang the words, it would set our minds on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/remember-when-the-music-came-from-wooden-boxes-strung-with-silver/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [My marriage to music came from KISS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarface/my-marriage-to-music-came-from-kiss/) [Scarface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarface/) > [“Every time, Love pushed down the door where her loneliness lived. The Music came and sealed the chamber of her heart. She was filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/every-time-love-pushed-down-the-door-where-her-loneliness-lived-the/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [My father died early. My mother died early. I started hanging with the gangs. I'm on the streets; I'm committing crimes. And the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/my-father-died-early-my-mother-died-early-i-started-hanging-with-the/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [I always wanted to know what the music behind some music was, or where it came from, and that gave me a point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-adams/i-always-wanted-to-know-what-the-music-behind-some-music-was-or-where/) [Justin Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-adams/) > [People already knew my face so when my music came they were able to put my face with the music. I just kept my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-chuckee/people-already-knew-my-face-so-when-my-music-came-they-were-able-to/) [Lil Chuckee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-chuckee/) > [A lot of the music that comes out today sounds like music that came out last week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/3-doors-down/a-lot-of-the-music-that-comes-out-today-sounds-like-music-that-came/) [3 Doors Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/3-doors-down/) ## More by Carson McCullers > [“Because things accumulate around your name," said Berenice. "You have a name and one thing after another happens to you, and you behave in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/because-things-accumulate-around-your-name-said-berenice-you-have-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [It was like she was cheated. Only nobody had cheated her. So there was nobody to take it out on. However, just the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/it-was-like-she-was-cheated-only-nobody-had-cheated-her-so-there-was/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“Love is a joint experience between two persons—but the fact that it is a joint experience does not mean that it is a similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/love-is-a-joint-experience-between-two-persons-but-the-fact-that-it/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [The thinking mind is best controlled by the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-thinking-mind-is-best-controlled-by-the-imagination/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“He was like a man who had served a term in prison or had been to Harvard College or had left for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/he-was-like-a-man-who-had-served-a-term-in-prison-or-had-been-to/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“Son, do you know how love should be begun?" The boy sat small and listening and still. Slowly he shook his head. The old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/son-do-you-know-how-love-should-be-begun-the-boy-sat-small-and/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [The most fatal thing a man can do is try to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-fatal-thing-a-man-can-do-is-try-to-stand-alone/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [The dimensions of a work of art are seldom realized by the author until the work is accomplished. It is like a flowering dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-dimensions-of-a-work-of-art-are-seldom-realized-by-the-author/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [Now hoppin'-john was F. Jasmine's very favorite food. She had always warned them to wave a plate of rice and peas before her nose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/now-hoppin-john-was-f-jasmine-s-very-favorite-food-she-had-always/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [There's nothing that makes you so aware of the improvisation of human existence as a song unfinished. Or an old address book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/there-s-nothing-that-makes-you-so-aware-of-the-improvisation-of-human/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/maybe-when-people-longed-for-a-thing-that-bad-the-longing-made-them/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“But the music did not come again. The tune was left broken, unfinished. And the drawn tightness she could no longer stand. She felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/but-the-music-did-not-come-again-the-tune-was-left-broken-unfinished/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“...we must remember that we all make the things of this earth of value because of labor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/we-must-remember-that-we-all-make-the-things-of-this-earth-of-value/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [I have more to say than Hemingway, and God knows, I say it better than Faulkner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/i-have-more-to-say-than-hemingway-and-god-knows-i-say-it-better-than/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) [Explore all 211 Carson McCullers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) ## More Long time quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. 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"The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“For a very long time, Viviane and Jack lived in that world people inhabit before love. Some people called that place friendship; others called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslye-walton/for-a-very-long-time-viviane-and-jack-lived-in-that-world-people/) [Leslye Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslye-walton/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep, cold water, swimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/for-a-long-time-before-i-met-you-i-felt-my-life-was-this-kind-of-test/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“If you go to bed too early and get up too late you probably won't sleep especially well. This could show up as either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-a-lewis/if-you-go-to-bed-too-early-and-get-up-too-late-you-probably-won-t/) [Penelope A. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-a-lewis/) > [I have been famous for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/i-have-been-famous-for-a-long-time/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) Browse all 9,064 Long time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then at last the opening music came again, with all the different instruments bunched together for each note like a hard, tight fist that socked at her heart. And the first part was over. This music did not take a long time or a short time. It did not have anything to do with time going by at all. She sat with her arms held tight around her legs, biting her salty knee very hard. It might have been five minutes she listened or half the night. The second part was black-colored--a slow march. Not sad, but like the whole world was dead and black and there was no use thinking back how it was before. One of those horn kind of insturments played a sad and silver tune. Then the music rose up angry and with excitement underneath. 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