--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, the intent in a song is to sing…" description: "\"For me, the intent in a song is to sing it. I compose songs, meaning I'm writing words to be set to music; I'm intending it to not be recited. I'm a si..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/cornelius-eady-48982_contradiction_for-me-the-intent-in-a-song-is-to-sing-i_2648417.png" --- # For me, the intent in a song is to sing it. I compose… ![“For me, the intent in a song is to sing it. I compose songs, meaning I'm writing words to be set to music; I'm intending it to not be recited. I'm a singer-songwriter, and I'm a poet, and there really isn't a contradiction, at least for me.” quote by Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/cornelius-eady-48982_contradiction_for-me-the-intent-in-a-song-is-to-sing-i_2648417.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/cornelius-eady-48982_contradiction_for-me-the-intent-in-a-song-is-to-sing-i_2648417.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/cornelius-eady-48982_contradiction_for-me-the-intent-in-a-song-is-to-sing-i_2648417.png) > “For me, the intent in a song is to sing it. I compose songs, meaning I'm writing words to be set to music; I'm intending it to not be recited. I'm a singer-songwriter, and I'm a poet, and there really isn't a contradiction, at least for me.” [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Songwriting merges poetry and music, rejecting mere recitation for performance. **In simple terms:** Songs are sung, not read. Key Takeaway Blend words with melody. Themes art expression music Mood creative thoughtful Type humorous inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting workshops - live gigs - recording - teaching Key Concepts literature performance studies Questions to Reflect On - When is a poem best spoken? - How to adapt poetry for song? A Different Perspective Not all poems suit music. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Intending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intending/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Singer songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singer-songwriters/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriters/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-words/) ## Related quotes > [A good song's a good song, and well known songs take on meaning in people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/a-good-song-s-a-good-song-and-well-known-songs-take-on-meaning-in/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [I want to write songs with meaning. I have high standards for my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/i-want-to-write-songs-with-meaning-i-have-high-standards-for-my-work/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [I would agree with that. But when I write lyrics, personally I don't care if the person who is listening to it understands what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-marsden/i-would-agree-with-that-but-when-i-write-lyrics-personally-i-don-t/) [David W. Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-marsden/) > [If melody is going out of our songs, if meaning of lyrics are getting trivialized, if golden voice is missing from our music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-sanu/if-melody-is-going-out-of-our-songs-if-meaning-of-lyrics-are-getting/) [Kumar Sanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-sanu/) > [If you write great songs with meaning and emotion, they will last for ever because songs are the key to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/if-you-write-great-songs-with-meaning-and-emotion-they-will-last-for-2/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [If you write great songs with meaning and emotion, they will last for ever because songs are the key to everything. Songs will outlast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/if-you-write-great-songs-with-meaning-and-emotion-they-will-last-for/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [My aim is always catchy songs, or songs with meaning and I want to write music people can relate to, about things anyone could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/my-aim-is-always-catchy-songs-or-songs-with-meaning-and-i-want-to/) [Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/) > [I compose for very limited people in Bollywood, as I am not a playback artist. I compose my songs and sing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-compose-for-very-limited-people-in-bollywood-as-i-am-not-a-playback/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) > [There are no leftover Tool songs because of the process it takes to compose our songs - the way we hash it out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-carey/there-are-no-leftover-tool-songs-because-of-the-process-it-takes-to/) [Danny Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-carey/) > [“Ormus liked to compose his own songs up on the flat roof of the apartment block, and spent eternities up there, lost within himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/ormus-liked-to-compose-his-own-songs-up-on-the-flat-roof-of-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [In terms of creativity, both are equally satisfying. Music album is for yourself, where you compose songs and stuff like that, and in films,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/in-terms-of-creativity-both-are-equally-satisfying-music-album-is-for/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [There are no rules when I compose songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel/there-are-no-rules-when-i-compose-songs/) [Juan Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel/) > [I felt an obligation even then to write a song that people would sing in the pub or on a demonstration. That is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-felt-an-obligation-even-then-to-write-a-song-that-people-would-sing/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I compose songs with a lot of simplicity because my school has been the streets, and people have been my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel/i-compose-songs-with-a-lot-of-simplicity-because-my-school-has-been/) [Juan Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel/) > [I think it's OK to compose songs and sing them about questions that we don't have answers to yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-marie/i-think-it-s-ok-to-compose-songs-and-sing-them-about-questions-that/) [Rene Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-marie/) ## More by Cornelius Eady > [It's sometimes hard to know who's choosing whom - the poem, the song, or the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-know-who-s-choosing-whom-the-poem-the-song-or/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [Writing a lyric is writing a lyric, whether it's sung or recited. Perhaps the question to ask should be, has playing in a band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/writing-a-lyric-is-writing-a-lyric-whether-it-s-sung-or-recited/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [Race, and the discussion of it brings out the bad, the good and the crazy in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/race-and-the-discussion-of-it-brings-out-the-bad-the-good-and-the/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [Cynicism is a form of obedience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/cynicism-is-a-form-of-obedience/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [What I love about drafts is the experimental nature of them. The draft is what you know about writing a poem running up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/what-i-love-about-drafts-is-the-experimental-nature-of-them-the-draft/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [When I leap, I briefly see the world as it is and as it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/when-i-leap-i-briefly-see-the-world-as-it-is-and-as-it-should-be/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) > [I've always felt that poetry is the enemy of silence, but of course, in the right moments, silence can be useful. The trick is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-eady/i-ve-always-felt-that-poetry-is-the-enemy-of-silence-but-of-course-in/) [Cornelius Eady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) [Explore all 8 Cornelius Eady quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-eady/) ## More Contradiction quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-almost-a-contradiction-in-terms-it-means-a-strong-desire/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Contradictions in human character are one of its most consistent notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/contradictions-in-human-character-are-one-of-its-most-consistent-notes/) [Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/) > [“The tiny features below, taken together with the gentle mass of Montblanc towering above them, the Vanoise glacier almost invisible in the shimmering distance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald-2/the-tiny-features-below-taken-together-with-the-gentle-mass-of/) [W.G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald-2/) > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [To exist (in mathematics), said Henri Poincaré, is to be free from contradiction. But mere existence does not guarantee survival. To survive in mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/to-exist-in-mathematics-said-henri-poincar-is-to-be-free-from/) [Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/) > [“In these creations, life and symbolic value are not in contradiction: they intensify each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-these-creations-life-and-symbolic-value-are-not-in-contradiction/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I have never agreed with my other self wholly. The truth of the matter seems to lie between us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-have-never-agreed-with-my-other-self-wholly-the-truth-of-the-matter/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“A truth is not necessary, because we negatively are not able to conceive the actual existence of the opposite thereof;but a truth is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-dabney/a-truth-is-not-necessary-because-we-negatively-are-not-able-to/) R.L. Dabney > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The reflection of nature in man's thought must be understood not lifelessly but in the eternal process of movement, the arising of contradictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-reflection-of-nature-in-man-s-thought-must-be-understood-not/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) [Browse all 1,263 Contradiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, the intent in a song is to sing it. 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