--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The songs I was writing still had lyrics…" description: "\"The songs I was writing still had lyrics or sentiments that didn't match what I was feeling. It was old, negative energy coming out of me still, but it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/damien-rice-26005_able_the-songs-i-was-writing-still-had-lyrics_2715934.jpg" --- # The songs I was writing still had lyrics or sentiments… ![“The songs I was writing still had lyrics or sentiments that didn't match what I was feeling. It was old, negative energy coming out of me still, but it needed to all get out so I could trash those songs and put them in the bin. And then I was able to let the new songs out.” quote by Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/damien-rice-26005_able_the-songs-i-was-writing-still-had-lyrics_2715934.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/damien-rice-26005_able_the-songs-i-was-writing-still-had-lyrics_2715934.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/damien-rice-26005_able_the-songs-i-was-writing-still-had-lyrics_2715934.jpg) > “The songs I was writing still had lyrics or sentiments that didn't match what I was feeling. It was old, negative energy coming out of me still, but it needed to all get out so I could trash those songs and put them in the bin. And then I was able to let the new songs out.” [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He wrote songs with mismatched emotions, then discarded them to free new, authentic creations. **In simple terms:** He removed old songs to make room for new ones. Key Takeaway Let go of outdated work to foster fresh expression. Themes creativity self‑reflection growth Mood introspective hopeful Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - studio sessions - writing retreats - self‑editing Key Concepts songwriting emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - What emotions block your creative flow? - How can you recognize when to release old material? A Different Perspective Discarding work may feel wasteful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Negative energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-energy/) [New songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-songs/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've found it really hard to finish writing songs when you're writing on not just your schedule but somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carmack/i-ve-found-it-really-hard-to-finish-writing-songs-when-you-re-writing/) [Chris Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carmack/) > [I've been writing a lot of road songs. Writing a lot of homesick songs. But once you start playing them out, it all ain't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-childers/i-ve-been-writing-a-lot-of-road-songs-writing-a-lot-of-homesick-songs/) [Tyler Childers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-childers/) > [I've never liked songs that are about writing, or struggling to write. Maybe it's because it's too relatable to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/i-ve-never-liked-songs-that-are-about-writing-or-struggling-to-write/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [There are still songs that I'm writing. I like to write. I like to take a long time to do my songs, not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/there-are-still-songs-that-i-m-writing-i-like-to-write-i-like-to-take/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [When I began to cover songs for YouTube, they all tended to be in the super pop-genre.. as in, smash-hit songs. 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In fact, most of our best songwriters learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kosser/songwriting-is-a-craft-writing-good-songs-on-a-a-consistent-basis/) [Michael Kosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kosser/) > [If I look back at the songs I was writing when I was effectively a child, there's a big contrast, so I've learnt a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marika-hackman/if-i-look-back-at-the-songs-i-was-writing-when-i-was-effectively-a/) [Marika Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marika-hackman/) > [I don't really know what emotions are going to come out in songs when I'm writing them until I step back and listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/borns/i-don-t-really-know-what-emotions-are-going-to-come-out-in-songs-when/) [Borns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/borns/) > [ I changed my hopes to being a singer \[when I was a child\] and sat around with my hair in my face droning Mac… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/i-changed-my-hopes-to-being-a-singer-when-i-was-a-child-and-sat/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [As I've evolved in life my writing process has taken a turn. 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So come on courage, teach me to be shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/love-tought-me-to-cry-so-come-on-courage-teach-me-to-be-shy/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [I had to take a bit of a break and fast for a while, but then I found myself very, very hungry when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/i-had-to-take-a-bit-of-a-break-and-fast-for-a-while-but-then-i-found/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [“stones taught me to fly, love taught me to lie, courage teach me to be shy... because it's not hard to fall when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/stones-taught-me-to-fly-love-taught-me-to-lie-courage-teach-me-to-be/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [Sometimes you have to step away from what you love in order to learn how to love it again,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/sometimes-you-have-to-step-away-from-what-you-love-in-order-to-learn/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [When you go to bed at night, you get seven or eight hours of sleep. 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Teach me to be shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/love-taught-me-to-cry-so-come-on-courage-teach-me-to-be-shy/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [Leave me out with the waste. This is not what I do. It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you. 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I was also in a position where I was compromised. I was much younger and maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/they-wanted-to-radiofy-what-i-was-doing-i-was-also-in-a-position/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) > [“The shorter story; No love, no glory; No hero in her skies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/the-shorter-story-no-love-no-glory-no-hero-in-her-skies/) [Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) [Explore all 22 Damien Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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