--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never really had stage nerves but I did…" description: "\"I never really had stage nerves but I did have had trouble getting up to the right energy level. For a long time I drank. I drank up until 1982 and the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/gordon-lightfoot-7499_alcohol_i-never-really-had-stage-nerves-but-i-di_3129812.jpg" --- # I never really had stage nerves but I did have had trouble… ![“I never really had stage nerves but I did have had trouble getting up to the right energy level. For a long time I drank. I drank up until 1982 and then I gave up alcohol.” quote by Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/gordon-lightfoot-7499_alcohol_i-never-really-had-stage-nerves-but-i-di_3129812.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/gordon-lightfoot-7499_alcohol_i-never-really-had-stage-nerves-but-i-di_3129812.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/gordon-lightfoot-7499_alcohol_i-never-really-had-stage-nerves-but-i-di_3129812.jpg) > “I never really had stage nerves but I did have had trouble getting up to the right energy level. For a long time I drank. I drank up until 1982 and then I gave up alcohol.” [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He struggled to reach high performance energy without alcohol, highlighting reliance on substances for confidence. **In simple terms:** He needed energy but used alcohol. Key Takeaway Find healthy ways to boost performance energy. Themes performance addiction self‑control Mood reflective determined Type personal career When to use this quote - public speaking - musical performance - career transitions - stressful events Key Concepts substance dependence energy management Questions to Reflect On - What non‑chemical methods can sustain your energy? - How does reliance on substances affect long‑term confidence? A Different Perspective Alcohol may mask underlying issues and not solve performance gaps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Drank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drank/) [Drank 1982](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drank-1982-5531355/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-level/) [Energy levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-levels/) [Gave Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-alcohol-1110443/) [Gave up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-up/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves/) [Nerves Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves-did-5531354/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-nerves-4893022/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) ## Related quotes > [“My father gave me everything he had. Everything I had I gave to alcohol.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-dyatlov/my-father-gave-me-everything-he-had-everything-i-had-i-gave-to-alcohol/) [Dmitry Dyatlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-dyatlov/) > [I tend to be very relaxed on stage, but the nerves have to come out somehow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/i-tend-to-be-very-relaxed-on-stage-but-the-nerves-have-to-come-out/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [In addition to the artistic influences, I am influenced by my current private life, my feelings about it and my energy level and state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/in-addition-to-the-artistic-influences-i-am-influenced-by-my-current/) [Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/) > [The one thing that I love about the live audience is the energy level. 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But it depends on the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-depression-you-re-flattened-your-energy-level-is-gone-when-i-m/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body - and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/the-higher-your-energy-level-the-more-efficient-your-body-and-vice/) [Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/) > [When you are afraid of someone, they can gain power over you, meaning they can drop your energy level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-are-afraid-of-someone-they-can-gain-power-over-you-meaning/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The University of Houston has made an excellent choice by hiring Ron Hughey as its new women's basketball coach. Coach Hughey will bring an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-thibault/the-university-of-houston-has-made-an-excellent-choice-by-hiring-ron/) [Mike Thibault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-thibault/) > [The director is the captain of the ship, without question. No matter what their talent or energy level is, everyone on the crew has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/the-director-is-the-captain-of-the-ship-without-question-no-matter/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I think of depression as the mechanism that pushes down the pain of that loss. It tries to distance us from the loss but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/i-think-of-depression-as-the-mechanism-that-pushes-down-the-pain-of/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [You can't control the opposition, but you can control how you play, your energy level, your intensity on the ice. That's what we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-vigneault/you-can-t-control-the-opposition-but-you-can-control-how-you-play/) [Alain Vigneault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-vigneault/) ## More by Gordon Lightfoot > [You just get the vibes of your surroundings and it rubs off on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/you-just-get-the-vibes-of-your-surroundings-and-it-rubs-off-on-you/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [There is always something wrong with a song, you can't be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/there-is-always-something-wrong-with-a-song-you-can-t-be-perfect/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. 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But it turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-never-believed-or-knew-for-sure-if-i-would-be-able-to-make-a/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to keep it light and positive most of the time, whereas earlier on I didn't always do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-keep-it-light-and-positive-most-of-the-time-whereas-earlier/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to write songs. At our concerts, we take the cream of the crop from my back catalogue and I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-write-songs-at-our-concerts-we-take-the-cream-of-the-crop/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [Sometimes a broken dream will make you sad or make you mean. Sometimes things ain't bad as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/sometimes-a-broken-dream-will-make-you-sad-or-make-you-mean-sometimes/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [She is my flower and she blooms for the one who loves her best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/she-is-my-flower-and-she-blooms-for-the-one-who-loves-her-best/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [If there's a reason for the way that life is I'd like to find it. After all, who's life is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/if-there-s-a-reason-for-the-way-that-life-is-i-d-like-to-find-it/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I was happy to be in England, because my mother had always loved the royals, and so do I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-was-happy-to-be-in-england-because-my-mother-had-always-loved-the/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [ It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point \[John\] Lennon and \[Paul\] McCartney influenced my writing. 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Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [You can get a new phone or new trainers (sneakers) but you've only got one body so you have to look after it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-beckford/you-can-get-a-new-phone-or-new-trainers-sneakers-but-you-ve-only-got/) [Tyson Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-beckford/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. 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