--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The songs are about things that we were…" description: "\"The songs are about things that we were thinking and we wrote 'em down, and when you listen to 'em, whatever you think it's about... THAT'S what it's a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/layne-staley-12543_down-and_the-songs-are-about-things-that-we-were_2339373.jpg" --- # The songs are about things that we were thinking and we… ![“The songs are about things that we were thinking and we wrote 'em down, and when you listen to 'em, whatever you think it's about... THAT'S what it's about!” quote by Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/layne-staley-12543_down-and_the-songs-are-about-things-that-we-were_2339373.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/layne-staley-12543_down-and_the-songs-are-about-things-that-we-were_2339373.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/layne-staley-12543_down-and_the-songs-are-about-things-that-we-were_2339373.jpg) > “The songs are about things that we were thinking and we wrote 'em down, and when you listen to 'em, whatever you think it's about... THAT'S what it's about!” [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art reflects personal thoughts; listeners assign meaning, making interpretation subjective. **In simple terms:** Songs reflect thoughts; listeners decide meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace personal interpretation. Themes art subjectivity communication Mood introspective curious Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - music listening - creative workshops - literary analysis Key Concepts Musicology semiotics Questions to Reflect On - What does this song mean to you? - How does personal experience shape interpretation? A Different Perspective Artists may intend specific messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Em Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/em-think-1010218/) [Ems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ems/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Songs Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-things-817614/) [Things Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-thinking-912119/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-wrote-5656278/) ## Related quotes > [I never walked into another man's house and tell em what I think about the way he lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yelawolf/i-never-walked-into-another-man-s-house-and-tell-em-what-i-think/) [Yelawolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yelawolf/) > [Cant tell you how much I love when niggas think they got it and I love the fact that line made em think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/cant-tell-you-how-much-i-love-when-niggas-think-they-got-it-and-i/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [This is how God made me. You are how God made you. All God's chillun are made how God made 'em. You think God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/this-is-how-god-made-me-you-are-how-god-made-you-all-god-s-chillun/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [“Deet slid down from the bale to the barn floor. “You know Em, here’s what I think of, when I got time for puzzles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-lindemuth/deet-slid-down-from-the-bale-to-the-barn-floor-you-know-em-here-s/) [Clayton Lindemuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-lindemuth/) > [I've often said this - that you can get through a tragedy, and... you trudge on, but the pain never really goes away. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-ve-often-said-this-that-you-can-get-through-a-tragedy-and-you/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [All my songs are things that have happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabel/all-my-songs-are-things-that-have-happened-to-me/) [Mabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabel/) > [I'm mostly inspired by relationships and things that are going on in my everyday life. It's hard for me to write songs about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meiko/i-m-mostly-inspired-by-relationships-and-things-that-are-going-on-in/) [Meiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meiko/) > [Most of what I've written songs about are things that come out of the confusing emotional, spiritual and psychological period of time when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/most-of-what-i-ve-written-songs-about-are-things-that-come-out-of-the/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [I was always more interested in story songs, things with a point of view... and things that informed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/i-was-always-more-interested-in-story-songs-things-with-a-point-of/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [I have a lot of reactions to the outside world that I don't feel like would be appropriate for songs: things I'm not interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-have-a-lot-of-reactions-to-the-outside-world-that-i-don-t-feel-like/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I write songs about things that I'm simultaneously trying not to think about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/i-write-songs-about-things-that-i-m-simultaneously-trying-not-to/) [Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/) > [The Men at Work thing is always there, it's always going to be there. It's not something I consciously think that much about anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/the-men-at-work-thing-is-always-there-it-s-always-going-to-be-there/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I don't think I could write about something I've never experienced or felt; all my songs are about things I've been through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie/i-don-t-think-i-could-write-about-something-i-ve-never-experienced-or/) [Anne-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie/) > [I've written songs about things that nobody else has ever written about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allan-coe/i-ve-written-songs-about-things-that-nobody-else-has-ever-written/) [David Allan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allan-coe/) > [I don't think of them as teenage songs. The things that happen to you in high school are the same things that happen your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hoppus/i-don-t-think-of-them-as-teenage-songs-the-things-that-happen-to-you/) [Mark Hoppus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hoppus/) ## More by Layne Staley > [Being me is no different than being most anyone else, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/being-me-is-no-different-than-being-most-anyone-else-i-guess/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [Whatever dramas are going on in my life, I always find that place inside my head where I see myself as the cleanest, tallest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/whatever-dramas-are-going-on-in-my-life-i-always-find-that-place/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/my-bad-habits-aren-t-my-title-my-strengths-and-my-talent-are-my-title/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I don't do much else but stay in my hotel room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/i-don-t-do-much-else-but-stay-in-my-hotel-room/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I sing like a lark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/i-sing-like-a-lark/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [People have the right to ask questions and dig deep when you're hurting people and things around you, but when I haven't talked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/people-have-the-right-to-ask-questions-and-dig-deep-when-you-re/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I found out through the Internet that I have AIDS. I learned that I was dead. Where else would I find these things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/i-found-out-through-the-internet-that-i-have-aids-i-learned-that-i/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [People have a right to ask questions and dig deep when you're hurting people and things around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/people-have-a-right-to-ask-questions-and-dig-deep-when-you-re-hurting/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [We survived a Slayer crowd every night for about 50 days and thought we could do about anything after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/we-survived-a-slayer-crowd-every-night-for-about-50-days-and-thought/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [We started this band as kids, and as time has gone on, we've grown and are learning to accommodate each others' differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/we-started-this-band-as-kids-and-as-time-has-gone-on-we-ve-grown-and/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [There are lasting consequences for using drugs. I'll still be paying for my prior use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/there-are-lasting-consequences-for-using-drugs-i-ll-still-be-paying/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [Music is the doorway that has led me to drawing, photography, and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/music-is-the-doorway-that-has-led-me-to-drawing-photography-and/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I haven't read anything but regurgitated rumors. Nothing new, and nothing true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/i-haven-t-read-anything-but-regurgitated-rumors-nothing-new-and/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [I was in a band when I was 15. We were a glam band. Then I couldn't afford to buy makeup. At the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/i-was-in-a-band-when-i-was-15-we-were-a-glam-band-then-i-couldn-t/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [Drugs are not the way to the light. They won't lead to a fairy-tale life, they lead to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/drugs-are-not-the-way-to-the-light-they-won-t-lead-to-a-fairy-tale/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) [Explore all 54 Layne Staley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) ## More Down and quotes > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [There's a dishonest tyranny in the liberal/progressive/socialist agenda that comes down and says 'we are here because we care about you; we want what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/there-s-a-dishonest-tyranny-in-the-liberal-progressive-socialist/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [If you feel like you want to die, it's time to sit down and make a list of all the things you haven't done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deacon-jones/if-you-feel-like-you-want-to-die-it-s-time-to-sit-down-and-make-a/) [Deacon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deacon-jones/) > [Music is how I get free. It's a way to shut the rest of the world down and create your own world within it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-of-gab/music-is-how-i-get-free-it-s-a-way-to-shut-the-rest-of-the-world-down/) [Gift of Gab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-of-gab/) > [Being funny is one of my greatest strengths. I can make girls smile when they're down, and when they're having a good time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/being-funny-is-one-of-my-greatest-strengths-i-can-make-girls-smile/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [When I look at nature I feel as if I'll be able to paint it all, note it all down, and then you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/when-i-look-at-nature-i-feel-as-if-i-ll-be-able-to-paint-it-all-note/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When an angel comes down and takes me away, memories of me and my songs will always stay until the end of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/when-an-angel-comes-down-and-takes-me-away-memories-of-me-and-my/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [I think there's too much mult-tasking going on. I think people need to quiet down and focus and be still more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-there-s-too-much-mult-tasking-going-on-i-think-people-need-to/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [There was a reason these boys were still alive, though. Something made them stronger than the other kids, the ones who had died in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-higson/there-was-a-reason-these-boys-were-still-alive-though-something-made/) [Charlie Higson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-higson/) [Browse all 2,527 Down and quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The songs are about things that we were thinking and we wrote 'em down, and when you listen to 'em, whatever you think it's about... 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