--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you write a song it's sometimes in a…" description: "\"When you write a song it's sometimes in a desperate moment whn you can't really articulate it. What I love about lyrics is what T.S. Eliot said: 'Good ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/marcus-mumford-35483_believer_when-you-write-a-song-it-s-sometimes-in_1213899.png" --- # When you write a song it's sometimes in a desperate moment… ![“When you write a song it's sometimes in a desperate moment whn you can't really articulate it. What I love about lyrics is what T.S. Eliot said: 'Good poetry is felt before it is heard.' I'm a believer in that. It's those moments when you sit yourself down, and talk to yourself in the mirror.” quote by Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/marcus-mumford-35483_believer_when-you-write-a-song-it-s-sometimes-in_1213899.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/marcus-mumford-35483_believer_when-you-write-a-song-it-s-sometimes-in_1213899.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7e/marcus-mumford-35483_believer_when-you-write-a-song-it-s-sometimes-in_1213899.png) > “When you write a song it's sometimes in a desperate moment whn you can't really articulate it. What I love about lyrics is what T.S. Eliot said: 'Good poetry is felt before it is heard.' I'm a believer in that. It's those moments when you sit yourself down, and talk to yourself in the mirror.” [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative inspiration often arises from intense, unspoken feelings that words struggle to capture, and lyricists translate that raw emotion into poetry that resonates before it is heard. **In simple terms:** Strong feelings become lyrics before they are spoken. Key Takeaway Channel raw emotion into words early. Themes creativity expression music Mood introspective hopeful Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - songwriting sessions - personal reflection - therapy - performance preparation Key Concepts emotional authenticity poetic intuition Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when a feeling is ready for lyrics? - What techniques help you capture fleeting emotions? A Different Perspective Not all moments of desperation yield clear lyrics; some may remain unsaid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Good poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-poetry/) [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think it was T.S. Eliot who talked about good poetry being felt before it’s understood. I believe that. There are some bands where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-think-it-was-t-s-eliot-who-talked-about-good-poetry-being-felt/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [It is fatal to decide, intellectually, what good poetry is because you are then in honour bound to try to write it, instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/it-is-fatal-to-decide-intellectually-what-good-poetry-is-because-you/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/i-think-most-good-poetry-is-about-suffering-i-think-that-s-what/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [ Poets are political, they have to be reflections of their times \[because\] they're living in their times... Poetry is political in that it's standing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/poets-are-political-they-have-to-be-reflections-of-their-times/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [No good poetry is ever written in a manner twenty years old, for to write in such a manner shows conclusively that the writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/no-good-poetry-is-ever-written-in-a-manner-twenty-years-old-for-to/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [To me Art (poetry) is a continuous and continuing process and that when a man fails to write good poetry he fails to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/to-me-art-poetry-is-a-continuous-and-continuing-process-and-that-when/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [The gap between verse and poetry is enormous. Between good poetry and good prose the gap is much narrower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-longley/the-gap-between-verse-and-poetry-is-enormous-between-good-poetry-and/) [Michael Longley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-longley/) > [My idea of good poetry is any dog doing anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-boone/my-idea-of-good-poetry-is-any-dog-doing-anything/) [J. Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-boone/) > [I met him. Him; him who in the midst of my terrible sorrow, fell in love with my madness. Him who was not afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/needa-muy/i-met-him-him-him-who-in-the-midst-of-my-terrible-sorrow-fell-in-love/) [Needa Muy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/needa-muy/) > [“After I consumed Frost in his entirety, my days of exploration began. I read The Diving Comedy while leafing through E. E. Cummings. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-gordon/after-i-consumed-frost-in-his-entirety-my-days-of-exploration-began-i/) [Spencer Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-gordon/) > [I don't know that I had a sense that there was such a thing as "the poetry world" in the 1960s and early 70s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-don-t-know-that-i-had-a-sense-that-there-was-such-a-thing-as-the/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [The question does arise if how and why to write poetry in this time. It feels both completely essential and also quite difficult. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-zapruder/the-question-does-arise-if-how-and-why-to-write-poetry-in-this-time/) [Matthew Zapruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-zapruder/) > [“Writing poetry felt silly, not practical. It was poetry. I wasn't exploring space here. But it felt necessary to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/writing-poetry-felt-silly-not-practical-it-was-poetry-i-wasn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I came to poetry because I felt I couldn't live properly in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucie-brock-broido/i-came-to-poetry-because-i-felt-i-couldn-t-live-properly-in-the-real/) [Lucie Brock-Broido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucie-brock-broido/) > [I had no one to help me, but the T. S. Eliot helped me. So when people say that poetry is a luxury, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-had-no-one-to-help-me-but-the-t-s-eliot-helped-me-so-when-people/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More by Marcus Mumford > [I'd love to write a country album with Adele.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-d-love-to-write-a-country-album-with-adele/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [I'm very English, and we don't talk about emotions publicly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-m-very-english-and-we-don-t-talk-about-emotions-publicly/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [I think it was T.S. Eliot who talked about good poetry being felt before it’s understood. I believe that. There are some bands where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-think-it-was-t-s-eliot-who-talked-about-good-poetry-being-felt/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [I approach my life haphazardly. Not much holiness and only as much wisdom as I can muster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-approach-my-life-haphazardly-not-much-holiness-and-only-as-much/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [A lot of the time it feels like… music is some sort of excuse to be a human. It’s kind of like people need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/a-lot-of-the-time-it-feels-like-music-is-some-sort-of-excuse-to-be-a/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [Every band I've come across has read more than I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/every-band-i-ve-come-across-has-read-more-than-i-have/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [The authenticity thing has never been an issue for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/the-authenticity-thing-has-never-been-an-issue-for-me/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [I spent quite a lot of time pissing off my friends because I could get girls with a British accent, despite the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-spent-quite-a-lot-of-time-pissing-off-my-friends-because-i-could/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [A lot of the time writers are just sponges... for what's around them, and so books are helpful for focusing your mind and literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/a-lot-of-the-time-writers-are-just-sponges-for-what-s-around-them-and/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [I don't even call myself a Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/i-don-t-even-call-myself-a-christian/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [It's a unique thing to stand in front of a crowd and sing your songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/it-s-a-unique-thing-to-stand-in-front-of-a-crowd-and-sing-your-songs/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) > [Love it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free/to be more like the man you were made to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-mumford/love-it-will-not-betray-you-dismay-or-enslave-you-it-will-set-you/) [Marcus Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) [Explore all 13 Marcus Mumford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-mumford/) ## More Believer quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [Jesus taught that the mark of the Christian is the observable love shown among all true believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/jesus-taught-that-the-mark-of-the-christian-is-the-observable-love/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [I'm a great believer in people and their untapped potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-m-a-great-believer-in-people-and-their-untapped-potential/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [Revival is the Spirit's passion within the believer to know and to obey the total will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/revival-is-the-spirit-s-passion-within-the-believer-to-know-and-to/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [I'm not a great believer in awards-of course the fact that I've never won one has nothing to do with it at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-awards-of-course-the-fact-that-i-ve-never/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/) [Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/) > [The Bible is shallow enough for a new believer to wade in, but deep enough for a theologian to drown in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-j-lawson/the-bible-is-shallow-enough-for-a-new-believer-to-wade-in-but-deep/) [Steven J Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-j-lawson/) > [Christ is our temple, in whom by faith all believers meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/christ-is-our-temple-in-whom-by-faith-all-believers-meet/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [The problem with Prosperity Theology is not that it promises too much, but that it aims for so little. What God promises us in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-mohler/the-problem-with-prosperity-theology-is-not-that-it-promises-too-much/) [Albert Mohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-mohler/) > [ I do not make decisions \[as governor\] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-based-on-what-have-i-learned/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [I'm a great believer in life to saying yes and not saying no, and hopefully making people smile and just having fun in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-m-a-great-believer-in-life-to-saying-yes-and-not-saying-no-and/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) [Browse all 2,028 Believer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you write a song it's sometimes in a desperate moment whn you can't really articulate it. 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