--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of my lyrics are approximate…" description: "\"A lot of my lyrics are approximate meaning without me knowing why they sound right.\" — Matt Berninger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/matt-berninger-10530_knowing_a-lot-of-my-lyrics-are-approximate-meani_387724.jpg" --- # A lot of my lyrics are approximate meaning without me… ![“A lot of my lyrics are approximate meaning without me knowing why they sound right.” quote by Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/matt-berninger-10530_knowing_a-lot-of-my-lyrics-are-approximate-meani_387724.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/matt-berninger-10530_knowing_a-lot-of-my-lyrics-are-approximate-meani_387724.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/matt-berninger-10530_knowing_a-lot-of-my-lyrics-are-approximate-meani_387724.jpg) > “A lot of my lyrics are approximate meaning without me knowing why they sound right.” [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lyrics often feel right without conscious meaning, suggesting intuition guides artistic creation. **In simple terms:** Intuition shapes lyrics more than analysis. Key Takeaway Trust your creative instincts. Themes intuition songwriting creativity Mood introspective curious Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - music - interview - songwriting Key Concepts subconscious emotional resonance artistic authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intuition and clarity? - When does subconscious meaning become purposeful? A Different Perspective Intuitive lyrics may lack clear messages for listeners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [“If you’re going to do something that crazy, save it for when it’ll make a difference. But absent near-omniscience there’s no way to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-that-crazy-save-it-for-when-it-ll-2/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [An approximate answer to the right problem is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to an approximate problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tukey/an-approximate-answer-to-the-right-problem-is-worth-a-good-deal-more/) [John Tukey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tukey/) > [“It is better to have an approximate answer to the right question than an exact answer to the wrong question. —JOHN TUKEY,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-kaufman/it-is-better-to-have-an-approximate-answer-to-the-right-question-than/) [Josh Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-kaufman/) > [Pursuit of the approximate can conclude. Not so pursuit of the absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pursuit-of-the-approximate-can-conclude-not-so-pursuit-of-the-absolute/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Translation can never do more than the approximate,so we shall, at least, be gloriously inaccurate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-healey/translation-can-never-do-more-than-the-approximate-so-we-shall-at/) [Karen Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-healey/) > [Simplicity and beauty are the signs not of truth but of a well-constructed approximate model of a limited domain of phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/simplicity-and-beauty-are-the-signs-not-of-truth-but-of-a-well/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“he realized that he could get an approximate answer that was “good enough” in a short time,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/he-realized-that-he-could-get-an-approximate-answer-that-was-good/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“Given an approximate knowledge of a system’s initial conditions and an understanding of natural law, one can calculate the approximate behavior of the system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/given-an-approximate-knowledge-of-a-system-s-initial-conditions-and/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [An approximate answer to the right question is worth far more than a precise answer to the wrong one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tuley/an-approximate-answer-to-the-right-question-is-worth-far-more-than-a/) John Tuley > [Lyrics need to be good, but they don't need to be obvious right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/lyrics-need-to-be-good-but-they-don-t-need-to-be-obvious-right-away/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [When it comes to lyrics, I just write down a lot of things, and only a very tiny fraction of it, I think, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/when-it-comes-to-lyrics-i-just-write-down-a-lot-of-things-and-only-a/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [The lyrics are constructed as empirically as the music. I don't set out to say anything very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-lyrics-are-constructed-as-empirically-as-the-music-i-don-t-set/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) ## More by Matt Berninger > [When you realize that the baby's healthy and born, it's a release and you're so happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/when-you-realize-that-the-baby-s-healthy-and-born-it-s-a-release-and/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [The last thing you want to do is write songs about being in a band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/the-last-thing-you-want-to-do-is-write-songs-about-being-in-a-band/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave know best. Although I wear a lot of jeans, I've been told that Nick Cave doesn't own a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/leonard-cohen-and-nick-cave-know-best-although-i-wear-a-lot-of-jeans/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I have pit bulls barking at me on half of the love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/i-have-pit-bulls-barking-at-me-on-half-of-the-love-songs/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [ Weirdly, I was still trying to be the older brother, and trying to get him \[Tom Berninger\] to try to be more like me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/weirdly-i-was-still-trying-to-be-the-older-brother-and-trying-to-get/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [It takes us a long time to write a song that we all really like, so it makes sense that it would take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/it-takes-us-a-long-time-to-write-a-song-that-we-all-really-like-so-it/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [When it comes to lyrics, I just write down a lot of things, and only a very tiny fraction of it, I think, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/when-it-comes-to-lyrics-i-just-write-down-a-lot-of-things-and-only-a/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [A song is a song and, if I am emotionally connected to do it, whether it is sad or not sad, I am going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/a-song-is-a-song-and-if-i-am-emotionally-connected-to-do-it-whether/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I'm doing a little freelance work, and I think everybody's trying to take their minds off rock and roll for a little while and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/i-m-doing-a-little-freelance-work-and-i-think-everybody-s-trying-to/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I'm a stubborn guy that loses his temper, sometimes driving the station wagon in the wrong direction for hours and hours and never admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/i-m-a-stubborn-guy-that-loses-his-temper-sometimes-driving-the/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I love to make songs out of some of those shadows - you know, some of the things you lie awake thinking about, social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/i-love-to-make-songs-out-of-some-of-those-shadows-you-know-some-of/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [Sometimes you have to wear what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/sometimes-you-have-to-wear-what-you-want/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [The same song can have drastically different feels and personalities just by changing some minor things. A different drumbeat or some vocal overdub could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/the-same-song-can-have-drastically-different-feels-and-personalities/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I focus on the words and then I have fun putting together the music after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/i-focus-on-the-words-and-then-i-have-fun-putting-together-the-music/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [People will dig their heels in and fight for the things they love and against the things they hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/people-will-dig-their-heels-in-and-fight-for-the-things-they-love-and/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) [Explore all 65 Matt Berninger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) ## More Knowing quotes > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Therefore, brethren, pray until God gives us revelation so that "knowing this" in our spirit we may truly confess "that our old man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/therefore-brethren-pray-until-god-gives-us-revelation-so-that-knowing/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. 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We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/life-and-death-were-so-unpredictable-so-close-to-each-other-we/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [Those who are the most happy appear to know it the least; happiness is something that for the most part seems to mainly consist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/those-who-are-the-most-happy-appear-to-know-it-the-least-happiness-is/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. 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