--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a good songwriter means paying…" description: "\"Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on the way to someone else's house!\" — Nanci Gri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg" --- # Being a good songwriter means paying attention and… ![“Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on the way to someone else's house!” quote by Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg) > “Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on the way to someone else's house!” [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A songwriter must stay alert and receptive, capturing inspiration wherever it appears, even in unexpected places. **In simple terms:** Stay alert and catch inspiration. Key Takeaway Observe and seize creative moments. Themes creativity mindfulness artistry Mood reflective inspired Type advice creative When to use this quote - commuting - daily routine - travel - spontaneous moments Key Concepts songwriting inspiration attention Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay open to unexpected ideas? - What habits help you notice creative sparks? A Different Perspective Inspiration may be fleeting and hard to grasp without discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Good Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-son/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songwriter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriter/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) ## Related quotes > [I used to feel like I wasn't a good songwriter when I couldn't finish a song by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/i-used-to-feel-like-i-wasn-t-a-good-songwriter-when-i-couldn-t-finish/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [I think if you're a good songwriter, that's what you are first - not a star or celebrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cochrane/i-think-if-you-re-a-good-songwriter-that-s-what-you-are-first-not-a/) [Tom Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cochrane/) > [I think to be a good songwriter, you have to be able to play an instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/i-think-to-be-a-good-songwriter-you-have-to-be-able-to-play-an/) [Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/) > [I never thought of myself as being a good songwriter. There are a ton of other people that are good songwriters, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-chilton/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-being-a-good-songwriter-there-are-a-ton/) [Alex Chilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-chilton/) > [I wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be a musician. I wanted to travel and write songs and be a good songwriter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/i-wanted-to-be-a-singer-i-wanted-to-be-a-musician-i-wanted-to-travel/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [A lot of people, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and a lot of people have written for other people, and of course Bruno Mars.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/a-lot-of-people-lady-gaga-and-katy-perry-and-a-lot-of-people-have/) [Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/) > [Just knowing how to rap doesn't necessarily mean that you're a good songwriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/just-knowing-how-to-rap-doesn-t-necessarily-mean-that-you-re-a-good/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [You can't write about stuff you don't know about. You have to live it. You have to roll up your sleeves and get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dierks-bentley/you-can-t-write-about-stuff-you-don-t-know-about-you-have-to-live-it/) [Dierks Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dierks-bentley/) > [You cant write about stuff you dont know about. You have to live it. You have to roll up your sleeves and get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dierks-bentley/you-cant-write-about-stuff-you-dont-know-about-you-have-to-live-it/) [Dierks Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dierks-bentley/) > [It should be if you're a good singer and a good songwriter, you should have your spot. You get everybody trying to release the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-houser/it-should-be-if-you-re-a-good-singer-and-a-good-songwriter-you-should/) [Randy Houser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-houser/) > [I've spent most of my life playing with Tom Petty, and he's a damn good songwriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benmont-tench/i-ve-spent-most-of-my-life-playing-with-tom-petty-and-he-s-a-damn/) [Benmont Tench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benmont-tench/) > [I think Bob Dylan's a good songwriter. I think he's the best songwriter in the world probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/i-think-bob-dylan-s-a-good-songwriter-i-think-he-s-the-best/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [I worked extremely hard at my craft and at being a good songwriter, being a good guitar player, being a good organist, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-potter/i-worked-extremely-hard-at-my-craft-and-at-being-a-good-songwriter/) [Grace Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-potter/) > [I would love to work with Calvin Harris because I think he's a really good songwriter and producer and he does everything, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-nesbitt/i-would-love-to-work-with-calvin-harris-because-i-think-he-s-a-really/) [Nina Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-nesbitt/) > [Me becoming a person, instead of somebody who just hides and is afraid, has happened in tandem with me learning to write music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/me-becoming-a-person-instead-of-somebody-who-just-hides-and-is-afraid/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) ## More by Nanci Griffith > [I think that a lot of women are made to feel that they have not done the one thing that they were put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/i-think-that-a-lot-of-women-are-made-to-feel-that-they-have-not-done/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [Live well. Sing out, sing loud, and sing often. And God bless the child that's got a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/live-well-sing-out-sing-loud-and-sing-often-and-god-bless-the-child/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [I decided it was time to pay tribute to my own songs, to give them the opportunity to mature and be adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/i-decided-it-was-time-to-pay-tribute-to-my-own-songs-to-give-them-the/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [It was nice to focus on things outside of my body. Music has always done that for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/it-was-nice-to-focus-on-things-outside-of-my-body-music-has-always/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [Even though my songs may sound very personal, to me most of them are fiction. It is a great way for me to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/even-though-my-songs-may-sound-very-personal-to-me-most-of-them-are/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [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/) > [Your own voice is the voice that carries you through life the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/your-own-voice-is-the-voice-that-carries-you-through-life-the-best/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [I feel like, in some ways, I'm just a journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/i-feel-like-in-some-ways-i-m-just-a-journalist/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) > [I've always been a very prolific writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/i-ve-always-been-a-very-prolific-writer/) [Nanci Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) [Explore all 10 Nanci Griffith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on the way to someone else's house!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nanci Griffith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-attention-and-sticking-your-hand/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-attention-and-sticking-your-hand/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/nanci-griffith-42219_attention_being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-att_904845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a good songwriter means paying attention and sticking your hand out the window to catch the song on…” — Nanci Griffith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nanci Griffith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanci-griffith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a good songwriter means paying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-attention-and-sticking-your-hand/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanci-griffith/being-a-good-songwriter-means-paying-attention-and-sticking-your-hand/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```