---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I've got a talent, it's for picking…"
description: "\"If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always seem to get people to sing with me.\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png"
---

#  If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at…

![“If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always seem to get people to sing with me.” quote by Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png)

> “If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always seem to get people to sing with me.”

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker claims a natural ability to select music that resonates with listeners and to engage them in singing together.

**In simple terms:** He can pick the right song and get people to sing.

Key Takeaway

Use music to connect with audiences.

Themes

creativity audience engagement musical intuition

Mood

joyful energetic

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- concerts
- community events
- team-building sessions

Key Concepts

song selection social bonding performance dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you gauge the right moment for a song?
- What techniques help encourage group singing?

A Different Perspective

May not work with audiences unfamiliar with the genre.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Got Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-talent/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-audience-549942/) [Right time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-time/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Song Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song-right-279631/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talent Picking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-picking-549941/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-the-right-song-at-the-right-2/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/songs-are-funny-things-they-can-slip-across-borders-proliferate-in/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [I look up to Andrea Boccelli and Sarah Brightman. The best part about 'America's Got Talent' was performing with her!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-look-up-to-andrea-boccelli-and-sarah-brightman-the-best-part-about/)

[Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/)

> [If you've got talent, stick with it... because talent wins out, without a doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sherman/if-you-ve-got-talent-stick-with-it-because-talent-wins-out-without-a/)

[Bobby Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sherman/)

> [Really there's different scales of stories. Sometimes you want to tell one that 20, 30, 40, 50 million people will want to see and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/really-there-s-different-scales-of-stories-sometimes-you-want-to-tell/)

[John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/)

> [You can't second-guess your audience. You can only do what you think is right. If you do that, your audience will appreciate you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/you-can-t-second-guess-your-audience-you-can-only-do-what-you-think/)

[Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/)

> [When you get just that right audience and just that right sound on stage and you can just sit back and kinda just let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/when-you-get-just-that-right-audience-and-just-that-right-sound-on/)

[Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/)

> [Ive found that if you just try to make the film you want, youll find the right audience. If you try to please everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/ive-found-that-if-you-just-try-to-make-the-film-you-want-youll-find/)

[Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/)

> [I've seen the power of the community. A young person can stand up, talk about his dream, and someone from the audience will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-pratury/i-ve-seen-the-power-of-the-community-a-young-person-can-stand-up-talk/)

[Lakshmi Pratury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-pratury/)

> [The ghastly thing about being a producer is that, once the curtain goes up, there is nothing you can do. At least when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/the-ghastly-thing-about-being-a-producer-is-that-once-the-curtain/)

[Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/)

> [I've found that if you just try to make the film you want, you'll find the right audience. If you try to please everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/i-ve-found-that-if-you-just-try-to-make-the-film-you-want-you-ll-find/)

[Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/)

> [Now, when I started my theater, the modus operandi was having the actors stare right into the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-foreman/now-when-i-started-my-theater-the-modus-operandi-was-having-the/)

[Richard Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-foreman/)

> [“The key in all situations. . . is always to know your audience. It's not about what you know or what you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-monaco/the-key-in-all-situations-is-always-to-know-your-audience-it-s-not/)

[Kelly Monaco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-monaco/)

> [I can write a song, but can't un-right my wrongs. I guess you live and learn, learn when the love is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-write-a-song-but-can-t-un-right-my-wrongs-i-guess-you-live-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“He was right. The annoying Disney song was right. The universe was too fucking small.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/he-was-right-the-annoying-disney-song-was-right-the-universe-was-too/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

## More by Pete Seeger

> [Honest songs aren't written for money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/honest-songs-aren-t-written-for-money/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the 50's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-father-charles-seeger-got-me-into-the-communist-movement-he-backed/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [In the sixties, during the Vietnam war, when anarchists and pacifists and socialists, Democrats and Republicans, decent-hearted Americans, all recoiled with horror at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-sixties-during-the-vietnam-war-when-anarchists-and-pacifists/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [Now somebody will ask me, Pete, how can you prove these songs really make a difference? And I have to confess I can't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/now-somebody-will-ask-me-pete-how-can-you-prove-these-songs-really/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [The truth is a rabbit in a bramble patch. All you can do is circle around and say it's somewhere in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/the-truth-is-a-rabbit-in-a-bramble-patch-all-you-can-do-is-circle/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [I was about 16 years old years when my father took me to a square dance festival in North Carolina. For the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/i-was-about-16-years-old-years-when-my-father-took-me-to-a-square/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [It was Rachel Carson's famous book 'Silent Spring' that got me involved with the environment. I read it in The New Yorker, in installments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/it-was-rachel-carson-s-famous-book-silent-spring-that-got-me-involved/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/when-you-play-the-12-string-guitar-you-spend-half-your-life-tuning/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [Folks out in the country couldn't afford to pay for anybody else to make music. They had to make their own. So the peasantry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/folks-out-in-the-country-couldn-t-afford-to-pay-for-anybody-else-to/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [If there's something wrong, speak up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-there-s-something-wrong-speak-up/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [This world is so full of hypocrisy, the only way you can be honest is to be a hermit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/this-world-is-so-full-of-hypocrisy-the-only-way-you-can-be-honest-is/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [There is a big, beautiful world that could be destroyed by selfishness and foolishness. We musicians have it within our power to help save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-a-big-beautiful-world-that-could-be-destroyed-by-selfishness/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [And the people in the houses All went to the University And they got put in boxes Little boxes all the same, Little boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/and-the-people-in-the-houses-all-went-to-the-university-and-they-got/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [A good song reminds us what we're fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/a-good-song-reminds-us-what-we-re-fighting-for/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [Most conservatives just want to turn back the clock to a time before the income tax - 100 years or so. I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/most-conservatives-just-want-to-turn-back-the-clock-to-a-time-before/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

[Explore all 196 Pete Seeger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

## More Audience quotes

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/)

[Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/)

[Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/)

> [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/)

[An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/)

> [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/)

[Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/)

> [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/)

[Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/)

> [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/)

[Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/)

> [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/)

[Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/)

> [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/)

[Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/)

> [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

> [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/)

[Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/)

> [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/)

[John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/)

[Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always seem to get people to sing with me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pete Seeger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-the-right-song-at-the-right/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Audience"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-the-right-song-at-the-right/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/pete-seeger-1942_audience_if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-th_2146176.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can…” — Pete Seeger",
                "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": "Pete Seeger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If I've got a talent, it's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-the-right-song-at-the-right/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-i-ve-got-a-talent-it-s-for-picking-the-right-song-at-the-right/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
