--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of the time I wind up with a…" description: "\"Most of the time I wind up with a sleepily mumbled melodic line, sometimes with words, sometimes not. But then with my waking brain I have to decide wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/ted-leo-17826_brain_most-of-the-time-i-wind-up-with-a-sleepi_3073028.png" --- # Most of the time I wind up with a sleepily mumbled melodic… ![“Most of the time I wind up with a sleepily mumbled melodic line, sometimes with words, sometimes not. But then with my waking brain I have to decide whether it's worth...I mean, sometimes it's not worth it.” quote by Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/ted-leo-17826_brain_most-of-the-time-i-wind-up-with-a-sleepi_3073028.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/ted-leo-17826_brain_most-of-the-time-i-wind-up-with-a-sleepi_3073028.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/ted-leo-17826_brain_most-of-the-time-i-wind-up-with-a-sleepi_3073028.png) > “Most of the time I wind up with a sleepily mumbled melodic line, sometimes with words, sometimes not. But then with my waking brain I have to decide whether it's worth...I mean, sometimes it's not worth it.” [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) ## 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 often creates melodic ideas that feel unfinished, and must judge their value before developing them further. **In simple terms:** Unfinished melodies need evaluation before work. Key Takeaway Assess and decide which ideas merit development. Themes creativity self‑criticism artistic process Mood reflective analytical Type process artistic When to use this quote - songwriting - studio sessions - creative brainstorming Key Concepts musical composition idea generation evaluation Questions to Reflect On - How do you determine when a fragment is worth expanding? - What criteria help you prioritize musical ideas? A Different Perspective Ideas may feel vague and lack direction, risking wasted effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-decide-5207901/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Melodic Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodic-line-710553/) [Mumbled Melodic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mumbled-melodic-5207898/) [Not worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-worth-it/) [Sleepily Mumbled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepily-mumbled-5207899/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waking/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Words Waking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-waking-5207900/) [Worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-it/) ## Related quotes > [I start out with words, with the idea, the line. Then after I get a line or two, I try to find what melodic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/i-start-out-with-words-with-the-idea-the-line-then-after-i-get-a-line/) [Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/) > [A great melodic line is like a person's soul, and coming up with an original melody, it can be like you are illustrating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/a-great-melodic-line-is-like-a-person-s-soul-and-coming-up-with-an/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [I realized by using the high notes of the chords as a melodic line, and by the right harmonic progression, I could play what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-parker/i-realized-by-using-the-high-notes-of-the-chords-as-a-melodic-line/) [Charlie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-parker/) > [I most enjoy sitting down with the acoustic guitar and just fiddling around and trying to come up with something like a hook or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-most-enjoy-sitting-down-with-the-acoustic-guitar-and-just-fiddling/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [The realisation that, depending on where we changed from one note to the next in a melodic line, the music could subtly influence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/the-realisation-that-depending-on-where-we-changed-from-one-note-to/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [You have to follow every melodic line, every emotional idea, or you don't get your money's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hersh/you-have-to-follow-every-melodic-line-every-emotional-idea-or-you-don/) [Kristin Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hersh/) > [Sometimes it's easy to see the negative side of things or question why people bully you. You could think, 'Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raini-rodriguez/sometimes-it-s-easy-to-see-the-negative-side-of-things-or-question/) [Raini Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raini-rodriguez/) > [Some days I cant stop thinking about you and other days I wonder why am I wasting my time ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beronica-limon/some-days-i-cant-stop-thinking-about-you-and-other-days-i-wonder-why-2/) [Beronica Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beronica-limon/) > [I've been through so much in my career in F1, particularly in 1995, and I did achieve so much that I thought that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mika-hakkinen/i-ve-been-through-so-much-in-my-career-in-f1-particularly-in-1995-and/) [Mika Hakkinen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mika-hakkinen/) > [One finger & Im out because you aint even worth two!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/one-finger-im-out-because-you-aint-even-worth-two/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [If painting doesn't offer a way to dream and create emotions, then it's not worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-soulages/if-painting-doesn-t-offer-a-way-to-dream-and-create-emotions-then-it/) [Pierre Soulages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-soulages/) > [Stressing out over how you look, what you're wearing, or when you're getting home is not worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/stressing-out-over-how-you-look-what-you-re-wearing-or-when-you-re/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [Don't lose sleep over things you cannot change! Wash away guilt - it's not worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/don-t-lose-sleep-over-things-you-cannot-change-wash-away-guilt-it-s/) [Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/) > [I think I just realized that having a problem - an eating disorder - it's not healthy and you can actually die from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-polizzi/i-think-i-just-realized-that-having-a-problem-an-eating-disorder-it-s/) [Nicole Polizzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-polizzi/) > [I promise you, anybody given the choice of that kind of money or having to make a phone call to tell your dad that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-promise-you-anybody-given-the-choice-of-that-kind-of-money-or/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) ## More by Ted Leo > [The obsessive documentation is itself adjacent to hyper-consumption in our society. The desire to just have everything all the time and adjacent to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/the-obsessive-documentation-is-itself-adjacent-to-hyper-consumption/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [Someone once said that "The Waste Land" was a scum of poetry floating on a sea of footnotes. That resonated with me, because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/someone-once-said-that-the-waste-land-was-a-scum-of-poetry-floating/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [I am the stereo-typical classic lapsed Catholic. Religious themes crop up in my songs sometimes as metaphors and other kinds of touchstones for getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/i-am-the-stereo-typical-classic-lapsed-catholic-religious-themes-crop/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [Though I know for a fact that some of my fans would be happy for me to do anything that's going to help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/though-i-know-for-a-fact-that-some-of-my-fans-would-be-happy-for-me/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [I actually enjoy Instagram. I enjoy seeing what people who I have some connection to are doing around the globe. I'm even old-school Instagram.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/i-actually-enjoy-instagram-i-enjoy-seeing-what-people-who-i-have-some/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [It's almost weirder sometimes when you don't have a full life experience with someone's ups and downs, knowing what they've been through. Sometimes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/it-s-almost-weirder-sometimes-when-you-don-t-have-a-full-life/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [When I started playing solo 10 years ago, I had some ham-fisted idea about trying to subvert the "singer-songwriter" tag/genre, and I tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/when-i-started-playing-solo-10-years-ago-i-had-some-ham-fisted-idea/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [I used to think success would be sustainability. Not being behind the eight ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/i-used-to-think-success-would-be-sustainability-not-being-behind-the/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [You play the one song that people want to hear the most every night, and for every audience that's a special thing. And usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/you-play-the-one-song-that-people-want-to-hear-the-most-every-night/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [When you're traveling on a body of songs that you have played for many, many years, for most nights of your life - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/when-you-re-traveling-on-a-body-of-songs-that-you-have-played-for/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [Bands-- enough with the crayon face-paint-- you're better than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/bands-enough-with-the-crayon-face-paint-you-re-better-than-that/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [I do feel like at the end of anger I have to have something that grounds it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/i-do-feel-like-at-the-end-of-anger-i-have-to-have-something-that/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [Despite the fact that I trust the people at major labels who tell me that they want to offer me a home as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/despite-the-fact-that-i-trust-the-people-at-major-labels-who-tell-me/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [When you make a record and have to go out on tour for it, you have to go out on tour for it. Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/when-you-make-a-record-and-have-to-go-out-on-tour-for-it-you-have-to/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [I actually dream a lot of songs, and I try to be good about voice-memoing ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/i-actually-dream-a-lot-of-songs-and-i-try-to-be-good-about-voice/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) [Explore all 36 Ted Leo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' 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