--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm trying to get music ideas that come…" description: "\"I'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them alive. It's like carrying water in your hands. I want to keep it all, and sometimes by the time y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/tom-waits-916_alive_i-m-trying-to-get-music-ideas-that-come_656554.jpg" --- # I'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them… ![“I'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them alive. It's like carrying water in your hands. I want to keep it all, and sometimes by the time you get to the studio you have nothing.” quote by Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/tom-waits-916_alive_i-m-trying-to-get-music-ideas-that-come_656554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/tom-waits-916_alive_i-m-trying-to-get-music-ideas-that-come_656554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/tom-waits-916_alive_i-m-trying-to-get-music-ideas-that-come_656554.jpg) > “I'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them alive. It's like carrying water in your hands. I want to keep it all, and sometimes by the time you get to the studio you have nothing.” [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative ideas are fleeting; without a system they evaporate before they can be used. **In simple terms:** Ideas fade without capture. Key Takeaway Capture ideas immediately. Themes creativity discipline artistic process Mood frustrated hopeful Type advice reflective When to use this quote - songwriting sessions - studio work - daily journaling Key Concepts memory flow execution Questions to Reflect On - How do you currently record ideas? - What tools could help preserve them? A Different Perspective Ideas can be lost despite best intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Carrying Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carrying-water-655655/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-come/) [Like Carrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-carrying-1004713/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-ideas-720755/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Studios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studios/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-music-421809/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [It's the way I make music, I will take two ideas and smash them together and if they sit well together for me then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thighpaulsandra/it-s-the-way-i-make-music-i-will-take-two-ideas-and-smash-them/) [Thighpaulsandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thighpaulsandra/) > [The computer is simply an instrument whose music is ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/the-computer-is-simply-an-instrument-whose-music-is-ideas/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [I would be happy if I could meet some musicians interested in different acoustics and traditional music. Maybe I will find some Native American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kuvezin/i-would-be-happy-if-i-could-meet-some-musicians-interested-in/) [Albert Kuvezin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kuvezin/) > [Music is funny. I shouldn't even ever talk about music, because you can have all the ideas in your head, and it never goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/music-is-funny-i-shouldn-t-even-ever-talk-about-music-because-you-can/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [Through pop music ideas, energies and resources can emerge that can help the audience release themselves from the unrelieving confinements of environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-morley/through-pop-music-ideas-energies-and-resources-can-emerge-that-can/) [Paul Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-morley/) > [I'm not someone else's mouthpiece. I'm not carrying water for anyone - whether that's the GOP, Fox News, or Christianity. I'm not doing anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-cupp/i-m-not-someone-else-s-mouthpiece-i-m-not-carrying-water-for-anyone/) [S.E. Cupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-cupp/) > [“I was all the time tugging and carrying water. But now I have a river that carries me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-lyman-moody/i-was-all-the-time-tugging-and-carrying-water-but-now-i-have-a-river/) [Dwight lyman moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-lyman-moody/) > [“Who would rule a nation when he could have easier work, such as carrying water uphill in a sieve?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/who-would-rule-a-nation-when-he-could-have-easier-work-such-as/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [I carefully lay out the provisions. One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-carefully-lay-out-the-provisions-one-thin-black-sleeping-bag-that/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“A family of four needs to transport around 200 pounds of water each and every day to meet its most minimal drinking, cooking, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-solomon/a-family-of-four-needs-to-transport-around-200-pounds-of-water-each/) [Steven Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-solomon/) > [Irish women are always carrying water on their heads, and always carrying their husbands home from pubs. Such things are the greatest posture-builders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/irish-women-are-always-carrying-water-on-their-heads-and-always/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [“We're not going to die. You're with me kiddo and it just happens I know a few survival skills." "Oh yeah right. Like carrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/we-re-not-going-to-die-you-re-with-me-kiddo-and-it-just-happens-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [It's like carrying a bowling ball! Almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/it-s-like-carrying-a-bowling-ball-almost-done/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [It's always like I am carrying a heavy cross with me on the sets. So it was important for me to try something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alok-nath/it-s-always-like-i-am-carrying-a-heavy-cross-with-me-on-the-sets-so/) [Alok Nath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alok-nath/) > [“I did not know the work of mourning Is like carrying a bag of cement Up a mountain at night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-did-not-know-the-work-of-mourning-is-like-carrying-a-bag-of-cement-2/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More by Tom Waits > [Most of us have the residue of thousands of songs in our ears, that if you end up songwriting, I think you're mostly smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-us-have-the-residue-of-thousands-of-songs-in-our-ears-that-if/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Don't plant your days they turn into weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/don-t-plant-your-days-they-turn-into-weeds/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/t-ain-t-no-sin-to-take-off-your-skin-and-dance-around-in-your-bones/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“an all time favorite: "The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/an-all-time-favorite-the-large-print-giveth-the-small-print-taketh/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/for-a-songwriter-you-don-t-really-go-to-songwriting-school-you-learn/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-devil-knows-the-bible-like-the-back-of-his-hand/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Explore all 328 Tom Waits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm trying to get music ideas that come and keep them alive. It's like carrying water in your hands. 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