I Had To Pawn My Clothes Just

Learning To Read Music In Braille And Play By Ear Helped Me Develop A Damn Good Memory.

I Got A Cow That Went Dry And A Hen That Won't Lay, A Big Stack Of Bills That Gets Bigger Each Day.

I Sing What I Sing True. Each Night I Sing It The Way I Feel That Night.

I Was Born With Music Inside Me. Music Was One Of My Parts. Like My Ribs, My Kidneys, My Liver, My Heart. Like My Blood. It Was A Force Already Within Me When I Arrived On The Scene. It Was A Necessity For Me-like Food Or Water.

I Never Considered Myself Part Of Rock 'n' Roll. My Stuff Was More Adult. It Was More Difficult For Teenagers To Relate To; My Stuff Was Filled With More Despair Than Anything You'd Associate With Rock 'n' Roll. Since I Couldn't See People Dancing, I Didn't Write Jitterbugs Or Twists. I Wrote Rhythms That Moved Me. My Style Requires Pure Heart Singing.