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Folk Songs Quotes

Tradition, voice and reinvention

These Folk Songs quotes describe carrying an old tradition forward, much the way earlier artists borrowed and retold songs long Because folk music has always evolved that way.

But in my imagination this whole thing developed and I started mixing up old folk songs with the Beatles beat and taking them down to Greenwich Village and playing them for the people there.

Quotes by Roger McGuinn

I've been getting interested in reimagining folk songs and writing songs that should have existed but didn't, particularly around the Civil War when black voices were muted and only allowed particular channels.

Quotes by Rhiannon Giddens

There was a time that I was only known for being a plagiarist. It used to hurt at times because there was so much effort I was putting into music. And instead of that, it was a couple tunes that...

Quotes by Pritam Chakraborty

What I'm doing is basically the same as Bob Dylan did with folk songs and Woody Guthrie songs, the same as folk music's always done. I'm not going to sing about ploughing, but I'll write a song that sounds like...

Quotes by Justin Townes Earle

Always Quotes

There are no bridges in folk songs because the peasants died building them.

Quotes by Eugene Chadbourne

Pat Benatar might need a rock band, but I can just sit with a blues guitar for an hour and a half and do folk songs and great contemporary ballads, and not many people can pull that off.

Quotes by Bonnie Raitt

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does one quote connect folk songs to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie?
It says the speaker's own approach follows the same path as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie's folk songs, describing it as simply how folk music has always worked rather than something entirely new.
What does the Greenwich Village quote describe?
It recalls mixing old folk songs with a Beatles-style beat and performing that blend for audiences in Greenwich Village, describing the mash-up as something that developed gradually through imagination.
How does reimagining folk songs connect to the Civil War era in these quotes?
One speaker describes reimagining folk songs and writing new ones that should have existed during the Civil War, specifically to give voice to Black perspectives that were muted or left out at the time.
Is there a quote about being wrongly known as a plagiarist?
Yes, one speaker recalls being known mainly for plagiarism accusations, saying it hurt given how much genuine effort went into the music, despite it coming down to just a couple of contested songs.
What common theme ties these Folk Songs quotes together?
Each one treats folk music as living tradition, borrowed, remixed and reimagined across generations rather than treated as fixed or untouchable.

One quote even recalls mixing old folk songs with new sounds down in Greenwich Village, a reminder that Black voices and other muted histories deserve renewed attention in folk tradition.