I’ve been told that nobody sings the word ‘hunger’ like I do.
BILLIE HOLIDAYWhen you sing, always tell the truth.
More Billie Holiday Quotes
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God has blessed you when he lets you believe in somebody.
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If I don’t have friends, then I ain’t nothing.
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I can’t stand to sing the same song the same way two nights in succession. If you can, then it ain’t music, it’s close order drill, or exercise or yodeling or something, not music.
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If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.
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Them that’s got shall get, Them that’s not shall lose. So the Bible says, And it still is news. Mama may have, Papa may have, But God bless the child that’s got his own.
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The only reason they’re out there is to see me fall into the damn orchestra pit.
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You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body’s sermon on how to behave.
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If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music.
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I don’t think I’m singing. I feel like I’m playing a horn, What comes out is what I feel.
BILLIE HOLIDAY -
People don’t understand the kind of fight it takes to record what you want to record the way you want to record it.
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Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough.
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The blues to me is like being very sad, very sick, going to church, being very happy … it’s sort of a mixed up thing. You just have to feel it.
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Dope never helped anybody sing better or play music better or do anything better. All dope can do for you is kill you – and kill you the long, slow, hard way.
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Don’t threaten me with love, baby. Let’s just go walking in the rain.
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In this country, don’t forget, a habit is no damn private hell. There’s no solitary confinement outside of jail. A habit is hell for those you love. And in this country it’s the worst kind of hell for those who love you.
BILLIE HOLIDAY