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I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.

Nina Simone

How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?
NINA SIMONE

Artist Reflection Time
I think if I were over there in America, protest music would be more important. But I’m not going.
NINA SIMONE

Important Music Myself Thinking
Talent is a burden not a joy. I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.
NINA SIMONE

Burden Myself Planet Talent
Once I understood Bach’s music, I wanted to be a concert pianist. Bach made me dedicate my life to music, and it was that teacher who introduced me to his world.
NINA SIMONE

Dedication Introduction Music Myself Teacher World
I look forward to doing my own show, not someone else’s. That’s always been my dream.
NINA SIMONE

Dreams Myself Show
Birds flying high you know how I feel Sun in the sky you know how I feel Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel And this old world is a new world And a bold world For me And I’m feeling good I’m feeling good.
NINA SIMONE

Fly Myself Old Sun World
I think the rich are too rich and the poor are too poor. I don’t think the black people are going to rise at all; I think most of them are going to die.
NINA SIMONE

Death Poor Rich Rise Thinking
Music is an art and art has its own rules.
NINA SIMONE

Art Music Rule
I’m a real rebel with a cause.
NINA SIMONE

Reality Reason Rebel
I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I have a chance to live, as I’ve dreamed.
NINA SIMONE

Alive Chance Dreams Feeling Myself
I don’t like rap music at all. I don’t think it’s music. It’s just a beat and rapping.
NINA SIMONE

Music Myself
Life is short. People are not easy to know. They’re not easy to know, so if you don’t tell them how you feel, you’re not going to get anywhere, I feel.
NINA SIMONE

Easy Feeling Life Myself People
I love the classics but there are many new ideas to be made into reality. I’d rather be concerned with my own thing. There are many masters of classical piano so I’ll leave it to them.
NINA SIMONE

Classics Love Master Myself
It was always Marx, Lenin, and revolution – real girl’s talk.
NINA SIMONE

Reality Revolution Talk
Greed has driven the world crazy. And I think I’m lucky that I have a place over here that I can call home.
NINA SIMONE

Crazy Drive Home Myself World
Slavery has never been abolished from America’s way of thinking.
NINA SIMONE

Abolish Slave Thinking Way
You don’t have to live next to me / Just give me my equality.
NINA SIMONE

Equality Live Yourself
It’s a good time for black people to be alive.
NINA SIMONE

Alive Black People Time
I try to swim every damn day I can, and I’ve learned to scuba dive and snorkel.
NINA SIMONE

Day Learning Myself
I know I’m different, but I don’t think about it.
NINA SIMONE

Different Myself Thinking
When a child is gifted, people try to help that child.
NINA SIMONE

Children Gift Help People
You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.
NINA SIMONE

Artist Help Reflection Time
My job is not done. I address my songs now to the third world. I am popular all over Asia and Africa and the Middle East, not to speak of South Africa, where I’m trying to go to see Nelson Mandela.
NINA SIMONE

Address Job Myself Popular See Song
What is love but a prelude to sorrow with heartache ahead for your goal.
NINA SIMONE

Goal Love Sorrow Yourself
You can’t be different if you look at it. Being gifted is different. I had that in my piano playing. I’m very thankful for that. I’m very aware of that. The style and what I fed is just me. I never worked at it. It just happened.
NINA SIMONE

Awareness Different Gift Myself Thankful Work
I would like a man now who is rich, and who can give me a boat – a sailboat. I want to own it and let him pay for it. My first love is the sea and water, not music. Music is second.
NINA SIMONE

Love Man Myself Pay Rich Sea Water
Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking.
NINA SIMONE

Life Music Thinking Way

I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.

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I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.

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