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I don't ascribe to the idea of the ivory tower composer who sits alone in a room composing his masterpieces and then comes down from Mount Sinai with the tablets. It doesn't work like that. The job of a composer is putting something down on a piece of paper that will inspire the person who's playing.

I'd hate to be a songwriter starting a career today.

If anything, I want to be seen as a singer-songwriter rather than a pop artist.

You can't just hoard your ideas inside the ivory tower. You have to get them out into the world.

As a songwriter, if you can touch people and make them feel a little less alone in the world, then you've done your job.

You don't just wake up one morning and decide to become a singer-songwriter.

When I first started out in this business, it was easy because nobody wanted anything from me. But now everyone wants something from me, so it's hard to break away and just be a songwriter.

There's room in the world for one historical folk-rock singer to make a decent living, and I happen to be it.

I don't want to work on a musical if I'm not the lyricist.

The thing is, I'm not a prolific songwriter.