Chords for Patti Smith Interview: Advice to the Young | Louisiana Channel
Tempo:
78.025 bpm
Chords used:
C
D
Eb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
A writer or any artist can't expect to be embraced by the people.
You know, I've done records where it seemed like no one listened to them.
You write poetry books that maybe, you know, 50 people read,
and you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it's your calling.
But it's beautiful to be embraced by the people.
Some people have said to me,
well, you know, don't you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist?
Or, you know, if you're a punk rocker, you don't want to have a hit record.
And I say, you know, fuck you.
You know, it's just like one does their work for the people.
And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is.
You don't do your work and say, I only want the cool people to read it.
You know, you want everyone to be transported or hopefully inspired by it.
When I was really young, William Burroughs told me,
I mean, I was really struggling.
We never had any money.
And William, the advice that William gave me was build a good name.
You know, keep your name clean.
Don't make compromises.
Don't worry about making a bunch of money or being successful.
Be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and [C] protect your work.
And if you build a good name, eventually, you know, that name will be its own currency.
And I remember when he told me that and I said, yeah, but William, my name's Smith.
You know, it is not that, just joking.
But to be an artist, actually to be a human being in these times, it's all difficult.
You have to go through life, hopefully, you know, trying to stay healthy,
you know, being as happy as you can and pursuing, you know, doing what you want.
If what you want is to have children, if what you want is to be a baker,
if what you want is to live out in the woods or try to save the environment
or maybe what you want is to write scripts for detective shows.
It doesn't really matter, you know.
What matters is to be, is to know what you want and pursue it
and understand that it's going to be hard because life is really difficult.
You're going to lose people you love.
You're going to suffer heartbreak.
Sometimes you'll be sick.
Sometimes you'll have a really bad toothache.
Sometimes you'll be hungry.
But on the other end, you'll have the most beautiful experiences, sometimes just the sky.
Sometimes, you know, a piece of work that you do that feels so wonderful
or you find somebody to love or your children or there's beautiful things in life.
So when you're suffering, just, you know, it's part of the package, you know.
You look at it, we're born and we also have to die.
We know that.
So it makes sense that we're going to be really happy
and things are going to be really fucked up too.
Just ride with it, you know.
It's like a roller coaster ride.
It's never going to be perfect.
It's going to have perfect moments and then rough spots.
But it's all worth it.
Believe me, I think it is.
[D] You know, I'm sure that each generation, you know,
could say that their time was the best and the worst of times.
But I think that right now, we are at something different that I've never seen.
It's a pioneering time because there's no other time in history like right now.
And that's what makes it unique.
It's not unique because we have, you know, like Renaissance-style artists.
It's unique because the people, it is a time of the people
because technology has really democratized self-expression.
Instead of a handful of people making their own records or writing their own songs,
everybody can write them.
Everyone can post a poem on the internet and have people read it.
Everyone has access, an access that they've never had before.
There is possibilities for global striking.
There's possibilities for bringing down these corporations and governments
who think they rule the world because we can unite as one people through technology.
We're all still figuring it out and what power we actually have.
But the people still do have the power more than ever.
And I think [Eb] right now, we're going through this painful sort of like adolescence again.
What do we do with this technology?
What do we do with our world?
What, who are we?
But it also makes it exciting.
You know, all the young people right now, the new generations,
they're pioneers in a new time.
So just, I say, stay strong.
Try to stay, have fun, but stay clean, stay healthy
because, you know, you have a lot of challenges ahead.
And be happy.
[N]
You know, I've done records where it seemed like no one listened to them.
You write poetry books that maybe, you know, 50 people read,
and you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it's your calling.
But it's beautiful to be embraced by the people.
Some people have said to me,
well, you know, don't you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist?
Or, you know, if you're a punk rocker, you don't want to have a hit record.
And I say, you know, fuck you.
You know, it's just like one does their work for the people.
And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is.
You don't do your work and say, I only want the cool people to read it.
You know, you want everyone to be transported or hopefully inspired by it.
When I was really young, William Burroughs told me,
I mean, I was really struggling.
We never had any money.
And William, the advice that William gave me was build a good name.
You know, keep your name clean.
Don't make compromises.
Don't worry about making a bunch of money or being successful.
Be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and [C] protect your work.
And if you build a good name, eventually, you know, that name will be its own currency.
And I remember when he told me that and I said, yeah, but William, my name's Smith.
You know, it is not that, just joking.
But to be an artist, actually to be a human being in these times, it's all difficult.
You have to go through life, hopefully, you know, trying to stay healthy,
you know, being as happy as you can and pursuing, you know, doing what you want.
If what you want is to have children, if what you want is to be a baker,
if what you want is to live out in the woods or try to save the environment
or maybe what you want is to write scripts for detective shows.
It doesn't really matter, you know.
What matters is to be, is to know what you want and pursue it
and understand that it's going to be hard because life is really difficult.
You're going to lose people you love.
You're going to suffer heartbreak.
Sometimes you'll be sick.
Sometimes you'll have a really bad toothache.
Sometimes you'll be hungry.
But on the other end, you'll have the most beautiful experiences, sometimes just the sky.
Sometimes, you know, a piece of work that you do that feels so wonderful
or you find somebody to love or your children or there's beautiful things in life.
So when you're suffering, just, you know, it's part of the package, you know.
You look at it, we're born and we also have to die.
We know that.
So it makes sense that we're going to be really happy
and things are going to be really fucked up too.
Just ride with it, you know.
It's like a roller coaster ride.
It's never going to be perfect.
It's going to have perfect moments and then rough spots.
But it's all worth it.
Believe me, I think it is.
[D] You know, I'm sure that each generation, you know,
could say that their time was the best and the worst of times.
But I think that right now, we are at something different that I've never seen.
It's a pioneering time because there's no other time in history like right now.
And that's what makes it unique.
It's not unique because we have, you know, like Renaissance-style artists.
It's unique because the people, it is a time of the people
because technology has really democratized self-expression.
Instead of a handful of people making their own records or writing their own songs,
everybody can write them.
Everyone can post a poem on the internet and have people read it.
Everyone has access, an access that they've never had before.
There is possibilities for global striking.
There's possibilities for bringing down these corporations and governments
who think they rule the world because we can unite as one people through technology.
We're all still figuring it out and what power we actually have.
But the people still do have the power more than ever.
And I think [Eb] right now, we're going through this painful sort of like adolescence again.
What do we do with this technology?
What do we do with our world?
What, who are we?
But it also makes it exciting.
You know, all the young people right now, the new generations,
they're pioneers in a new time.
So just, I say, stay strong.
Try to stay, have fun, but stay clean, stay healthy
because, you know, you have a lot of challenges ahead.
And be happy.
[N]
Key:
C
D
Eb
C
D
Eb
C
D
A writer or any artist can't expect to be embraced by the people.
You know, I've done records where it seemed like no one listened to them.
You write poetry books that maybe, you know, 50 people read,
and you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it's your calling.
But it's beautiful to be embraced by the people.
Some people have said to me,
well, you know, don't you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist?
Or, you know, if you're a punk rocker, you don't want to have a hit record.
And I say, you know, fuck you.
You know, it's just like _ one does their work for the people.
And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is.
You don't do your work and say, I only want the cool people to read it.
You know, you want everyone to be transported or hopefully inspired by it.
When I was really young, William Burroughs told me,
I mean, I was really struggling.
We never had any money.
And William, the advice that William gave me was build a good name.
You know, keep your name clean.
Don't make compromises.
Don't worry about making a bunch of money or being successful.
Be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and [C] protect your work.
And if you build a good name, eventually, you know, that name will be its own currency.
And I remember when he told me that and I said, yeah, but William, my name's Smith.
You know, it is not that, just joking.
But to be an artist, actually to be a human being in these times, it's all difficult.
You have to go through life, hopefully, you know, trying to stay healthy,
you know, being as happy as you can and pursuing, you know, doing what you want.
If what you want is to have children, if what you want is to be a baker,
if what you want is to live out in the woods or try to save the environment
or maybe what you want is to write scripts for detective shows.
It doesn't really matter, you know.
What matters is to be, is to know what you want and pursue it
and understand that it's going to be hard because life is really difficult.
You're going to lose people you love.
You're going to suffer heartbreak.
Sometimes you'll be sick.
Sometimes you'll have a really bad toothache.
Sometimes you'll be hungry.
But on the other end, you'll have the most beautiful experiences, sometimes just the sky.
Sometimes, you know, a piece of work that you do that feels so wonderful
or you find somebody to love or your children or there's beautiful things in life.
So when you're suffering, just, you know, it's part of the package, you know.
You look at it, we're born and we also have to die.
We know that.
So it makes sense that we're going to be really happy
and things are going to be really fucked up too.
Just _ ride with it, you know.
It's like a roller coaster ride.
It's never going to be perfect.
It's going to have perfect moments and then rough spots.
But it's all worth it.
Believe me, I think it is.
[D] You know, I'm sure that each generation, you know,
could say that their time was the best and the worst of times.
But I think that right now, we are at something different that I've never seen.
It's a pioneering time because there's no other time in history like right now.
And that's what makes it unique.
It's not unique because we have, you know, like Renaissance-style artists.
It's unique because the people, it is a time of the people
because technology has really democratized self-expression.
Instead of a handful of people making their own records or writing their own songs,
everybody can write them.
Everyone can _ post a poem on the internet and have people read it.
Everyone has access, an access that they've never had before.
There is possibilities for global striking.
There's possibilities for bringing down these corporations and governments
who think they rule the world because we can unite as one people through technology.
We're all still figuring it out and what power we actually have.
But the people still do have the power more than ever.
And I think [Eb] right now, we're going through this painful sort of like adolescence again.
What do we do with this technology?
What do we do with our world?
What, who are we?
But it also makes it exciting.
You know, all the young people right now, the new generations,
they're pioneers in a new time.
So just, I say, stay strong.
Try to stay, have fun, but stay clean, stay healthy
because, you know, you have a lot of challenges ahead.
And be happy.
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You know, I've done records where it seemed like no one listened to them.
You write poetry books that maybe, you know, 50 people read,
and you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it's your calling.
But it's beautiful to be embraced by the people.
Some people have said to me,
well, you know, don't you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist?
Or, you know, if you're a punk rocker, you don't want to have a hit record.
And I say, you know, fuck you.
You know, it's just like _ one does their work for the people.
And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is.
You don't do your work and say, I only want the cool people to read it.
You know, you want everyone to be transported or hopefully inspired by it.
When I was really young, William Burroughs told me,
I mean, I was really struggling.
We never had any money.
And William, the advice that William gave me was build a good name.
You know, keep your name clean.
Don't make compromises.
Don't worry about making a bunch of money or being successful.
Be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and [C] protect your work.
And if you build a good name, eventually, you know, that name will be its own currency.
And I remember when he told me that and I said, yeah, but William, my name's Smith.
You know, it is not that, just joking.
But to be an artist, actually to be a human being in these times, it's all difficult.
You have to go through life, hopefully, you know, trying to stay healthy,
you know, being as happy as you can and pursuing, you know, doing what you want.
If what you want is to have children, if what you want is to be a baker,
if what you want is to live out in the woods or try to save the environment
or maybe what you want is to write scripts for detective shows.
It doesn't really matter, you know.
What matters is to be, is to know what you want and pursue it
and understand that it's going to be hard because life is really difficult.
You're going to lose people you love.
You're going to suffer heartbreak.
Sometimes you'll be sick.
Sometimes you'll have a really bad toothache.
Sometimes you'll be hungry.
But on the other end, you'll have the most beautiful experiences, sometimes just the sky.
Sometimes, you know, a piece of work that you do that feels so wonderful
or you find somebody to love or your children or there's beautiful things in life.
So when you're suffering, just, you know, it's part of the package, you know.
You look at it, we're born and we also have to die.
We know that.
So it makes sense that we're going to be really happy
and things are going to be really fucked up too.
Just _ ride with it, you know.
It's like a roller coaster ride.
It's never going to be perfect.
It's going to have perfect moments and then rough spots.
But it's all worth it.
Believe me, I think it is.
[D] You know, I'm sure that each generation, you know,
could say that their time was the best and the worst of times.
But I think that right now, we are at something different that I've never seen.
It's a pioneering time because there's no other time in history like right now.
And that's what makes it unique.
It's not unique because we have, you know, like Renaissance-style artists.
It's unique because the people, it is a time of the people
because technology has really democratized self-expression.
Instead of a handful of people making their own records or writing their own songs,
everybody can write them.
Everyone can _ post a poem on the internet and have people read it.
Everyone has access, an access that they've never had before.
There is possibilities for global striking.
There's possibilities for bringing down these corporations and governments
who think they rule the world because we can unite as one people through technology.
We're all still figuring it out and what power we actually have.
But the people still do have the power more than ever.
And I think [Eb] right now, we're going through this painful sort of like adolescence again.
What do we do with this technology?
What do we do with our world?
What, who are we?
But it also makes it exciting.
You know, all the young people right now, the new generations,
they're pioneers in a new time.
So just, I say, stay strong.
Try to stay, have fun, but stay clean, stay healthy
because, you know, you have a lot of challenges ahead.
And be happy.
_ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _