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Tom Petty Quotes

Thomas Earl Petty was an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Petty served as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was also a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, and his early band Mudcrutch.

Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. In his career, he sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died, aged 66, of cardiac arrest on October 2, 2017.

✵ 20. October 1950 – 2. October 2017
Tom Petty photo
Tom Petty: 127   quotes 6   likes

Famous Tom Petty Quotes

“Most things I worry about never happen anyway.”

Tom Petty

“Well some say life
Will beat you down,
And break your heart,
Steal your crown.So it started out
For God-knows-where.
I guess I'll know
When I get there.”

Tom Petty

Learning to Fly
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

“Well I won't back down,
No I won't back down.
You could stand me up at the gates of hell,
But I won't back down.”

Tom Petty

I Won't Back Down, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)
Source: Conversations with Tom Petty

“Excuse me if I
Have some place in my mind
Where I go time to time.”

Tom Petty

It's Good To Be King
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

Tom Petty Quotes about time

“And no I can't find no reason to explain the way that I feel.
I remember things being more clearer, at one time things were more real.”

Tom Petty

All Mixed Up
Lyrics, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

“An act like ours wouldn't even be around today if someone hadn't brought us along and let us make mistakes and grow at our own pace. Today it seems that if you don't have a hit — or even if you do — they have no use for you the next time.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

“Yeah, the world would swing if I were king.
Can I help it if I still dream time to time?”

Tom Petty

It's Good To Be King
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

“There were times apart, there were times together.
I was pledged to her for worse or better.
When it mattered most I let her down.
That's the way it goes, it'll all work out.”

Tom Petty

It'll All Work Out
Lyrics, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

“Last time through I hid my tracks.
So well I could not get back.
Yeah my way was hard to find.
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind.”

Tom Petty

Square One
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

“Cause it can feel like perfection,
But never all the time.
And you don't wanna be alone again.
Oh my, my.”

Tom Petty

Ain't Love Strange
Lyrics, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

Tom Petty Quotes about feelings

“I remember feeling this way,
You can lose it without knowing.
You wake up and you don't notice
Which way the wind is blowing”

Tom Petty

Don't Fade On Me, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

“It's alright if you love me,
It's alright if you don't.
I'm not afraid of you runnin' away,
Honey I get the feeling you won't.”

Tom Petty

Breakdown
Lyrics, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1974)

“One more night, God I've had to fight
To keep my line of sight on what's real
One more day I fear I've lost my way
I don't know how to say what I feel.”

Tom Petty

One More Day, One More Night
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

“You belong among the wildflowers.
You belong in a boat out at sea.
you belong with your love on your arm.
You belong somewhere you feel free.”

Tom Petty

Wildflowers
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

“Honey don't walk out, I'm too drunk to follow.
You know you won't feel this way tomorrow.
Well, maybe I'm a little rough around the edges,
Inside a little hollow.
I get faced with some things sometimes
That are so hard to swallow.”

Tom Petty

Rebels
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

“I don't feel you anymore.
You darken my door.
Whatever you're looking for.
Hey don't come around here no more.”

Tom Petty

Don't Come Around Here No More, written with Dave Stewart
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

Tom Petty: Trending quotes

“Yeah and it's over before you know it.
It all goes by so fast.
Yeah, the bad nights last forever,
And the good nights don't ever seem to last”

Tom Petty

The Best of Everything
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

Night

“You and I will meet again
When we're least expecting it.
One day in some far off place
I will recognize your face.
I won't say good-bye my friend,
For you and I will meet again.”

Tom Petty

You & I Will Meet Again
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Tom Petty Quotes

“How about a cheer
For all those bad girls
And all the boys
That play that rock and roll?
They love it
Like you love Jesus.
It does the same thing
To their souls.”

Tom Petty

Have Love Will Travel
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Love , Soul , Girl , Boy

“I hope you never need no one,
Hope you treasure your independence.
I hope you never fall in love
With someone like you.”

Tom Petty

Hope You Never
Lyrics, Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)

Love , Hope

“I can work, I can travel, I can sleep anywhere,
Cross every border with nothing to declare.
You can look back babe, but it's best not to stare.”

Tom Petty

Big Weekend
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Travel , Sleep

“There was Rock 'N' Roll across the dial.
When I think of her, it makes me smile.”

Tom Petty

Dreamville
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Smile , Thinking

“She's gonna listen to her heart.
It's gonna tell her what to do.
She might need a lot of loving,
But she don't need you.”

Tom Petty

Listen to Her Heart
Lyrics, You're Gonna Get It! (1978)

Love , Heart

“It just seems so useless to have to work so hard,
And nothin' ever really seems to come from it.”

Tom Petty

Here Comes My Girl
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

“I can't save you from yourself, you gotta want it.”

Tom Petty

You and Me
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

“But not me, baby,
I've got you to save me.
Aw, yer so bad.
Best thing I've ever had.
In a world gone mad,
Yer so bad.”

Tom Petty

Yer So Bad, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

World , Baby , Madness

“No I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground,
And I won't back down.”

Tom Petty

I Won't Back Down
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

World

“Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me.
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads.
I'm runnin' down a dream.”

Tom Petty

Runnin' Down a Dream, written with Jeff Lynne and Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

Dreams

“And I'd show you stars you never could see
Baby, it couldn't have been that easy to forget about me.”

Tom Petty

Even the Losers
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Star , Baby , Forgetting

“There goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play,
And says what he wants to say.
Hey, hey, hey.
There goes your freedom of choice;
There goes the last human voice.
There goes the last DJ.”

Tom Petty

The Last DJ
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Freedom

“You know, sometimes, I don't know why,
But this old town just seems so hopeless.
I ain't really sure, but it seems I remember the good times
Were just a little bit more in focus.”

Tom Petty

Here Comes My Girl, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Time

“Well I fought for you;
I fought too hard.
To do it all again babe,
It's gone too far.”

Tom Petty

Change of Heart
Lyrics, Long After Dark (1982)

“Oh, my, my. Oh, hell, yes.
Honey, put on that party dress.
Buy me a drink, sing me a song.
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long.”

Tom Petty

Mary Jane's Last Dance
Lyrics, Greatest Hits (1993)

Hell , Drink , Singing

“I just catch myself wonderin', waitin', worryin' bout some silly little things that don't add up to nothin.”

Tom Petty

Here Comes My Girl
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

“There's rain on the road
And the faithful have gone.
In a crowd all alone,
Walking 'round in a song.”

Tom Petty

Damaged By Love
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Faith

“He was caught up in a lie he half-believed,
Found her hiding high in the family tree.
Washed his hands, and put her 'cross his knee.
She said "daddy, you've been a mother to me."”

Tom Petty

Ankle Deep
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Lie , Family , Tree

“I'm watching the water
Watching the coast
Suddenly I know
What I want the most

And I want to tell you
Still I hold back
I need some time
Get my life on track.

I know that look on your face
But there's somethin' lucky about this place
And there's somethin' good comin'
For you and me
Somethin' good comin'
There has to be.”

Tom Petty

"Something Good Coming"
Lyrics, Mojo (2010)

Life , Water , Time

“Artists aren't necessarily business people. And they aren't necessarily aware of all the things that go on in their names. Some just want to make some music, but there is a lot of greed among artists as well. Whether or not we know it, we are all to blame. I think it's time — starting with the artist — to try to be a little more responsible and aware of what goes on in our name.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

People , Music , Business , Thinking

“I remember her standing in the tall grass and cattails
Away from the windows at the end of the day.
Watching the men from the landing in the tall hats & coat-tails.
She'd never look different, but something would change.”

Tom Petty

A Mind with a Heart of Its Own, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

Men , Grass , Change

“But if you shoot at everyone you see,
Can't be my friend 'cause you might shoot at me.”

Tom Petty

When a Kid Goes Bad
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

“It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing.
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing.
It's time to move on, it' s time to get going.”

Tom Petty

Time To Move On
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

Way , Grass , Time , Baby

“There is no sense in pretending,
Your eyes give you away.
Something inside you is feeling like I do,
We've said all there is to say.”

Tom Petty

Breakdown
Lyrics, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1974)

Feeling , Sense

“You're flirting with time baby
Flirting with time, but maybe,
Time baby, is catching up with you.”

Tom Petty

Flirting with Time
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Time , Baby

“I'll be the boy in the corduroy pants.
You be the girl at the high school dance.”

Tom Petty

You Wreck Me, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

School , Girl , Boy , Dance

“There was no use in pretending,
No magic left to hear.
All the music gave me
Was a craving for light beer.”

Tom Petty

Money Becomes King
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Music , Beer , Light

“I don't understand the ones that have no sense of hope and invest in hate. That's not gonna work out, you know? It's a waste of your time!”

Tom Petty

Interview With Alan Bangs (1999)

Hate , Hope , Understanding , Sense

“I was talkin' with a friend of mine,
Said a woman done hurt his pride.
Told him that she loved him so, then
Turned around and let him go.
Then he said "you'd better watch your step"
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself.
Someone's gonna tell you lies
Cut you down to size…”

Tom Petty

Don't Do Me Like That
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Love , Hurt

“And you may think it's all over.
But there'll be more just like me
Who won't give in;
Who'll rise again.
Can't stop a man from dreaming.”

Tom Petty

Can't Stop the Sun, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Dreams , Thinking

“Young people are very cynical now, you know? Very cynical! They've been taught cynicism, they've been — they've been bred cynicism. So, I think it's important to give them hope and realism in the same package, you know? You can be realistic but there should be — there should be hope in it. Because hope's what we're about. If we don't have hope then we don't go on.”

Tom Petty

Interview With Alan Bangs (1999)

People , Hope , Thinking

“Here am I a fallen arrow.
My load is wide, my street is narrow.
My skin is thicker, my heart is tougher.
I don't mind workin', but I'm scared to suffer.
You know? You know?”

Tom Petty

All or Nothin, written with Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Suffering , Heart

“I'm an insider, I been burned by the fire.
And I've had to live with some hard promises.
I've crawled through the briars,
I'm an insider.”

Tom Petty

Insider
Lyrics, Hard Promises (1981)

“I think television's become a downright dangerous thing. It has no moral barometer whatsoever. If you want to talk about something that is all about money, just watch the television. It's damn dangerous. TV does not care about you or what happens to you. It's downright bad for your health now, and that's not a far-out concept. I think watching the TV news is bad for you. It is bad for your physical health and your mental health. The music business looks like, you know, innocent schoolboys compared to the TV business. They care about nothing but profit.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Money , Health , Music , Business

“Wherever you are tonight,
I wish you the best of everything, in the world.
And I hope you found
Whatever you were looking for.”

Tom Petty

The Best of Everything
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

World , Hope

“Create myself down south.
Impress all the women.
Pretend I'm Samuel Clemens.
ear seersucker and white linens.”

Tom Petty

Down South
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Women

“I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that an artist has to take some moral responsibility for what he or she is putting out there. And I think a lot of these young kids are going to have to learn the hard way before they realize that you can actually do some damage if you're being careless or frivolous in what you're saying.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Way , Thinking , Learning

“And for one desperate moment
There he crept back in her memory.
God it's so painful, something that's so close
Is still so far out of reach.”

Tom Petty

American Girl
Lyrics, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1974)

God , Pain , Memory

“For just a minute there I was dreaming.
For just a minute it was all so real.
For just a minute she was standing there, with me.”

Tom Petty

Southern Accents
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

Dreams

“All the vampires walkin' through the valley
Move west down Ventura Boulevard.
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
All the good girls are home with broken hearts.”

Tom Petty

Free Fallin, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

Home , Girl , Boy , Heart

“I saw an angel, I saw my fate.
I can only thank God it was not too late.”

Tom Petty

Angel Dream (No. 4)
Lyrics, Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)

God , Fate , Angels

“My baby is a rock n' roller.”

Tom Petty

Baby's A Rock 'N' Roller, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, You're Gonna Get It! (1978)

Baby

“Some days are diamonds.
Some days are rocks.”

Tom Petty

Walls (Circus)
Lyrics, Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)

“It's good to be king and have your own world
It helps to make friends, it's good to meet girls.
A sweet little queen who can't run away;
It's good to be king, whatever it pays.”

Tom Petty

It's Good To Be King
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

World , Girl , Help

“Well, they raised that horse to be a jumper
He was owned by a mid-west bible thumper.
His preacher was a Louisiana drummer.
Took all winter, to get through the summer.”

Tom Petty

Ankle Deep
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Winter , Horse , Summer

“Somewhere, somehow somebody
Must have kicked you around some.
Tell me why you wanna lay there
And revel in your abandon.
Listen it don't make no difference to me baby,
Everybody's had to fight to be free.
You see you don't have to live like a refugee”

Tom Petty

Refugee, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Fight , Baby

“People come, people go.
Some grow young, some grow cold.”

Tom Petty

You Don't Know How It Feels
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

People

“You follow your feelings, you follow your dreams;
You follow the leader into the trees.
And what's in there waiting, neither one of us knows.
You gotta keep one eye open the further you go.”

Tom Petty

Wake Up Time
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

Dreams , Feeling , Tree , Waiting

“I'm frustrated by what I hear. Maybe it's not meant for me. Personally, I'm way too bright for a lot of the hip-hop lyrics to affect. I'm much too smart to think that jewelry or how cool I am is really going to change much about my personality. If you're dumb enough that it entertains you, have a great time. But I am seeking more than that.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Way , Thinking , Change , Time

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