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Tom Petty Quotes
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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

Tom Petty Quotes

“I think for it to be unhip to be idealistic is weird, you know? I mean, even all the best rebels to me had some sense of hope in them.”

Tom Petty

Interview With Alan Bangs (1999)

Hope , Thinking , Sense

“I was born a rebel
Down in Dixie on a Sunday morning.
Yeah, with one foot in the grave,
And one foot on the pedal.
I was born a rebel.”

Tom Petty

Rebels
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

“Somewhere deep in the middle of the night,
Lovers hold each other tight.
Whisper in their anxious ears,
Words of love that disappear.”

Tom Petty

A Thing About You
Lyrics, Hard Promises (1981)

Love , Lovers , Night

“I'm so tired of being tired.
Sure as night will follow day,
Most things I worry about
Never happen anyway.”

Tom Petty

Crawling Back To You
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

Night

“Baby, even the losers get lucky sometimes.
Even the losers keep a little bit of pride.
They get lucky sometimes.”

Tom Petty

Even the Losers
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Baby

“No more songs tonight,
I'm drivin' to the break of day.
No more words tonight,
We've got enough to throw away.”

Tom Petty

Supernatural Radio
Lyrics, Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)

“And I don't want to mean anything to you,
I don't want to tempt you to be true.”

Tom Petty

Echo
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

“Well she grew up hard, and she grew up fast
In the age of television.
And she made a vow to have it all;
It became her new religion.”

Tom Petty

All the Wrong Reasons, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Age , Religion

“They say be careful who you believe,
Be careful who you trust.
Did you smile when you pulled the trigger
That dropped me in the dust?”

Tom Petty

Billy the Kid
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

Smile

“And I don't want to question or even celebrate
All the joy you took and then gave back too late.”

Tom Petty

Echo
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

Question , Joy

“Now I'm walkin' this street on my own,
but she's with me wherever I go.”

Tom Petty

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

“It’s very uncomfortable to hear them used when I don’t agree with what’s being said. But I recognize that those songs have entered into a bigger life, a life all their own. They belong to the audience. How they’re used isn’t always something I can control.”

Tom Petty

Commenting on his music being used in political campaigns
Interview with Warren Zanes (2008)

Life

“I felt so good, like anything was possible.
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes.”

Tom Petty

Runnin' Down a Dream
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

“It's good to be king and have your own way,
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.”

Tom Petty

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

Peace , Way , Feeling

“Good love is hard to find.
You got lucky, babe.
You got lucky, babe, when I found you.”

Tom Petty

You Got Lucky, written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Long After Dark (1982)

Love

“Baby, you've got a heart so big,
It could crush this town.
But I can't hold out forever.
Even walls fall down.”

Tom Petty

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

Heart , Baby

“I want her more than diamonds,
I want her more than gold.
I want her more than anything
Anyone could hold.”

Tom Petty

Built to Last, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

“I've got someone who loves me tonight.
I've got over a thousand dollars in the bank,
And I'm all right.”

Tom Petty

Room At The Top
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

Love

“Louisiana rain now is falling just like tears.
Running down my face washing out the years.
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes.
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.”

Tom Petty

Louisiana Rain
Lyrics, Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

Shoe , Tear

“There's a southern accent, where I come from.
The young 'uns call it country, the Yankees call it dumb.”

Tom Petty

Southern Accents
Lyrics, Southern Accents (1985)

Country

“I know so well the look on your face
And there's somethin' lucky about this place
There's somethin' good comin'
Just over the hill
Somethin' good comin'
I know it will

And I'm in for the long run
Wherever it goes
Ridin' the river
Wherever it goes.”

Tom Petty

"Something Good Coming"
Lyrics, Mojo (2010)

“I don't think it's a good attitude in your life to feel that you have to be rich to have self-esteem. You know, I saw a billboard in New York I wish I had photographed. It was for the TNN network. It said three words against a patriotic background of red, white and blue — BIGGER, YOUNGER, RICHER. Now, I find that fascinating: 'Bigger, younger, richer.' This whole idea of being wealthy has gone too far. I never ride in a limousine, you know. I feel gross if I get in a limousine. One good thing about the sixties was it sort of was the opposite back then. You looked silly trying to appear rich.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Life , Feeling , Idea , Thinking

“Take back your insurance,
Baby nothin's guaranteed.”

Tom Petty

Jammin' Me, written with Bob Dylan and Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

Baby

“Well she was an American girl, raised on promises.
She couldn't help thinkin' that there was a little more to life somewhere else.
After all, it was a great big world with lots of places to run to.
Yeah, and if she had to die tryin', she had one little promise she was gonna keep.”

Tom Petty

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

Life , World , Girl , Help

“The waiting is the hardest part.
Every day you see one more card.
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.
The waiting is the hardest part.”

Tom Petty

The Waiting
Lyrics, Hard Promises (1981)

Faith , Waiting , Heart , Parting

“I'm learning to fly,
But I ain't got wings.
Coming down
Is the hardest thing.”

Tom Petty

Learning to Fly, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Learning , Flying

“If we don't get to a higher place and
Find somebody, can help somebody,
Might be nobody no more.”

Tom Petty

A Higher Place
Lyrics, Wildflowers (1994)

Help

“I don't want to end up
In a room all alone
Don't want to end up someone
That I don't even know.”

Tom Petty

King's Highway
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

“It's good to be king, If just for a while.
To be there in velvet, yea to give 'em a smile.
It's good to get high, and never comedown.
It's good to be king of your own little town.”

Tom Petty

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

Smile

“As we celebrate mediocrity,
All the boys upstairs want to see
How much you'll pay for
What you used to get for free.”

Tom Petty

The Last DJ
Lyrics, The Last DJ (2002)

Boy

“Always had more dogs than bones.”

Tom Petty

Square One
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Dogs

“Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain.
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm tired of this town again.”

Tom Petty

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

Pain , Feeling , Time , Dance

“And it's hard to say
Who you are these days.
But you run on anyway,
Don't you baby?”

Tom Petty

Saving Grace
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Baby

“Think of me what you will,
I've got a little space to fill.”

Tom Petty

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

Thinking

“But let me get to the point, let's roll another joint,
And turn the radio loud, I'm too alone to be proud.
You don't know how it feels,
You don't know how it feels, to be me.”

Tom Petty

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

Feeling

“Restless sleep, twisted dreams
Moving targets, silent screams.
Restless city, restless street
Restless you, restless me.”

Tom Petty

Restless
Lyrics, You're Gonna Get It! (1978)

Dreams , Sleep

“Oh my love if I reveal
Every secret I've concealed,
How many thoughts would you steal,
How much of my pain would you feel?”

Tom Petty

Rhino Skin
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

Love , Pain , Secret , Feeling

“She's a woman in love
And he's gonna break her heart to pieces.
She don't want to see.
She's a woman in love, but it's not me.”

Tom Petty

A Woman in Love (It's Not Me), written with Mike Campbell
Lyrics, Hard Promises (1981)

Love , Heart

“I need to know(I need to know)
I need to know(I need to know)
If you think you're gonna leave,
Then you better say so.”

Tom Petty

I Need to Know
Lyrics, You're Gonna Get It! (1978)

Thinking

“Look deep in the eyes of love
And find out what you were looking for.”

Tom Petty

Room At The Top
Lyrics, Echo (1999)

Love

“So if I come to your door,
let me sleep on your floor.
I'll give you all I have and a little more.”

Tom Petty

Down South
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Sleep

“It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music. I'm not condoning downloading music for free. I don't think that's really fair, but I understand it. If you brought CD prices back down to $8.98, you would solve a lot of the industry's problems.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

People , Music , Way , Understanding

“In the dark of the sun will you save me a place?
Give me hope, give me comfort, get me to a better place?”

Tom Petty

The Dark Of The Sun, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Hope , Sun

“We're overdue for a dream come true.
Long time, nothing new.
We're overdue for a dream come true.”

Tom Petty

Hung Up And Overdue
Lyrics, Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)

Dreams , Time

“I feel sorry for kids these days. They get so much homework. Remember the days when we put a belt around our two books and carried them home? Now they're dragging a suitcase. They have school all day, then homework from six until eleven. There's no time left to be creative. The hardest part for me is when my thirteen-year-old is complaining about the workload. I agree with him. I'm supposed to be responsible and support the teacher. But it's like, "You're right, son. This is bullshit."”

Tom Petty

Esquire interview (2006)

Books , School , Feeling , Home

“She's got nothing to hide,
And she hides it so well.
Keeps broken dreams
To fix up and sell.”

Tom Petty

Damaged By Love
Lyrics, Highway Companion (2006)

Dreams

“I don't believe the good times are over.
I don't believe the thrill is all gone.
Real love is a man's salvation;
The weak ones fall, the strong carry on.”

Tom Petty

Straight Into Darkness
Lyrics, Long After Dark (1982)

Love , Strong , Time

“I wanna glide down over Mulholland.
I wanna write her name in the sky.
Gonna free fall out into nothing.
Gonna leave this world for a while.”

Tom Petty

Free Fallin
Lyrics, Full Moon Fever (1989)

World

“You don't hear any more of, 'Hey, we did something creative and we turned a profit, how about that?' Everywhere we look, we want to make the most money possible. This is a dangerous, corrupt notion. That's where you see the advent of programming on the radio, and radio research, all these silly things. That has made pop music what it is today. Everything — morals, truth — is all going out the window in favor of profit.”

Tom Petty

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Money , Truth , Music

“Into the great wide open,
Under them skies of blue.
Out in the great wide open,
A rebel without a clue.”

Tom Petty

Into the Great Wide Open, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)