Kelly Joe Phelps on songwriting, 2001

It’s a good thing to not pretend that you understand everything. You can write a song or sing a song about something and actually leave it saying, “I don’t know what this is about.” You’re singing about your confusion about it, the fact that it’s a mystery to you. That’s a good thing because that’s a true thing. You don’t understand everything. When you sing about relationships, I don’t know how you can tie it up in the end because so much of it is not understandable.

From the book The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour's Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording, and Business

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