Thomas Earl Petty is an American musician famous for his work in Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the Traveling Wilburys.

Interview With Alan Bangs (1999)

Interview with Alan Bangs (1999)

• 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.

• 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.

• 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!

Rolling Stone interview (2002)

"Tom Petty Is Pissed" in Rolling Stone (23 October 2002)

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Interview with Warren Zanes (2008)

Interview with Warren Zanes

• 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.
  • Petty commenting on his music being used in political campaigns.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1974)

• 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.
  • Breakdown

• 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.
  • Breakdown

• 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.
  • American Girl

• 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.
  • American Girl

You're Gonna Get It! (1978)

• Little miss queen of hearts you're a strange thing. Why you wanna stay so vague? I'm wandering through this mess you've made to see what I can save.
  • Too Much Ain't Enough

• Restless sleep twisted dreams. Moving targets silent screams. Restless city restless street. Restless you restless me.
  • Restless

• My baby is a rock n' roller.
  • Baby's A Rock 'N' Roller

Damn The Torpedoes (1979)

• Everybody's had to fight to be free. You see you don't have to live like a refugee.
  • Refugee

• It just seems so useless to have to work so hard and nothin' ever really seems to come from it.
  • Here Comes My Girl

• I showed you stars you never could see. It couldn't been that easy to forget about me.
  • Even the Losers

• Even the losers get lucky sometimes. Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes.
  • Even the Losers

• Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes. I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge.
  • Louisiana Rain

• Louisiana rain now is falling just like tears. Running down my face washing out the years.
  • Louisiana Rain

Hard Promises (1981)

• Somewhere deep in the middle of the night, lovers hold each other tight. Whisper in their anxious ears, words of love that disappear.
  • A Thing About You

• 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
  • Insider

Long After Dark (1982)

• I fought for you. I fought too hard.
  • Change of Heart

• Real love is a man's salvation. The weak ones fall, the strong carry on.
  • Straight Into Darkness

Southern Accents (1985)

• I don't feel you anymore, you darken my door.
  • Don't Come Around Here No More

• There's a southern accent, where I come from. The young 'uns call it country, the yankees call it dumb.
  • Southern Accents

• For just a minute there I was dreaming, for just a minute is was all so real. For just a minute she was standing there with me.
  • Southern Accents

• Yeah and it's over before you know it. It all goes by so fast. Yeah the bad nights take forever, and the good nights don't ever seem to last.
  • The Best of Everything

• Wherever you walk tonight, I wish you the best of everything. In the world. And honey I hope you found whatever you were looking for.
  • The Best of Everything

Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

• Take back your insurance, baby nothin's guaranteed.
  • Jammin' Me

• 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.
  • It'll All Work Out

• 'Cause it can feel like perfection, but never all the time. But you don't wanna be alone again.
  • Ain't Love Strange

• 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.
  • All Mixed Up

Full Moon Fever (1989)

• 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.
  • I Won't Back Down

• Well I know what's right, I got just one life. In a world that keeps on pushin' me around, but I'll stand my ground and I won't back down.
  • I Won't Back Down

• Gonna 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.
  • I Won't Back Down

• 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.
  • Runnin' Down a dream

• But not me, baby. I've got you to save me. Oh yer so bad, the best thing I ever had. In a world gone mad, you're so bad.
  • Yer So Bad

• I slept in your treehouse, my middle name is 'Earl'.
  • A Mind with a Heart of Its Own

• I wanna glide down over Mulholland. I wanna write her name in the sky. Gonna free fall out in to nothing. Gonna leave this world for a while.
  • Free Fallin'

• And I'm free, free fallin'
  • Free Fallin'

Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

• I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings. Coming down is the hardest thing.
  • Learning to Fly

• Some say life, will beat you down. Break your heart, and steal your crown. So I started out, from God-knows where. I guess I'll know when I get there.
  • Learning to Fly

• I don't wanna end up in a room all alone. Don't want to end up someone I don't even know.
  • King's Highway

• In the dark of the sun will you save me a place? Give me hope, give me comfort, get me to a better place?
  • The Dark Of The Sun

• I don't mind workin', but I'm scared to suffer.
  • All or Nothin

• 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.
  • All the Wrong Reasons

• I want her more than diamonds, I want her more than gold. I want her more than anything anyone could hold.
  • Built to Last

Greatest Hits (1993)

• 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.
  • Mary Jane's Last Dance

• Buy me a drink, Sing me a song, Take me as I come because I can't stay long
  • "Mary Jane's Last Dance"

Wildflowers (1994)

• You belong somewhere you feel free.
  • Wildflowers

• 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.
  • You Don't Know How it Feels

• People come, people go. Some grow young, some grow cold.
  • You Don't Know How It Feels

• Think of me what you will, I've got a little space to fill.
  • You Don't Know How it Feels

• So let's get to the point, let's roll another joint. And let's head on down the road. There's somewhere I got to go. And you don't know how it feels, no, you don't know how it feels to be me.
  • You Don't Know How it Feels

• 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.
  • Time To Move On

• I'll be the boy in the corduroy pants. You be the girl at the high school dance.
  • You Wreck Me

• It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give 'em a smile.
  • It's Good To Be King

• Yeah, the world would swing if I were king. Can I help it if I still dream time to time?
  • It's Good To Be King

• It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.
  • It's Good To Be King

• Yeah I'll be king when dogs get wings. Can I help it if I still dream time to time? 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.
  • It's Good To Be King

• Excuse me if I have some place in my mind where I go from time to time.
  • It's Good To Be King

• I remember feeling this way, you can lose it without knowing. You wake up one day and you don't notice which way the wind is blowing.
  • Don't Fade On Me

• If we don't get to a higher place and find somebody who can help somebody might be nobody no more.
  • A Higher Place

• I'm so tired of being tired. Sure as night will follow day, most things I worry about never happen anyway.
  • Crawling Back To You

• 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.
  • Wake Up Time

Songs and Music from the Motion Picture She's the One (1996)

• Some days are diamonds. Some days are rocks.
  • Walls

• I saw an angel, I saw my fate. I can only thank God it was not too late.
  • Angel Dream

• Now I'm walkin' this street on my own, but she's with me wherever I go.
  • Angel Dream

• I hope you never need no one, hope you treasure your independence. I hope you never fall in love with someone like you.
  • Hope You Never

• No more songs tonight, I'm drivin' to the break of day. No more words tonight, we've got enough to throw away.
  • Supernatural Radio

• We're overdue for a dream come true. Long time nothing new. We're overdue for a dream come true.
  • Hung Up And Overdue

Echo (1999)

• I've got someone who loves me tonight. I've got over a thousand dollars in the bank, and I'm all right.
  • Room At The Top

• Look deep in the eyes of love and find out what you were looking for.
  • Room At The Top

• Redemption comes to those who wait, forgiveness is the key.
  • Lonesome Sundown

• And I don't want to question or even celebrate all the joy you took and then gave back too late.
  • Echo

• And I don't want to mean anything to you, I don't want to tempt you to be true.
  • Echo

• 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?
  • Billy the Kid

• 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?
  • Rhino Skin

• 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.
  • One More Day, One More Night

The Last DJ (2002)

• 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.
  • The Last DJ

• As we celebrate mediocrity, all the boys upstairs want to see how much you'll pay for what you used to get for free.
  • The Last DJ

• There was no use in pretending, no magic left to hear. All the music gave me was a craving for light beer.
  • Money Becomes King

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

• But if you shoot at everyone you see, can't be my friend 'cause you might shoot at me.
  • When a Kid Goes Bad

• I can't save you from yourself, you gotta want it.
  • You and Me

• How about a cheer for all those bad girls and the boys that play that Rock 'N' Roll? They love it like you love Jesus, it does the same thing to their souls.
  • Have Love Will Travel

• 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 and man from dreaming on and on and on.
  • Can't Stop the Sun

Highway Companion (2006)

• It's hard to say who you are these days but you run on anyway, don't you baby?
  • Saving Grace

• Can't sell your soul for peace of mind.
  • Square One

• Always had more dogs than bones.
  • Square One

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

• Create myself down south. Impress all the women. Pretend I'm Samuel Clemens. Wear seersucker and white linens.
  • Down South

• I'm gonna give her all my soul. I'm gonna play her Rock 'N' Roll.
  • Jack

• 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.
  • Big Weekend

• She's got nothing to hide, and she hides it so well. Keeps broken dreams to fix up and sell.
  • Damaged By Love

• There's rain on the road and the faithful have gone. In a crowd all alone walking 'round in a song.
  • Damaged By Love

• He was caught up in a lie he half-believed, found her hiding high in the family tree.
  • Ankle Deep

• Well, they raised that horse to be a jumper
  He was owned by a mid-west bible thumper
  • Ankle Deep

Unsourced

• I'm barely prolific and incredibly lazy.

• You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember the time you spent hanging out with your friends. So stay up late, go out on Tuesday when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does.
  • On college life