Bobbie Gentry

“Anybody can write a song that's complex, but it's hard to write a song that's simple.”

“I consider myself a writer who sings, not a singer who writes.”

“Success is a scary thing. It's easily mismanaged and easily lost.”

“The song is a sort of study in unconscious cruelty.”

“The real mystery is not what was thrown off the bridge, but why Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the bridge.”

“Whatever's most important in your life, you don't talk about it.”

“I'm a very private person. I don't give many interviews.”

“The story of Billie Joe has two more interesting underlying themes. First, the illustration of a group of people's reactions to the life and death of one of their own. Second, the obvious gap between the girl and her mother when they are talking about the event.”

“I try to write about the things that I know about. I think all writers do.”

“What was thrown off the bridge? It's been the question I've been asked most.”

“I totally taught myself. When you're left to your own devices, you come up with your own way of doing things.”

“I write and arrange and produce my own stuff. I'm a regular cottage industry.”