Mary Gauthier

War is hell. Sending young people to conflicts that are unwinnable and unresolvable - it puts them in a position where they're going to suffer. And yet their experience is that they're proud of their service, and they should be. Service freely rendered is a noble thing.

I haven't been in the military, but I've known my share of pain. It allows me to sit with someone who's struggling and not be afraid.

There's an ocean of misunderstanding. It's called the civilian-military divide. I had a lot to learn about our military - who they are, what burdens they carry.

A lot of times, a bunch of songs have to be written to get to the next really good one.

The job of the artist is to go to the places where most other people are embarrassed to go to. And show it.

Fundamentally, our job as songwriters is to sit down and listen.

I keep seeing the headline on articles that says something like 'Mary Gauthier Helping Our Veterans.' It's troubling - and it's condescending. Whatever I'm doing as a songwriter to help them tell their stories, they're giving it back to me double, triple, quadruple.

I got sober at 27 and started writing around 30 and started playing music in public around 32, 33.

Songs bring us into connection with each other. When they resonate, when we're in resonance, singing together, we become one for that 3 1/2 or four minutes the song lasts. It takes away that isolated loneliness that modern life is so full of.

Ultimately, what I want is for my songs to outlive me: I want my songs to keep being played even after I'm gone.

People in Ireland take in the whole song. After a long history of great singers and songwriters and poets, they are able to consume the entire song - not just the external; they go inside.

Creating something beautiful out of pain helps ease the pain. So, that's kind of how I got to songwriting - quite honestly out of desperation.