Peter Hammill's Quotes

The crucial question one comes back to is the examination; without that experience is meaningless. And I think it's true that society is becoming more and more passive, less and less fired up with enthusiasm, in many spheres.

Actually I think Art lies in both directions - the broad strokes, big picture but on the other hand the minute examination of the apparently mundane. Seeing the whole world in a grain of sand, that kind of thing.

Being used to scientific terminology and theory it was always natural for me to push this stuff into songs.

I had then and still retain an interest in science for its own sake and as a metaphor for our current lives.

So I, for one, didn't feel alienated by what happened in 77.

I continue to believe, contrary to the given wisdom, that it's more interesting to have an album - or, indeed, an individual song - which has variety rather than homogeneity.

It costs so much to promote something these days that almost always safety is the preferred option, reference back to things which have been successful in the past. Also, people are simply not given the time to develop and find themselves and their audience as we were.

Marc Almond has done a couple of covers, a few people in Europa have done them. I own all the publishing. It's never really been addressed, as I haven't had the time to go out and tout the songs.

Seriously, these days I tend to shut up in terms of external analysis and DO try to let things speak for themselves, while still trying to get some depth into them.

The passage of time is a continuing thing. At 18, you're going to live forever, and you are definitely not at 52, so that is a recurring topic. I still think it's the main stuff.

But this will not do, God will certainly punish you for stealing and for being unfaithful.

The Bible is a revelation of the mind and will of God to men. Therein we may learn, what God is.

If there was no Bible, it would be no matter whether you could read or not. Reading other books would do you no good.

We cannot certainly, have any excuse either for taking any thing that belongs to our masters without their leave, or for being unfaithful in their business.

You know that murder is wicked. If you saw your master kill a man, do you suppose this would be any excuse for you, if you should commit the same crime?

All the time spent idly, is spent wickedly, and is unfaithfulness to our masters.

Good servants frequently make good masters.

He will bring us all, rich and poor, white and black, to his judgment seat.

If we should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves.

It is our duty to be faithful, not with eye service as men pleasers.

Let all the time you can get be spent in trying to learn to read.

That liberty is a great thing we may know from our own feelings, and we may likewise judge so from the conduct of the white-people, in the late war.

The next thing I would mention, and warn you against, is profaneness. This you know is forbidden by God.