Everytime I think about back home, it’s cool and breezy. I wish that I could be there right now just passing time.

A dreamer of pictures, I run in the night: you [can] see us together, chasing the moonlight – my cinnamon girl.

I wanna live with a cinnamon girl; I can be happy the rest of my life with a cinnamon girl.

I see country music, I see people who take care of their own. You got 75 year-old guys on the road. That’s what I was put here to do, y’know, so I wanna make sure I surround myself with people who are gonna take care of me. ‘Cause I’m in it for the long run. Willie Nelson’s 54 years-old* and he’s a happy man, doing what he loves to do. I can’t think of one rock and roller like that. So what am I gonna do?

- Neil Young in “Legend of a Loner”, an interview with Adam Swetting in Melody Maker; 7th September 1985 [source]

* this age was true in 1985. Willie Nelson’s date of birth is 29th April 1933 – so get that calculator out!

I get into each thing I do – to the point where nothing else matters. I guess I’m an extremist.

- Neil Young in an Amsterdam press conference, 12′th October 1989

Reference: McDonough, J. (2002). Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography. UK: Vintage Press. “Innaresting characters”, p. 13

See also: “The stuff I did, I’d get so into it…” ; “You have to be ready to give everything you have…”

I always liked building things. I like having crews working, stuff going on. Creativity. People working and getting paid and creating something – feeling good about what they’re doing.

- Neil Young interviewed by Dave Zimmer, BAM, 22nd April 1988

Reference: McDonough, J. (2002). Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography. UK: Vintage Press. “Mr. Blue and Mr. Red”, p. 47

First train my [dad and mom] got me was when I was livin’ in Omemee… Five years-old or somethin’. My dad built the table and we put the thing together. Just before I went to sleep at night I’d turn the train on. It was all dark in the room and it was right there by my bed. I’d turn it on and just watch it go around in the dark, and pretty soon that old AC motor inside would start smelling that ozone smell. I don’t know if you know that Lionel* smell, but now when I smell that, I remember that feeling. Trains. I find their sounds inspirational. So fuckin’ big – wide – vibrating. Awesome.

- Neil Young interviewed by Dave Zimmer, BAM, 22nd April 1988

Reference: McDonough, J. (2002). Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography. UK: Vintage Press. “Mr. Blue and Mr. Red”, p. 43

* “Lionel” refers to Lionel LLC – a designer and importer of toy trains and model railroads. They were a train company Neil revered since childhood, and from 1995, Neil followed his passions and bought a 20% share in the company [source]. He had helped finance development of the Trainmaster Command Control which enabled toy trains to be controlled by remote controls , as well as provide unique ideas for Railsounds II – a sound system that would faithfully reproduce the sound of a particular locomotive, with unique technologies and a loudspeaker built into each model [source]. However, following the company’s official reorganisation on 28th March 2008 (following company bankruptcy), Neil no longer holds a share in the company, although Lionel LLC Chief Executive Gerald Calabrese claims that Neil will have an ongoing role in the company, because “this is Neil’s passion. We certainly want him involved, but, I want to be clear, it’s up to him.” [source].

Woke up this morning with love in mind. It was raining outside, but my love still shined: kept me warm till my plane touched the sky.

I am a child; I’ll last a while. You can’t conceive of the pleasure in my smile.

You are a man, you understand. You pick me up and you lay me down again; you make the rules, you say what’s fair – it’s lots of fun to have you there.

[...]

You hold my hand, rough up my hair – it’s lots of fun to have you there.