"Don't let the same dog bite you twice"
About this Quote
Berry’s line hits with the blunt economy of a good guitar riff: short, rhythmic, impossible to mishear. “Don’t let the same dog bite you twice” isn’t a sermon about forgiveness or a TED Talk about boundaries. It’s street-smart counsel dressed as a folksy proverb, the kind of warning you’d trade in a bar, backstage, or on a tour bus at 2 a.m. The intent is practical: learn fast, protect yourself, move on. The subtext is sharper: if it happens twice, part of the failure is yours. Not because you deserved it, but because you ignored the data.
The choice of “dog” matters. A dog can be loyal, lovable, domestic. Berry flips that familiarity into threat. This isn’t a faceless villain; it’s the person you thought was safe, the deal that sounded friendly, the scene that promised community but ran on exploitation. That’s why it sticks: it captures the betrayal angle without getting sentimental.
Contextually, Berry’s career sits inside an industry built on predatory contracts, racial gatekeeping, and constant hustling. Early rock and roll was fun on the surface and ruthless underneath, especially for Black artists navigating club owners, labels, and legal traps. The quote reads like an artist’s survival rule: be charming, be electrifying, but don’t be naive. It’s not cynicism for its own sake; it’s a demand for self-preservation in a world that will happily mistake your openness for access.
The choice of “dog” matters. A dog can be loyal, lovable, domestic. Berry flips that familiarity into threat. This isn’t a faceless villain; it’s the person you thought was safe, the deal that sounded friendly, the scene that promised community but ran on exploitation. That’s why it sticks: it captures the betrayal angle without getting sentimental.
Contextually, Berry’s career sits inside an industry built on predatory contracts, racial gatekeeping, and constant hustling. Early rock and roll was fun on the surface and ruthless underneath, especially for Black artists navigating club owners, labels, and legal traps. The quote reads like an artist’s survival rule: be charming, be electrifying, but don’t be naive. It’s not cynicism for its own sake; it’s a demand for self-preservation in a world that will happily mistake your openness for access.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
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