"I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does"
About this Quote
The phrase "resign myself" suggests this isn’t a romantic myth about the ineffable artist. It’s a decision made "many years ago", the tone of someone who’s stopped fighting his own wiring. That matters in Bowie’s context: a career built on masks, characters, and controlled reveal. He was famously fluent in interviews, but fluency isn’t the same as emotional exposure. Articulation, in his framing, isn’t about vocabulary; it’s about vulnerability. Music becomes the workaround, the safe channel that still hits hard.
"Does it for me" is casual, almost tossed off, which is part of why it lands. He’s not elevating music into some sacred realm; he’s treating it like a practical tool that accomplishes what conversation can’t. Subtext: don’t ask the man to decode himself in real time. The songs are the autobiography, except they’re filtered through persona, production, and performance - feelings rendered as sound design. In a culture obsessed with confession, Bowie offers another model: expression without full disclosure, intimacy by composition.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bowie, David. (2026, January 15). I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-to-resign-myself-many-years-ago-that-im-not-58880/
Chicago Style
Bowie, David. "I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-to-resign-myself-many-years-ago-that-im-not-58880/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-to-resign-myself-many-years-ago-that-im-not-58880/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.







