When I was writing 'Shotgun,' it's one of the first songs that's come to me as an image.

I met PJ Harvey when I was in England, and the first thing I want to do when I meet a songwriter I admire is to ask them how do they receive songs.

I just let the songs tell me what to do - they are my guides, and they are the boss. So I am subservient to the songs, and I let them tell me what to do. I don't judge them; I just write whatever comes to me.

When I first moved to New York, I was still returning to Tennessee every few months to perform.

When I was 15, I begged my grandfather to give me this guitar he'd always had in the back of his closet. I promised him I'd learn to play it, but I never did. Then my grandfather died, and I felt so guilty. So I started playing.

I try to write down every song that comes to me, even though I know that every song that comes to me isn't a song that I need to sing.