Quote of the Day (Stephen Sondheim, on Why Lyrics Need Music)

“Music straitjackets a poem and prevents it from breathing on its own, whereas it liberates a lyric. Poetry doesn't need music; lyrics do.”—American musical composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany (2010)