The truth about autobiographical songs, he realized, was that you had to make the present become the past, somehow: you had to take a feeling or a friend or a woman and turn whatever it was into something that was over, so that you could be definitive about it. You had to put it in a glass case and look at it and think about it until it gave up its meaning.
The author reflects on the nature of autobiographical songs, highlighting the necessity to transform present experiences into past reflections. This process involves isolating feelings, relationships, or moments, allowing the artist to approach them with clarity and definitiveness. By treating these experiences as memories, the artist can extract and convey their deeper meanings.
This perspective emphasizes that true understanding of personal experiences comes from examining and reflecting on them over time. It suggests that to create art that resonates, one must both distance themselves from the moment and immerse themselves in its emotional depth until it reveals its significance.
