As far as songwriting, my inspirations came from love, life and death, and viewing other people's situations.

Especially when you've got your own mail route, day after day, it was an easy place to write. It was like going to a library with no books. You're afforded to just go do your job, and you don't really even have to think about it. You know you're on the right street and you're at the right house, and you're putting the mail in the right box. That's where I wrote a lot of the early songs, walking on the mail route.

Life is a journey that's measured not in miles or years but in experiences, and the route your life takes is built not of roads but of songs.

I don't think people care about the mechanics of songwriting.

When I was writing the song, I thought that these people have entire lives in there. They're not writers, but they all have stories to tell. Some are very, very down deeper than others.

I meet so many people that just sort of say, "I want to thank you for your music. It really helped me" or "It changed my life."