Ronnie James Dio was the quintessential heavy metal vocalist prior to his death in 2010. His recording career stretched back to the late 1950s and included bands such as Ronnie and the Red Caps, Ronnie and the Prophets, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band, Dio. He was the primary lyricist for all those efforts, and brought elements of fantasy storytelling to his songwriting. Often his songs contain lyrics that sound like advice from an old storyteller from some ancient text. I call these bits of wisdom #advicefromronniejamesdio.

“Don’t write in starlight, because the words may come out real.”

“If you listen to fools, the mob rules!”

“Don’t smell the flowers, they’re an evil drug to make you lose your mind.”

“The lover of life's not a sinner

The ending is just a beginning

The closer you get to the meaning

The sooner you'll know that you're dreaming”

“Don’t dance in darkness, you may stumble there and you’re sure to fall.”