Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You

A Memoir

By: Lucinda Williams

Narrated by: Lucinda Williams

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The iconic singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy winner opens up about her traumatic childhood in the Deep South, her years of being overlooked in the music industry, and the stories that inspired her enduring songs in this “bracingly candid chronicle” (The Wall Street Journal).

“[Williams’s] memoir transmutes the wisdom, pain, and hard-won joy of her life into stories that stick with you.”—Vogue

A WASHINGTON POST AND ROLLING STONE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Lucinda Williams’s rise to fame was anything but easy. Raised in a working-class family in the Deep South, she moved from town to town each time her father—a poet, a textbook salesman, a professor, a lover of parties—got a new job, totaling twelve different places by the time she was eighteen. Her mother suffered from severe mental illness and was in and out of hospitals. And when Williams was about a year old, she had to have an emergency tracheotomy—an inauspicious start for a singing career. But she was also born a fighter, and she would develop a voice that has captivated millions.

In Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You, Williams takes readers through the events that shaped her music—from performing for family friends in her living room to singing at local high schools and colleges in Mexico City, to recording her first album with Folkway Records and headlining a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall. She reveals the inspirations for her unforgettable lyrics, including the doomed love affairs with “poets on motorcycles” and the gothic southern landscapes of the many different towns of her youth, including Macon, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. Williams spent years working at health food stores and record stores during the day so she could play her music at night, and faced record companies who told her that her music was not “finished,” that it was “too country for rock and too rock for country.” But her fighting spirit persevered, leading to a hard-won success that spans seventeen Grammy nominations and a legacy as one of the greatest and most influential songwriters of our time.

Raw, intimate, and honest, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You is an evocative reflection on an extraordinary woman’s life journey.

Critic reviews

“[Lucinda] Williams’s memoir is as flinty, earthy and plain-spoken as her songs. . . . [It] shows how deep [her] grit runs.”—The New York Times

“The often hilarious, occasionally harrowing Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You is a bracingly candid chronicle of a sui generis character plotting a ramshackle but ultimately triumphant trajectory. . . . Williams leaves few stones unturned.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Remarkable . . . Reading like it was written on a series of cocktail napkins in the absolutely best way, this ever-quotable memoir of a born songsmith has something to offer nearly any grownup who has listened to music for the last half-century.”—Booklist

“Honest and raw, this book serves a slice of an inspiring life that reminds readers to keep trying.”—Library Journal

“Revealing . . . a poignant, plainspoken life story from a dedicated musician.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Raw and honest, this must-read account soars on the back of [Lucinda] Williams’s hard-won wisdom about making art and overcoming struggle. Fans and non-fans will be rapt.”—Publishers Weekly

Raw and honest!

I thoroughly enjoyed Lucinda's book. I don't think she is a greatest narrator, but I am glad she told her own story. She reads in without any drama, sort of flat. She is probably the greatest song writer in our country today. I thought the book was captivating and held my interest all along. I liked hearing backstory for many songs. Lucinda has pursued her music and not allowed others to box her up to box her up for marketing purposes, thank goodness for that. How bland she'd be if her spirit had been blighted. Lucinda is an indomitable artist and spirit.

Always within me

I was born in 69. Like my Oldsmobile 442 convertible I’ve had since 16 my dad gave me after he left my mother me and my 5 yr old brother and I followed . He Had $6 so I got the car and Outta his hair mostly . I named her Lucinda during Covid. Also a dog named Ray Ray . After mr Hubbard I gotta give Lucinda a redo but ray don’t get to ride he smells like skunk the cairn terror he is. I love their namesake’s more than most of the Stankalanks I’ve been in the drawer with. Thanks Lu you helped me get thru. From Big A
the Smith county Spoon

Highly entertaining. Love that she doesn't apologize for any aspects of herself or her artistry

Engaging, honest, in her own uniquely beautiful voice. Loved it. Highly entertaining. Love that she doesn't apologize for any aspects of herself or her artistry.

Amazing story! I will be teaching this book in my intro to nonfiction class at USC next year!

What a great book. All true and so much poetry through the pain. Thank you, Lu!

So insightful!

So glad she didn’t follow the advice to not tell her life’s story. It explains all the songs in such detail!