Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You

A Memoir

By: Lucinda Williams

Narrated by: Lucinda Williams

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 Lucinda Williams (P)2023 Random House Audio

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

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

It’s Her

I loved hearing her voice read her words. Her writing if this book like the writing of her songs - straight forward all her heart!

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.

An absolute gem

We are so lucky to get a memoir from such an incredible living artist and woman. This book is funny, devastating, beautiful, and the best part is that we get Lucinda herself reading it to us.

Loved Every Minute

I discovered Lucinda Williams just last year at the Texas State Fair and have been listening to her vast library of songs every day since then. I feel fortunate I went to her show that evening because I haven’t been this excited about an artist in 20 years. I started with her newest album (my favorite) and worked my way backwards. I guess she was never on my musical radar because I always heard her name in the context of country music, and I mostly listen to some type of rock or singer/songwriter stuff; but I was in Texas at the Texas State Fair, so I thought I’d see what the legend was all about. Man, can she rock! I believe her book is like her music: Original without boundaries, soulful, brave, edgy, and truthful. a must read for any music fan.

I am a fan for life. I think I’ll give a listen to this book again and again.

Highly recommend.

Pure truth

Very open and pure truth just like her songs. Enjoyed the story and the weaving of words.

A great song writer creates a great memoir!

I’ve loved Lucinda’s music since Sweet Old World and have seen her perform many times. She speaks to my life story and gives words to my experiences. I bought this book as soon as I heard about it and completed it in just a few days. What a ride! Thank you Lu.

Fantastic stories

Listening to Lucinda tell her own story in her own words is riveting. Your mileage may vary.

Her voice, her words, her secrets, LOVE!

As a long time fan of Lucinda I hung on every word of her book just as I have hung on her lyrics over the years. The slow draw and curl to her spoken words made each chapter come alive and leave me singing along, remembering different times in my life when her songs touched my soul, knowing what she was going through as her songs were formed truly feels like she is letting us in on the very secrets she asks not be told! I laughed and cried and did not want it to end. Her story would make a special movie! I'm so thankful to hear it in her own voice. In the words of Neil Young - it's all one song! Thanks for singing your story to us Lu - in your own special way, it resonates deeply, same as your songs!