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.

©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

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.

Lucinda’s voice Lucinda’s story

She takes you along that gravel road, you’re right there in the car with her.

You told everybody the secrets, thank you Lu

I have loved this amazing woman since I heard her beautiful song Side of the Road. Car Wheels is my #1 album of all times. I admire her raw honesty & openness while detailing painful & personal memories. I’ve always wanted to know the secrets behind her songs & life. This book does just that. Thank you Lu for such a fascinating, non-sugarcoated story.

Lucinda

I am a big Lucinda fan. Loved hearing the background stories.
Awesome book. A must read

Viva Lucinda!

As spare and deep as her songs this is a great listen, especially heard through Lucinda’s deadpan voice. Fascinating story of her development as an artist and trying to fit as a square peg into the round holes of the corporate music industry.

She’s a gift.

Love her openness, honesty and vulnerability. But she’s also fiercely independent and passionate. Thanks for being yourself, Lu!

Love hearing the story that makes Lucinda unique.

I have even more respect for the artist I’ve loved for so many years. Her story, read by her, is rich but understated, and moving.

Makes me Realize Why I Love Her

This was a treat!! It was like hearing an old friend talk. She had so much raw life stories that represent who she is as a human and artist. I loved how she showed herself vulnerably as a way to help others that struggle in order to take away the stigmas of things such as mental health issues and domestic abuse. I love her!