"Won't Talk About It," by Billy Bragg

I don’t remember how I found out about Billy Bragg (perhaps listening to WORT, the community-based radio station in Madison, WI), but I was hooked forever once I did. How deep did my devotion run? As a very poor grad student, I used some Borders dollars to buy four (4!) Billy Bragg CDs at half price in what was surely my CD allotment for the year. (Yes, we bought CDs back then.) Billy Bragg doesn’t have the greatest voice, he doesn’t wield an axe in the manner of guitar legends, but his songs are earnest and powerful and simple. (Don't get me wrong, he's a great guitar player, but he's no Clapton or Whit Smith.) He carries on and furthers the tradition of protest/folk music (in fact, he's known equally for his politics as his music), while also singing about romantic themes in less-than-traditional ways.

Billy Bragg was in Milwaukee on September 9, 2010 for a concert at Turner Hall, about 10 years after I first heard his music, and I was there! Super concert, but even better rally! I left feeling as though I'd just attended a revival for secular humanism!
"Won't Talk About It" is from the album Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984). Unfortunately, even though I think this song is worthy of posting on Spoken Interludes, perhaps others don't agree with me as I can't find a version of it online to share. I came up with a lame amazon sample--that's it. Buy it to hear the whole thing!

Lame amazon.com link. It's track 13.

It’s another dead evening here
It’s already midnight and I’m still so awake
I see your lights are still on
I know you’re alone
His car isn’t there
Why don’t you come over
Is it because you’re afraid of what people will say
Stepping out with someone like me
I shouldn’t care about it if I was you
I’m not the only man in town
Honey, your secret’s safe with me
I won’t talk about it…

You know, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately
Now is just the time for us
Just the time for us to get together
You and me
Just think of it
Alone
Doesn’t matter what people say, where you come from
Where I’ve lived
Just us together
It’s hard for you to see, but…
Your secret is safe with me
I won't talk about it...