Code of Silence

Download "Code of Silence"

But you swore to yourself a long time ago
   There were some things that people never
   needed to know
   Guess there's one that you keep
   That you bury so deep
   No one can tear it out

It is hard to categorize or describe "Code of Silence." It is a pop song, but seems to proceed along haltingly, never quite finding its groove musically. The verses seem heavy and chug along, not unlike in "The Downeaster Alexa," however, while that worked well in "The Downeaster Alexa" as it evoked the lurching movement of a fishing boat, it makes "Code of Silence" seem labored. Billy apparently was having a tough time finishing the song, and Cyndi Lauper helped him and provided backing vocals too. It is the first Billy Joel song that might be considered a duet, along with "Baby Grand," and over 20 years later his duet with Tony Bennett on "New York State of Mind."

Photo from inner sleeve. Cyndi Lauper and Billy Joel. Photo by Phil Ramone. Columbia Records publicity photo.

Lyrically, "Code of Silence" is about someone who keeps his or her thoughts and feelings bottled up inside when it might be better to speak out. "Isn't that a kind of madness, to be living by a code of silence, when you've really got a lot to say." That's a good point or observation, but it is repeated over and over again in each verse. Each verse does not really build on the theme, so much as repeat it in other words. At 5:15, the song could have been tighter, but just feels repetitive

Studio version of "Code of Silence" (audio only)

Billy discusses how Cyndi Lauper helped him write "Code of Silence."

Billy on "Code of Silence" from SiriusXM.

Cyndi Lauper's best known songs are probably "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time" and "All Through The Night." Billy sang "doo-wop" backup vocals on Cyndi Lauper's "Maybe He'll Know." Listen to it below, click player:

Code of Silence << >>
(The Bridge) (1986)

Everybody's got a million questions
Everybody wants to know the score
What you went through
It's something you
Should be over now

Everybody wants to hear the secrets
That you never told a soul before
And it's not that strange
Because it wouldn't change
what happened anyhow

But you swore to yourself a long time ago
There were some things that people never needed to know
Guess there's one that you keep
That you bury so deep
No one can tear it out

And you can't talk about it
Because you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way

And you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say

You don't want to lose a friendship
There's nothing that you have to hide
And a little dirt
Couldn't hurt no one anyway

And you still have a rage inside you
That you carry with a certain pride
In the only part of the broken heart
That you could ever save

But you've been through it once
You know how it ends
You don't see the point
Of going through it again
And this ain't the place
And this ain't the time
And neither's any other day

So you can't talk about it
Because you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way

So you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say

I know you well enough to tell you've got your reasons
That's not the kind of code you're inclined to break
Some things unknown are best left alone forever
And if a vow is what it takes
Haven't you paid for your mistakes

After the moment passes
And the impulse disappears
You can still hold back
Because you don't crack very easily

It's a time honored resolution
Because the danger is always near
It's with you now
But that ain't how it was supposed to be

And it's hard to believe after all these years
That it still gives you pain and it still brings tears
And you feel like a fool
Because in spite of your rules
You've got a memory

But you can't talk about it
Because you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way

But you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say