[Verse 1: Billy Joel]
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
'Cause 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
This is one that you keep, that you bury so deep
No one can tear it out

[Chorus: Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Both]
And you can't talk about it
'Cause you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna lose the anger
You just deal with it in a different way
And you can't talk about it (No, you can't talk)
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

[Verse 2: Billy Joel]
You don't wanna 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
[Chorus: Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Both]
So you can't talk about it
'Cause you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna lose the anger
You just deal with it in a different way
So you can't talk about it (No, you can't talk)
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

[Bridge: Billy Joel]
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?

[Verse 3: Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper]
After the moment passes
And the impulse disappears
You can still hold back
'Cause you don't crack very easily
It's a time-honored resolution
'Cause the danger is always near
It's with you now
But that ain't how it was supposed to be (No, no, no)
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, 'cause in spite all your rules
You've got a memory
[Chorus: Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Both]
But you can't talk about it
'Cause you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna lose the anger
You just deal with it in a different way
But you can't talk about it (No, you can't talk)
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

[Outro: Cyndi Lauper]
'Cause you can't, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah now, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah