Listen to this when
Don't Explain
when you choose not to ask because the answer would cost too much 🥀
Who it's for
Billie Holiday co-wrote this song about a woman who knows her partner has been unfaithful but asks him not to explain, because she'd rather keep him than face it.
Resigned, quietly hurting→Seen, with room to question the pattern
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Don't Explain" was written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. Holiday recorded it in New York in November 1944, and Decca released it as a single in 1946. In her 1956 autobiography, Holiday said it was inspired by her first husband, Jimmy Monroe: after she saw lipstick on his collar and he tried to explain it away, she told him not to explain.
Where to find it
All major streaming services.
Before you start
Heads up: References to infidelity.
Age: Suggested 13+
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Marriage”
