James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter … Read Full Bio ↴James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.

He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".

Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.

After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[81] They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.

Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.

Don't Talk Now
James Taylor Lyrics

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Where I've been, you don't know.
And what I've got, baby, it don't show.
Now, I won't try to teach you how, don't talk now.
Don't talk roads, don't talk sand.
Don't talk dust, don't talk no man.
Don't talk rules, don't talk vows, don't talk now.

I don't want to hear the same old song,

And too many rights still make her wrong, baby.
I know she can't hurt me less by talking more,
She can't make good what was bad before.

No, It's too late now for me to lie
And I can't make a second try.
I just came on back, baby
Got to say good bye, good bye.

Don't talk now, don't talk now.
Don't talk now, don't talk now.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of James Taylor's "Don't Talk Now" seemingly describe a person who has gone through something tough in their life and has come out on the other end with scars. The singer is unwilling to share his experiences or feelings with anyone, especially with someone who seems to be trying to comfort him. He feels that he cannot change the past, so there is no point in discussing it. The refrain of "Don't talk now" is his plea to the other person to stop talking about things that do not matter, but seem only to bring more pain.

The singer has possibly been through a breakup or some kind of failed relationship, and he does not want the other person to talk about it. The lines "Don't talk roads, don't talk sand. Don't talk dust, don't talk no man. Don't talk rules, don't talk vows, don't talk now" suggests that this other person may be trying to console him by saying things like "there are other fish in the sea" or "time heals everything." The singer wants to be left alone with his pain, and he believes that only time can heal him.

Furthermore, the line "And too many rights still make her wrong, baby" suggests that the singer's pain may be caused by his own mistakes. He may have been the reason for the relationship's failure, and he understands that he cannot undo the things he did. He knows that talking will not make things any better, so he asks the other person to stop talking.

Line by Line Meaning

Where I've been, you don't know.
I have a history that you are not aware of.

And what I've got, baby, it don't show.
I have things that are not visible or apparent.

Now, I won't try to teach you how, don't talk now.
I won't attempt to instruct you, remain quiet for now.

Don't talk roads, don't talk sand.
Do not speak about directions or landscapes.

Don't talk dust, don't talk no man.
Do not speak about dirt or other people.

Don't talk rules, don't talk vows, don't talk now.
Do not speak about regulations or commitments, it's better to be silent.

I don't want to hear the same old song,
I am tired of hearing the same things over and over.

And too many rights still make her wrong, baby.
Sometimes being right can still be harmful.

I know she can't hurt me less by talking more,
Talking more will not reverse the pain she has caused.

She can't make good what was bad before.
The past cannot be changed or fixed.

No, It's too late now for me to lie
It is too late for me to be deceitful.