The song Code of Silence is about being in the closet
- So the song is about Billy's (or his character's) friend and a secret they have kept for a long time. It is something that Billy doesn't think is that shameful ("There's nothing that you have to hide/and a little dirt/couldn't hurt no one anyway"), but he understands why someone would hide it away ("I know you well enough to tell you've got your reasons"). The song came out in 1986, and it makes sense that someone would stay closeted at that time. He mentions that it might be dangerous for the friend if the secret came out ("It's a time honored resolution/because the danger is always near"). Throughout the song, Billy tells his friend about how he's seen them keep this secret for so long, despite the fact that it's hurting them ("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"), and that there might be some slight blowback initially, but it's better to just come out and tell people. The whole song also alludes to an event of some kind ("You don't see the point of going through it again"), that caused the friend to create the code of silence. Since Billy doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, it's unlikely to be something like a violent act. It was also co-written by Cyndi Lauper, a noted queer ally, and contains the line "And you still have a rage inside you, that you carry with a certain pride".
