The lead-in piano music sounds a bit like the Twilight Zone Theme song they just played two songs ago.

Alot of people ask me about this song <Silent All These Years>. And um, what I try and explain to them is uh, I was writing it for somebody else actually. Because I was trying to get some of my songs placed with people, I wrote something for Cher. And uh, it got turned down, of course, and then I wrote something for Tina Turner....So finally I needed to like get work. I decided, wow, I met this new person who was really nice to me because um he looked at me and said "You've never had good wine." And I went, "Oh my god! How do you know!" And he was just like, "I can just tell. It like oozes from you, you just don't know it." And I went, "Oh." You know what I mean, you just go..it gets a little nerve-racking. You don't know what you're doing wrong. And so, Al Stewart, um you know (plays a short tune on the piano) took me to a restaurant and showed me wine like I'd never seen wine before. And so I wanted to write a song for him. And I started to do this thing. And I went to Eric, who I was with and who partly produced Little Earthquakes, and he didn't produce this bit so he was totally objective. And he looked at me and said, "You're out of your mind. That's your life story." And I went, "Oh." So needlesstoay, Al Stewart didn't get that song." (Begins playing song)
— Tori; VH1 Storytellers

"With this record, a song like Silent All These Years has a certain story line going on musically that's really the antithesis of what's going on verbally. It's counterpoint, pure and simple. But instead of French horns and cellos or something, it's words and music. And I find it very exciting when an acoustic instrument has its knife out. It can take on these different roles. The idea of being a woman ... you come over to my house and I'm serving a fruit plate. That's not always going to happen. Especially if somebody isn't being polite, or if somebody's being a dick. Then I'm going to put the peelings on the floor and watch you trip, and giggle. And that's the same with the acoustic instrument. It's not always just about, 'I'm vulnerable, I'm sad.' There are many different sides, and the beauty comes in exploring them."
— Tori; interview by Greg Rule

"So um, i never liked my grandmother. she was pretty me—she was actually very mean person. not all grandmothers are nice, you know pllbtt.. so um, the town where she comes from - it's really makes kinda sense that she wouldn't play, she wouldn't be into this anyway, but they wouldn't play this song. they said it, they quoted, they said...it's shit. so it gives me great pleasure to always play this song as much as I possibly can. thank you."
— Tori; Festival du Jazz de Montreux 1992

"Some things haven't changed, which is my relationship with my grandmother. she's on the 'other side'...hi grandma!. we didn't get on very well - i hated her. the interesting thing about my grandmother is uh...she loved virgins. now you know the thing is that if that's your choice, i totally respect that. and that was my choice...for a while. and uh..but i knew that there was something else in store — i was six. so she and i just didn't work this one out very well. you know, she'd see a picture of Jim Morrison and it just...she didn't get it. so um...naturally i was sent to pray in the corner. i said all the psalms and all...the whole thing. and i'd spit in her jello when she wasn't looking. and so this went on and on and on. and she died. long time ago. now i got a letter this year. one letter from a town. they all got together - true! - in America! - "Land of the free". and they wrote me a letter. now they don't know that my grandmother's from there. made no mention of it. and they can't possibly know that she was born there. anyway, it just went "nininini" (to the tune of Twilight Zone) - It makes total sense. 'Dear Miss Amos we're very sorry we can't play this song in our town. But in our opinion, it is shit.' —- Actually "perfect"!, you know...so there you go."
— Tori; Toronto, Canada 1993, l'affaire d'amoreuse bootleg

"The bumble bee piano tinkle came first. This one evolved slowly but it stayed an obsession until it was finished. I entered boxer occupation - part of me not wanting to hear what 'I' was saying, the other part fighting off 'The Brain Drain.' I finally distracted The brain Drain with the task of filing chocolate cake recipes."
— Tori; Little Earthquakes Songbook

EXACTLY... this exactly how she strikes me.  That being said, ya gotta love that line...

Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon

That, and I always loved the vague-ness of "I can't believe you're leaving 'cause me and Charles Manson like the same ice cream".  I always figured that was either serious disbelief or a crazy-eyed threat.  Funnier to conflate the two.  Seriously, I loved this whole album, with "Tear in Your Hand" the very most (when she hits the piano pedal in the tacet it ALWAYS raises goosebumps for me for some reason).  Edit: I think my subconcious mind was trying to hint to me that I had that lyric mixed... the ice cream thing is in Tear in Your Hand.

 mandolin wrote:

There's no denying this is a superb album...even if you are not a Tori fan. 

In every sense of the number...