Tell Me

Tell Me - fact Summary

Published in 1974 Collection

"Tell Me" is a very brief lyric included in Shel Silverstein's 1974 children’s collection Where the Sidewalk Ends. Its speaker lists flattering descriptions they wish to hear—clever, kind, talented, cute, sensitive, graceful, wise, perfect—but closes by demanding honesty: "But tell me the truth." The poem juxtaposes craving for affirmation with a call for authenticity, capturing a child's need for praise tempered by a desire for sincerity.