Sister Tilly, you don't think about us ... (SOUNDBITE OF SONG) MERCHANT: (Singing) Come lay them. RASCOE: That's singer songwriter Natalie Merchant. Her latest album, "Keep Your Courage," is ...

That song is Tell Me It’s Not True from the ... ‘She would phone and say “Natalie, I don’t want to talk about cancer. Can we go out to an event and just drink?” And that’s what we ...

Their lead singer and songwriter, Natalie Merchant ... or by continuing to comment, in song, on issues that don’t quite lend themselves to mainstream hits. Our conversation has been edited ...