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Ode to the Mentally Ill
- Sung to
- I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
- Written by
- Carolyn Hale
- Gaggle
- Seattle
No recording on file
Know the tune I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy? You're ready.
Record your gaggle singing it and we'll feature it here.
How to read the marks
Bold word Strong beat
Italic word Inflection / stress
[Chorus] Section label
Tips from the gaggle
- Read the lyrics through once silently before singing.
- If the original tune is unfamiliar, look it up first.
- Modify freely. Every gaggle adapts songs to local issues.
SING IT to the tune of I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
Mental illness, hell, I’m (we’re) crazy,
But there is a person here.
I am (we are) taking medication
Whose names make me (us) despair.
Every day we are courageous.
People need to know the scoop:
We need housing,
We need jobs,
We need kind attention
To be a member of a group.
We’re not strangers and we’re lonely.
Why don’t you want us around.
We’re ignored and forgotten—
No wonder our anger abounds.
No one seems to want to help us
With the services we need.
Fifty million suffering persons
Waiting for acceptance—
One in four is in your family! (whisper: WOW!)
♦ ♦ ♦
Written by
Carolyn Hale
For the
Seattle Gaggle