4th of July in the Asylum

(Revised lyrics, Spring 2025)

Lennie just broke the mirror, he cut his fist real bad.
The nurse had to tie him to his bed, you could say he’s a little mad.
Peter just stole some Drano. He said it’s just about time for lunch.
Except for that things are pretty calm. You could say we’re a satisfied bunch.

(chorus)
And John Philip Sousa plays the tuba on the floor,
But no one seems to notice, cause he’s done it all before.
And Crazy Davey crawls off to the corner just to cry.
It’s just another Fourth of July in the asylum.

It’s been a mighty fine week for treatment. Six men got the shock.
Frank got a photo from his girl, but he still refused to talk.
Louie stuck his head in a toilet, and Jimmy Jack jumped the nurse.
Half strangled her with a telephone cord and he spit his pills in her purse.

chorus

They sent me here for loving you. They called our love insane.
Just because we spoke in tongues and danced naked in the rain.
Tonight I’ll gaze at fireworks through the window on the lawn.
They'll trace the outlines of your face, and my tears will greet the dawn.

Chorus

(Original album lyrics)

Lennie just broke the mirror, he cut his fist real bad.
The nurse had to tie him to his bed, you could say he’s a little mad.
Peter just stole some Drano. He said it’s just about time for lunch.
Except for that things are pretty calm. You could say we’re a satisfied bunch.

(chorus)
And John Philip Sousa plays the tuba on the floor,
But no one seems to notice, cause he’s done it all before.
And Crazy Davey crawls off to the corner just to cry.
It’s just another Fourth of July in the asylum.

It’s been a real bad week for treatment. Six men got the shock.
Frank got a photo from his girl, but he still refused to talk.
Louie stuck his head in a toilet, and Jimmy Jack jumped the nurse.
It’s a good thing it’s a holiday, cause things couldn’t get much worse.

chorus

They sent me here for loving you. They called our love insane.
Just because we spoke in tongues and danced naked in the rain.
Tonight I’ll watch the fireworks in the distance from the lawn.
If I can’t stop thinking about your face, I might be up till dawn.

Chorus

Copyright © 1986 by Michael Kim Roos