Asylum
LIVING ROOM - Supertramp Lyrics

Jimmy Cream was keen
Jimmy Cream was enthusiastic and motivated

His brain was always winnin'
His intelligence and wit consistently led him to success

I can't keep tabs on mine
I struggle to maintain control over my thoughts and actions

It's really quite a joke
It's absurd and ridiculous

I see him down the road
I encounter him in my neighborhood

I ask if he'd be willing
I request his assistance

To lend me 15P
To loan me a small amount of money

I'm dying for a smoke
I'm desperate for a cigarette

Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
Don't institutionalize me or label me as insane

I'm just as sane as anyone
I am no less mentally stable than others

It's a just a game
My behavior is a form of playful amusement

I play for fun, for fun
I engage in these behaviors for my own enjoyment

I told 'em
I informed them

"Look!, I said I'm not the way you're thinkin'
I expressed that their assumptions and judgments of me are incorrect

Just when I'm down, I'll be the clown
When I am feeling low, I will try to make others laugh and entertain them

I'll play the fool
I will act silly or foolish to bring joy to others

Will he take a sailboat ride?
Is it likely that he will seek adventure?

Well he is very likely to
Yes, adventure is something he enjoys and will pursue

Will he feel good inside?
Will he experience happiness and contentment?

Well he ain't very likely to
No, he struggles to find fulfillment and satisfaction

Will he tell you he's alive?
Will he openly express his emotions and experiences?

Yeah he is always trying to, yeah
Yes, he desires to share his thoughts and feelings with others

But nothin', no, no nothin'
But unfortunately, there is nothing he can say or do to change his circumstances

Does he say, oh no
Does he express negativity or pessimism?

In the morning when the day's begun
At the start of the day

Hello Good morning, how are you?
A typical greeting exchanged with others

And in the evening or the noonday sun
In the afternoon or early evening

What a lovely afternoon
A comment on the pleasantness of the day

Well I've been living next to you
We have been residing next to each other

Bluesy Monday
A day which typically brings him sadness and despair

Is the one day that they come here
It's on this day that they come to bother him

Yeah when they haunt me
When they torment him

And they taunt me in my cage
And they provoke him while he is confined

I mock 'em all
I ridicule them and their actions

They're feelin' small, yeah they got no answer
They feel inferior and cannot respond to his jests

Yeah they're playin' dumb
They are acting ignorant or foolish

But I'm just laughing as they rage
But he is finding humor in their futile attempts to annoy him

No that's too heavy
No, that's too serious and burdensome

Nothin', no, no nothin'
Nothing, absolutely nothing

Do you think it looks like rain?
Transitioning to small talk

You know I nearly missed my train
Describing a recent personal experience

But what kind of friend are you?
Questioning the quality of the friendship

Oh, is it the beginning or the sorry end?
Wondering if this is the start or the end of their relationship

Will I ever see it through?
Will he ever overcome his struggles?

No I've never been insane
Asserting his own mental soundness

Oh what's the game?
What is the point or the motive behind all of this?

I believe I'm dying, oh!
A statement of extreme despair or hyperbole

He's mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad
Reinforcing that he is not mentally well

Not quite right (not quite right)
Acknowledging that he is struggling and not acting as he should