Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Sick
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said little Peggy Ann McKay
"I have the measles and the mumps
A gash, a rash and purple bumps
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry
I'm going blind in my right eye
My tonsils are as big as rocks
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin
My belly button's caving in
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained
My 'pendix pains each time it rains
My nose is cold, my toes are numb
I have a sliver in my thumb
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak
I hardly whisper when I speak
My tongue is filling up my mouth
I think my hair is falling out
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight
My temperature is one-o-eight
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear
There is a hole inside my ear
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"
The song Sick by Shel Silverstein tells the story of a young girl named Peggy Ann McKay who is trying to avoid going to school by claiming to be sick with every symptom imaginable. Throughout the song, Peggy Ann lists the various illnesses she is afflicted with, including measles, mumps, chicken pox, and the flu. As the song progresses, her ailments become increasingly ridiculous, including a belly button that is caving in and a brain that has shrunk.
The lyrics of Sick are meant to be humorous and absurd. Rather than attempting to accurately portray the symptoms of any one illness, the song exaggerates all of them to an extreme degree. However, the song also makes a subtle commentary on the phenomenon of children faking illness in order to avoid going to school. Peggy Ann's long list of ailments might be seen as a parody of this very real and very common issue.
Overall, Sick is a fun and silly song that offers both humor and a little bit of insight into the world of childhood illness and truancy.
Line by Line Meaning
I cannot go to school today,
I'm not going to school today,
Said little Peggy Ann McKay
Said a young girl named Peggy Ann McKay
I have the measles and the mumps
I have multiple sicknesses
A gash, a rash and purple bumps
I have bruising and a cut with a rash
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry
I have mixed symptoms
I'm going blind in my right eye
My eyesight is weakening
My tonsils are as big as rocks
My throat is swollen
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
I have a lot of chickenpox
And there's one more--that's seventeen
I have one extra chickenpox
And don't you think my face looks green?
Do I look pale?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
I have cuts and bruises on my leg along with blue eyes
It might be instamatic flu
It could be the flu
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke
I'm struggling to breathe
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My left leg is likely broken
My hip hurts when I move my chin
I have pain in my hip
My belly button's caving in
My stomach hurts
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained
I have a sore back and ankle
My 'pendix pains each time it rains
I have pain in my appendix
My nose is cold, my toes are numb
I'm feeling very cold
I have a sliver in my thumb
There's a sliver in my thumb
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak
I have a stiff neck and I can barely talk
I hardly whisper when I speak
I can barely speak
My tongue is filling up my mouth
My tongue feels swollen
I think my hair is falling out
I'm losing my hair
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight
My elbow is bent, and my back is crooked
My temperature is one-o-eight
My body temperature is very high
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear
I can't hear well and feel foggy
There is a hole inside my ear
I have a physical impairment
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
I have a tiny wound, and I don't know what's happening
What's that? What's that you say?
I can't hear, what are you saying?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
You said it's actually Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!
Goodbye, I'm going to play instead of going to school
Writer(s): Shel Silverstein
Contributed by Chloe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.