Thread: I take the White pills, everyone else takes the Green

I'll give a little background on this one. A relative was put into the ER a few days ago and I stayed the night with them. A man who had recently had a psychotic break was brought in for examination. Among the other things he kept repeating was my title here: I take the white pills, everyone else takes the green. Enjoy!



I take the White pills, everyone else takes the Green

They say I'm insane
but listen, you'll see.
'cause I take the white pills
everyone else takes the green

The cops came to grab me,
they said they would help me.
Liars and thieves was all
that they were. And fools.
They think I don't have clarity.

But everyone else looks in the mirror.
They dream of perfect shoes to match.
And slave for towers of thatch.
No, they're brick. Yes, towers of brick.
And all they do is gibber jabber on.
Not a thought for sanity to catch.

I am better than them,
can't you see?
My mind is clear and focused.
Free of dirt. Free of locusts.
I see only the men in black suits.
They chase me always, but I run.
I run faster and faster,
from skyscrapers to seacoasts.

So now you know you're insane.
I am not crazy. I'm free.
'cause I take the white pills
everyone else takes the green.

I didn't get the pills part...

Liked this heaps, Flapjack. Am curious about the pills, also. Initially, I thought your narrator believed he was sane because all the other patients took green pills but he took white. That's too literal a translation, I believe. So, 'splain us Lucy. Love S3, especially "slave for towers of thatch", very original, that. Two little nits, in S4, L4, locust should be plural and in S5, L1, your should be you're. Much enjoyed, you've captured crazy pretty darn well in five short stanzas.

Best,
Lisa

Lisa, thanks for those grammar tidbits. I'm about to fix them now. In my defense I typed this into my computer from several hospital cafeteria napkins after staying up all night in the hospital (in the ER they offered me a cot, but I couldn't stand the thought of the nurses seeing a 6' 3" guy sprawled outon a tiny cot). I guess I forgot to double-check it. Thanks again.

As far as the white pill/green pill metaphor, it could be read that the speaker is in a mental institution and that "everyone else" refers to the other patients. That is until the "you know you're insane" line. That should bring a realization that the speaker means the average person takes the green pills while he takes the whites.

To the initial read the man is obviously mad. I won't explain everything but suffice it to say that the poem is intended to show sanity in the madness. If you can piece together the random bits there is a big of commentary on the commercial and pointless culture we live in. There is also a hard to find rhyme scheme (abab in first and last is obvious, then you have a couplet paired with the last line in the 2, 3, and 4th stanzas. the rhymes are very rough). The rhymes are meant to show some harmony in the seemingly random statements. Our pitiful speaker here is proud that he isn't a "slave". He explains that, while others are held in bondage to their greed (green pill) and ignorance, he seeks freedom.

The deeper meaning here, and I suppose you could say the impetus for it, was that people look at those outside the normal realm of society as insane. Infact many definitions of sanity describe it as the ability to fit within societies parameters. Few people stop to think that society itself may be suffering, en mass, from insanity.

Well there you go, I gave basically everything away. Enjoy .

P.S. Alternate reading could be that "you" are a patient in the institution. As far as I'm concerned the themes still work, if in a less effective way, with that interpretation.

Flapjack, you prevail with logic.

Infact many definitions of sanity describe it as the ability to fit within societies parameters. Few people stop to think that society itself may be suffering, en mass, from insanity.

.

When in college taking a class in Sociology, we were told by the professor that 80% of the population were sane. And I thought how insane is that?! This is to your point.

I got your title immediately. And knew this was coming.

So now you know you're insane.
I am not crazy. I'm free.
'cause I take the white pills
everyone else takes the green.

It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song, Twisted


My analyst told me
That I was right out of my head
But I said dear doctor
I think that it's you instead
Because I have got a thing
That's unique and new
To prove it I'll have
The last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head
I got two
And you know two heads are better than one

What a delight to read. Laurie

My computer is in pieces and these diseased clunky fingers are not doing well with this IPad which is too sensitive to freaking touch, so bear with me. Kindly place your fingers across your keyboard so I may soundly rap them with my ruler. Again, you have underestimated your ability, dear Flap, I had your undercurrent firmly in my grasp, it was only the pills themselves that confused me. Your intentions regarding society were easily palpable. It's the sane who are crazy is something I live by, which explains how joyous I am in my insanity. As for the pills, I would swap the colors. Many pills taken by the general populace, the sane if you would,are white. Aspirin, Tylenol, generic advil, many antibiotics are all white. green pills are a rarity indeed in the sane world. Just a humble suggestion. Thanks for splainin Lucyds, that ok said,I am done, I abhor this IPad. It keeps changing my words, stupid thing tries to do your thinking for you, ugh.

Originally Posted by ChestersDaughter

As for the pills, I would swap the colors. Many pills taken by the general populace, the sane if you would,are white.

I wasn't quite sure what to use. I considered your thought. I ended up using white for its purity and green for the allusion to greed. However, I agree with your comment. I'll change it if I can decide what color to make his pills.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by SilverMoon

It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song, Twisted


My analyst told me
That I was right out of my head
But I said dear doctor
I think that it's you instead
Because I have got a thing
That's unique and new
To prove it I'll have
The last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head
I got two
And you know two heads are better than one

I've never heard it but I love these lyrics. I will have to go look it up. Thanks for the comments!

I rather like your reasoning, green equals greed is quite good, making that somehow apparent would also work well, not easy though.

I've never heard it but I love these lyrics. I will have to go look it up

I think you'll really enjoy the rest of the lyrics!

Great song! Thanks for sharing. The lines about einstein and edison made me think of something I read in an article a few days ago:

“Albert Einstein picked up cigarette butts off the street to get tobacco for his pipe; Howard Hughes spent entire days on a chair in the middle of the supposedly germ-free zone of his Beverly Hills Hotel suite; the composer Robert Schumann believed that his musical compositions were dictated to him by Beethoven and other deceased luminaries from their tombs; and Charles Dickens is said to have fended off imaginary urchins with his umbrella as he walked the streets of London.”

Thousands of examples but a couple more are Edison, who reportedly almost never bathed or maintained basic hygiene and Bobby Fisher, who was highly suspicious of others and very secretive. I think he actually had schizophrenia, or at least schizoid personality disorder.

One of the genetic markers for high levels of intelligence coincides with the markers for schizophrenia. It is one explanation for the eccentricty associated with genius.

Very interesting tid bits about those with genius. It's true. Talent seems to come along with the terriotry of certain mental illnesses, especially Bi-Polar Disorder. Persons with "Paranoid" Schizophenia are usually highly intellegent and creative. I know this first hand as my mother was diagnosed with this condition. Despite all she managed to graduate from Radcliffe with honors. Who really wants "normal"? I dont!

My father has paranoid type schizophrenia as well. He remained in the earliest stage (prodromal by some classifications) for years and so everyone thought he was "odd". It was pretty sad when, about eight years ago, he started having the hallucinations/delusions/etc. Before, he was an aircraft mechanic. I've been mildly concerned for my own health, seeing as I'm in the right age range for the development of the disease.

If anyone is interested, here is an article about the gene that is linked toboth schizophrenia and intelligence. Interesting read: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060427161424.htm

I enjoy the thought processes of the mentally ill when I have worked with them - I could spend days talking with them - so I enjoyed your poem's little excursion - these lines made me smile:

"My mind is clear and focused.
Free of dirt. Free of locusts."

Such creativity to say one's mind is free of locusts - I didn't pick up if these details are all from the real patient, or made up by you - either way, brilliant use of it.

Sometimes I think the mentally ill have something loose that rattles around in their heads, sparking wild creativity - like regular folks do when dreaming, except they are awake, and think it is all real - would be nice to tap into that freedom of creativity without boundaries every once in a while - without drugs or losing one's mind!

---todd

@todd - thanks for your comments. I only stole the title. The patient actually was talking about some helicopter he was seeing land. I chose locusts because it played in with my theme really well.

Ditto to the desire to tap into that unleashed imagination.