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Original Prose by Johnny Allen

The Slow Death of Lung Cancer

I’m ok in this moment I’m ok.
I can cut my arm and it’s ok.
I can fuck my life and it’s ok.
It’s ok if I can’t tell a life from a lie.
It’s ok.
I’ll get drunk in my car and piss in a bottle
And that’s ok too.

Or I’ll nod off and wake periodically,
Restlessly only half sleeping,
Only half living, half squandering
My only one life away.

I’ll stop crying one day. I'll stop when I’m dead.
I’ll die someday and on that day it will be ok to cry.

I’ll do jumping jacks or summersaults
and I’ll tumble out of this crippling depression

It’s ok to sing or run like the devil’s chasing you.
He is.
And it’s ok if he catches you.
He does.

And, then, clutching your heart and your mind,
It’s ok if he compels you to take your own life,
Pills, razor, warm blood in warm water,
The slow death of lung cancer.

Lyrics

I can cut my arm
Or get drunk in your car
Throw up in the backseat
It's OK to forget
Or lose consciousness
I nod off
I wake up periodically

Only half asleep
And only half sleeping
My only one life away
And in this moment it's OK

It's OK to live
Like the Devil's chasing you
Cause he is
It's OK if he catches you
(It's OK if he catches you)
It's OK to run
Like the Devil chases you
Cause he does
It's OK if he catches you...
He's going to

If I can't tell a life from a lie
Then I can fuck my life
And it's OK
And I'll do jumping jacks
And I'll do somersaults
Out of this crippling depression

Might as well jump
(JUMP!)
Go ahead and jump
(JUMP!)

It's OK to live
Like the Devil's chasing you
Cause he is
It's OK if he catches you
(It's OK if he catches you)
It's OK to run
Like the Devil chases you
Cause he does
It's OK if he catches you...
He's going to

Clutching your heart and your mind
If he compels you to take your own life
Pills, razor, warm blood in warm water
A slow death of lung cancer
A slow death of lung cancer
The slow death of lung cancer