a song of CFS and invisible illness

in a recent comment cinderkeys let me know about a song she'd written. i was quite touched by the depth of the emotion conveyed about the everyday of invisible illness, CFS in particular. With her permission... here are the lyrics (link to her myspace and the song below):

Copyright 2006 Susan Wenger
Band name: Cinder Bridge

EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT ME

Here I am again
Sitting by the window
In my small apartment on the second floor
Keep myself occupied
By looking at the traffic
As if I've lost the right to ask for more

My body feels like it's
Moving underwater
As I lift a cup of coffee to my face
I think about the things
I'd like to try and do today
But somewhere in the middle lose my place

Thick fog hazy brown
The two-ton weights that pull me down
They don't exist if no one else can see
Everybody knows about
The failings of the down and out
And everybody knows about me

I had a good job had some good friends
Had a life I could look forward to
When I woke up each day
And then the fog rolled in
Consumed them one by one
'til there was nothing left for it to take away

Sometimes I count it as a victory
When I manage
Just to drag my aching body out of bed
The doctors, mystified
Could not produce an answer
So they told me it was all in my head

'cause if I wanted to
I could shake this yuppie flu
Straighten out and set myself free
Anyone can clearly see
We all choose our own destiny
And everybody knows about me

Does it make it easier for you
To think there must be something I could do
Rise like a phoenix from the ashes of this solitary world

So I remain here
Sitting by the window
Watching all the people with their lives to live
I would give anything
To go outside and join them
But today I don't have anything to give

And still they have no doubt
I'm looking for an easy out
And this is what I wanted secretly
Everyone will have their say
They shake their heads
They walk away
And everybody knows about me
Everybody knows about me
Everybody knows about me


To take a listen head to myspace.com/cinderbridge

(If it doesn't start playing immediately, click the "Everybody Knows About Me" link.)

In Susan's own words, "My aim in writing "Everybody Knows About Me" was twofold. First, I wanted people with CFIDS or similar invisible illnesses to feel they weren't alone -- that not everyone believes it's just hypochondria or laziness. Second, I wanted to make nonsufferers understand why it's silly to believe that CFIDS/other invisible illnesses are just hypochondria or laziness."