Malvina Reynolds
Lyric guide

Sick People in Chicago

Read Sick People in Chicago lyrics by Malvina Reynolds on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Malvina Reynolds Canonical path: /malvina-reynolds/sick-people-in-chicago Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Sick People in Chicago

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In the city of Chicago,

Little black girl wasn't well,

Her body was afflicted

With the sickle cell.

If a person gets excited,

The sickle cell will kill,

And the people in the neighborhood,

They mocked the new little girl.

Chorus:

"Go back where you belong!"

They shouted, "Black girl, die!"

It wasn't the kids in school,

It was the people outside, shameless,

To drive this blameless child to her death,

And as she was dying she was crying

With her last breath,

"Go back where you belong."

Mellaine Turner,

Only seven years old,

Her friends and family loved her

And she was good as gold,

But because she was a black girl,

White folks all around,

They mocked her in her sickness,

"Go back where you belong."

(Chorus)

Twas the winter of '77

This child got sick and died,

But the sickest ones of all

Were the hooting gang outside.

The hooting gang, the blind,

Who would not understand

That Chicago is supposed to be

The heart of freedom's land.

(Chorus)

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Who performs "Sick People in Chicago"?

Malvina Reynolds performs "Sick People in Chicago", and this lyric page sits inside the Malvina Reynolds catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Sick People in Chicago"?

Yes. The related section below points to I've Got a Song and A Short History of Warfare with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Malvina Reynolds?

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