“Unwell” (2003) Matchbox 20

All day staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something
Hold on
Feeling like I'm headed for a breakdown
And I don't know why

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be...me

I'm talking to myself in public
Dodging glances on the train
And I know
I know they've all been talking about me
I can hear them whisper
And it makes me think there must be something wrong with me
Out of all the hours thinking
Somehow I've lost my mind

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be

I've been talking in my sleep
Pretty soon they'll come to get me
Yeah
They're taking me away

But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be
Yeah, how I used to be
How I used to be
Well, I'm just a little unwell
How I used to be
How I used to be
I'm just a little unwell

Matchbox 20 is a great band, and they have several songs that I enjoy listening to and singing along with; their lyrics are creative and funny and profound – one of my favorite combinations. And the music makes you want to move (always a plus). Unwell is one of favorites.

There are probably thousands of jokes and memes out there making fun of mental illness; this song isn’t one of them. At least not the way I see it. The word “crazy” has such a negative connotation in our society, and for good reason, but having a mental illness isn’t the same thing as being “crazy.”

I really like the line “I’m not crazy, I’m just a little unwell.” When someone asks you how you’re doing, you are supposed to answer “I’m well” not “I’m good” or “I’m fine.” And for this guy, he’d say “I’m a little unwell.” Just not quite feeling right. Have some stuff going on that maybe I need to get some help with. After all, it’s called mental illness for a reason; it’s not contagious, but it’s also not something that’s self-inflicted. It’s not that person’s fault and a lot of times, they really can’t control how it affects their life. So back off, be nice, stop making jokes and being a jerk and take a minute to listen. Maybe what they need to be well is a friend [smile]