Sing Us a Song, We Need a Kidney Man

(to the tune of “Piano Man”)

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sitting next to me
Dialysis is gonna begin

He says, “Son, can you explain something to me?

I’m not really sure why it is

I’m trying to stay strong

But these nights are so long

As I wait for a kidney to live

Sing us a song, we need a kidney man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feeling alright

Now John at the clinic’s a friend of mine
He gives me a smile for free
And he’s quick with a joke
Trying hard to give hope
But there’s some place that he’d rather be

He says, “Man, I believe this is killing me,”
As the smile ran away from his face
“Well I’m sure we could end this kidney shortage
And we could get out of this place”

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a full life
And he’s talking with Davy
Who’s still in the Navy
With new kidneys, they’ll get back to life

And the donors are practicing politics
As the End Kidney Deaths Act gets passed
They’re leaving a world called “Dialysis”
Where too many die much too fast

Sing us a song, we need a kidney man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feeling all right

It’s a pretty good crowd at the clinic
And the nurses give me a smile
’Cause they know brighter days are coming
Cause waitlists will end in a while.

And the friends and the families celebrate
As the End Kidney Deaths Act has passed
And they laugh and they cry
As more people survive
And say, “Man, we’re LIVING at last”

Sing us a song, we’re getting kidneys, man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feeling alright