No More Masking

I needed to release a bit of pent up frustration over having led a largely (raggedly) masked life, and wanted to write a song supporting an approach without a mask. It’s an important message for kids; however, the first version of the lyrics was so broadly disinhibited that it ended up being too adult for a kids’ album, plus I was told that other people “in the Tourette’s crowd” might interpret it as an out-group insult instead of an in-group anthem. (If you read the editorial on disinhibition and prosbelmania, you’ll have some notion about why I am hesitant to release it.)

I decided to try out Udio with this song, which  was still in beta at the time (2024-05-19). Unlike Suno, it had inpainting (albeit it wasn’t working great yet), and you could add material to either end of the song. Udio gives you much shorter clips; however, the audio quality was better at the time. Udio did not click with the types of styles that I was trying to set up, and the one that I had used with the earlier Suno version (below) ended up being whittled down to little more than “alternative confrontational rock.” But I like that the Udio version is faithful to the lyrics, so I am using that one on the album.

Lyrics

O, I’m Autistic (So what?)

I see envy in your eyes (Jealous of this!)

Don’t I look Autistic enough

For goodness’ sake (How `bout now?)

Your rules just didn’t take (Conform to this!)

No more masking

No more masking (Mask, my royal ass!)

I am who I am (Are you?)

Autistic is me (So true!)

Ain’t no disease (Not a boo-boo!)

It’s my shiny ID (You’re a choo-choo!)

So I’m Autistic (What about you?)

I say I don’t wanna hide (Are you sick!)

I can’t follow hollow rules

For heaven’s sake (How `bout you?)

That would just be fake (Inauthentic!)

What do we want? 

(Not to be abused!)

When do we want it?

(Sometime this century might be nice!)

No more masking

No more masking (Mask, my noble ass!)

I am who I am (Are you?)

Autistic is me (So true!)

Ain’t no disease (Not a boo-boo!)

It's my shiny ID (You’re a choo-choo!)

You’re a choo-choo!

So true!

Ain’t no disease.

Not a boo-boo!

It’s my shiny ID!

You’re a  choo-choo!

So, I’m Autistic.

What about you?