Maybe You Laughed (original) (raw)

[this is a public post]

Maybe you know someone who is not as smart as you, And maybe you laughed - maybe you laughed. Maybe you know someone who can't do the things you do, And maybe you laughed - maybe you laughed.

Well, remember, that someone came from Heaven too, And they are a child of God, the same as you!

Next time you meet someone who's less fortunate than you, Maybe you won't laugh, and maybe they won't cry; Maybe if you're kind, they'll maybe wonder why. They'll maybe feel like laughing too!

Some people can't see at all, and some people can't walk. Some people can't hear, and some can't talk. Some people are different-looking, Some people are strange. Some people hurt all the time, because of things they can't change...

Maybe you know someone who is always left behind, And maybe you laughed - maybe you laughed. Maybe you've seen tears that fall when others are unkind, And maybe you laughed - maybe you laughed.

Well, remember, that someone is loved by somebody too, And they are a child of God, the same as you!

Next time you meet someone who is struggling to get through, Maybe you won't laugh, and maybe they won't cry; Maybe if you're kind, they'll maybe wonder why. They'll maybe feel like laughing too!

-- Janeen Brady, "Maybe You Laughed"

I don't have the album this song is on, and to be honest I'm not sure I'd want to; it's a children's CD and some of the songs sound... not so good. But when I heard this one, I fell in love with it, hee. So true, too.

I've uploaded a version here (note: This is a better version than the one that was linked before :D) - thanks to exor674 for the original file, which came from an audio tape :O So that's why this one isn't really the best-ever quality... but I think it's worth it.

I'm personally of the belief that people can still learn from this song - even at our age. I'm not thinking of anybody in particular - just that the world is still like this. :(

Too often people nowadays don't know how hurtful they can be to those around them who suffer like this, even if it's not intentional. And when it is intentional... well, that's just sad.

For example, a number of very good friends of mine have fibromyalgia or ME (Chronic fatigue syndrome), both "invisible diseases" which nevertheless fundamentally affect their lives. They're "invisible" because if you were to look at them, you wouldn't obviously know that they had a problem. They don't go around with walking sticks or anything, since they don't need them - that's not their problem.

However, because of this, a lot of people don't understand how they can possibly have a problem, since they look fine on the outside. This leads to problems when, for example, they park in disabled parking spaces. Too many people have the idea that parking in a disabled parking space without some sort of visible problem isn't allowed - and worse, they sometimes "make sure" that the person knows that. While they have the best of intentions (that is, trying to keep the spaces free for people who in their opinion *are* disabled), they just don't realise that these people have just as much right to park in these spaces as those in wheelchairs do, and it just causes a lot of grief for the person affected.

Similarly, people try to be encouraging, but end up unintentionally being irritating. An example would be when the person with the disease says to someone else that they just don't have the energy to do something, and the other person is all, "Meh, you look fine to me. You can do it!" The trouble is, they can't, despite appearances, and trying to be encouraging like that is not going to change things, and probably ends up being very irritating, as yet *another* person doesn't understand them.

I could go on about invisible diseases, and similar things that aren't even diseases (like Asperger Syndrome) yet nevertheless cause similar problems for people, but unless people want to hear it, I won't; this is already looking to be a long post and I don't want to make it much longer. If people want me to talk about it though, do let me know.

Of course, those with invisible diseases aren't the only ones affected by this sort of thing. Visible physical deformities, blindness, deafness, and so on are all things that unfortunately invite (and actually can invite even *more*) ridicule and misunderstanding - and that's just not right for anybody.

Now, i'm not intending to put words in the mouths of my friends who have problems like these, especially as I don't have anything quite like them myself - so I'd like to ask people reading this to speak up in the comments about your own experiences, about whether I've got things right here, etc. There's no pressure - if you can't, or don't want to, it's fine. I like to make sure I have the right idea about things like these, however.

If you're interested in knowing more, there are a number of great sites to look at. For invisible diseases, a good resource is http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/ ; check out the Spoon Theory while you're there. (Unfortunately, it seems to now only be available in PDF format, it used to be available in HTML too. I sent an email about it; I think there should be a choice, since although PDFs *can* be more accessible than HTML for some people if the PDF is done correctly, they're inaccessible to others, especially as it's a proprietary format.)

For general disability advocacy, the Society: Issues: Disabilities category at the Open Directory Project has a lot of good sites.

I'm a strong advocate for people who are misunderstood in this way. Can you tell?

(on another note, I'm not sure about the "Heaven" in "Well, remember, that someone came from Heaven too"; it doesn't seem to have an H at the beginning, making it sound more like "Well, remember, that someone came from Devon too", but somehow I don't think that's quite right. ;p Anyone know for sure?)

[edited 2009-12-22: The link to the album was out-of-date.]

Ah, right - my mistake on that one. I did wonder actually whether a walking stick might be used or not, but I have other friends who, IIRC, don't use one, and I figured that the car parking scenario I described wouldn't happen if the person *did* have a visible problem. I evidently didn't think it through enough, heh.

Thanks for the comments. :D

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User: fuzzie Date: 2007-04-17 12:35 (UTC) Subject: (no subject)

I think PDF is actually an open standard thingy. Certainly PDF 1.7 (the latest one) is making its way to ISO standards-ness at the moment.

*flails about the rest of the post* - it can be frustrating when people are completely unsympathetic to friends whose disabilities aren't visible, but my experience is that *most* people are wonderful about it anyway, and other people are just grumpy and/or mean, and those types generally aren't really any nicer when people have their walking sticks or other walking helping tools out anyway.

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That which we cannot see can harm us and those around us. Just because we do not see it, does not mean it does not exist.

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I can't write what I feel right now because it hurts too much. You probably don't know my story, or the story of my best friend......... but this post made me cry because it proved that there are people out there who care and understand. The world would be such a better place if there were more people like you. I love you.

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I love you too, Jessi. Really. *hugs* I still haven't heard from you for some time, Jessi, so I'm replying in the hopes that you'll see this somehow.

I do miss you, and I wish I could talk to you. Maybe we could talk over IM? Because as I've explained before, no matter what you think, I don't hate you. Anything but.

Please, if you see this, get in touch somehow. My contact details are on my profile.

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I had this album when I was about 10, and this was my favourite song. I have since lost the "Cassette tape" (how ancient sounding!!) and googled the title in hopes of finding out who sung it. Thanks so much for posting this song. It brings back such sweet, innocent memories.

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I'm glad you found this! I also notice looking back at this post that the link to the album has changed - it's now http://www.britemusic.com/show-a-little-love-cd . (The album is called "Show A Little Love" - but having owned it yourself, I'm sure you know that!)

There are samples of all the songs on the album on that page, and you can still order the album on CD from that page, too, if you're looking for a way to relive those memories. I'll update the link.

Thanks for the comment, and I'm glad I could help! :D

Edited at 2009-12-22 21:31 (UTC)

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I will definitely be buying this album for my 6 year old daughter. She is going to love it. In the mean time, do you know the name of the girl who sings Maybe you Laughed? She has such a gorgeous voice.

Again, thanks for this post, I am giddy with excitement to receive the album in the mail!!

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I'm not sure about that, sorry. I know Janeen Brady made the song, but I don't know who sung it. (Maybe she did herself? I have no idea. :D)

Since the business behind it still appears to be running, your best bet would be to ask them yourself - they'll know who did it. If you find out, could you let me know, too? I'm intrigued. :)

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I too had this *tape* when I was a kid. NOT as the website that sells it says, a preschooler! I loved this tape long into elementary school, and continue to as an adult and teacher. I even recently had a friend transfer the music onto CD for me. And maybe it's just the sappy little girl in me that remembers each of the songs on this CD by heart, but the rest of the songs are definitely worth a listen. I hope your daughter loved them!

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The CD version is apparently out of stock, and they don't seem to have plans to produce more, but there is an MP3 version.

http://www.britemusic.com/show-a-little-love-cd-mp3

My wife had the tape as a child and listened to it a lot. When we got married, I listened to it a lot too, and loved every song.

We had no idea at the time that we would have two of our own special boys who might get laughed at. Fourteen years later, "Maybe You Laughed" means even more to us, because we have experienced first-hand how cruel some people can be if they aren't taught not to laugh.

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I was singing this song to my husband and couldn't remember some of the words. So I was really excited to see that there was a post about this song! My mother had a tape that included it and another song, one of my favorites, was the song about lying. I sing that all the time to kids that I watch.

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I also grew up listening to this album and as an adult I appreciate it on an entirely new level. The messages in the songs influence my daily life, especially "Maybe You Laughed" and "A Small Recorder." I'm 33 years old and have the whole album on my ipod and still listen to it regularly! It's rare that I get through it without crying. :-)

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Yes, the word is Heaven. Janeen Brady is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we believe that we all lived in Heaven with God as his spirit children before we came to Earth to gain physical bodies. I love the message in this song. It’s so applicable to life and learning to be a decent human being.
My mom sold Brite Music (like Tupperware) back in the 80s and my sisters and I all play the songs for our kids now, too. I don’t believe any singer’s names were ever released. They do still operate but purely on a downloadable basis.

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