All songs and videos on this site © Jonathan Ochshorn
To mark the seventh anniversary of my prostatectomy in August of 2018, I wrote this song as part of a multi-song cycle (see also PSA Blues).
A Slow-Growing Cancer
Words and music © 2025 Jonathan Ochshorn
1. What the prostate is releasing
Is a protein called the PSA
And your numbers are increasing
Year by year I hear my doctor say
Maybe it's not concerning
Some say it's best to watch and wait
There's lots that we're still learning
And the options are hard to navigate
Chorus 1: A slow-growing cancer wouldn't cause alarm
If in the long run it didn't do no harm
But it could metastasize — there's always a chance
No one knows the outcome in advance
2. Now a biopsy is needed
I lie down they draw the curtain
But when the lab tests are completed
The next steps are still uncertain
Yes there's cancer in the tissue
I can read it in the Gleason overview
But it's still an open issue
Those numbers don't tell me what to do
Chorus 2: A slow-growing cancer wouldn't cause alarm
If in the long run it didn't do no harm
But it could metastasize — there's always a chance
No one knows the outcome in advance
[Instrumental verse]
Chorus 3: A slow-growing cancer wouldn't cause alarm
If in the long run it didn't do no harm
But it could metastasize — like a devil's dance
No one knows the outcome in advance
3. Well I'm driving to the city
My mind's made up the die is cast
There is no room for pity
I look ahead — not to the past
They make a small incision
A camera's placed down in the hole
So they can watch on television
As robotic arms take control
Chorus 4 (extended): My slow-growing cancer wouldn't cause alarm
If in the long run it didn't do me harm
But it could metastasize — without an outward sign
They can figure out the odds for the human race
But they really can't predict in any single case
What the point spread is or even how to read the line
I never was a betting man
But right now the choice is mine
Production notes:
Music arranged and produced by Jonathan Ochshorn
Recorded with Logic Pro X software
Vocals: Jonathan Ochshorn
Background vocals: Jonathan Ochshorn
Software instruments played live on midi keyboard: Jonathan Ochshorn (piano, drums, bass)
Recorded at home in Ithaca, NY, August 2025.
The song was recorded using Logic Pro X. I made the video using Final Cut Pro.
First posted 22 August 2025. Last updated: 22 August 2025