Let us enjoy some outsider and alternative music. The singer, musician and artist Daniel Dale Johnston (1961–2019) started his career by recording cassettes alone in his home. In the early 1990s, he became famous when Kurt Cobain (of the band Nirvana) was frequently seen wearing a T-shirt with the cover art for Johnston’s 1983 cassette album Hi, How Are You, with the now iconic “Jeremiah the Innocent” frog.

Johnston suffered from bipolar disorder, and he spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions. By 1991, he was institutionalised at the Austin State Hospital, the oldest psychiatric facility in the state of Texas. Around that time, Johnston’s manager was contacted about signing him to Elektra Records. Once he was released from Austin State, he became paranoid about Elektra because the band Metallica was on the label’s roster and he was convinced that they were Satanic and would “beat and kill him.” So in February 1994, Johnston was signed to Atlantic, and in September of that year he released the album Fun, his only one on the Atlantic label.

The 17th of its 18 tracks, “My Little Girl” is a bizarre love song addressed to a girl named Margaret; although she is called a “baby” and a “little girl,” it is impossible to guess her age from the song.

Here is a video from Daniel Johnston’s official YouTube channel:

Here are the lyrics from Genius:

My Little Girl
words & music by Daniel Johnston

She looked so fine
And that brought pleasures to my heart
She was the cutest baby that I’ve ever seen
I must be mad like a fashion magazine
Thinking, “Why, why do you love me?
And why, why aren’t you there
Why oh why do you even think
That you don’t care?”

Whooo, yeah, Margaret, stop this crazy machine
Doctor, doctor, doctor
Retina, help, help
I used to think about her
I’d see her
I’d see her at the store
Would go down to see her
Bought her an eraser
She walked
She walked into the room
Said she wanted to pose nude
Wouldn’t let her
In the store, the story booths
Walked around
Kissed her walkin’ around there
Yeah, gave her a truck

I love you so much, I love you so much my little girl
I love you so much, I love you so much my little girl
My little girl, oh I love you so much my little girl, yeah
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
No doubt about it, I love you, o yeah

All through the day you’re always on my mind
And I think we’ll be together
From all, for all, all time