Lyrics
Verse 1
Back in twenty-twenty We were young and full of pride Rolling eyes at all the nurses Who decided they were tired Said they'd had enough of healthcare Said the job had changed too much We called them weak and overdramatic Said we're gonna stay and suck it up
Pre-Chorus
They turned in badges Cleaned out lockers Walked away without a fight Funny how a couple years Can change your mind
Chorus 1
Not again Not the headlines Not the emergency alerts at dawn Not again Not the emails Not all these meetings dragging on Not the "healthcare heroes" banners Not the pizza in the break room light I spent years calling them quitters Now I'm thinking they were right
Verse 2
First they said don't wear your mask You'll make the patients nervous Three hours later every hallway Had a mask mandate, posted on it We reused things marked disposable For weeks beyond their life Looking back it's kinda crazy That we thought that sounded right
Pre-Chorus
Every update contradicted The update from the day before And somehow every question Just created twenty more
Chorus 2
Not again Not the headlines Not the conference calls at six A.M. Not again Not the promises That we'll all get through it in the end Not the signs that say "we're family" While we're covering three jobs at night I spent years calling them quitters Now I'm thinking they were right
Bridge
And then dietary left the trays outside And then PT stopped coming by And then maintenance wouldn't cross the line And then transport disappeared overnight And then doctors started rounding by telephone And every room became a nursing problem on its own And then my N95 became my longest relationship And then leadership said "We appreciate your dedication" And then they bought the cheapest masks they could find And then the straps broke before the end of the night And then they called us heroes And then they called us family And then they called another mandatory meeting And then... And then... And then…
Tag
Oh. They weren't quitting. They were escaping.
Chorus 3
Not again Not the rumors Not the stockpiles on the evening news Not again Not the flashbacks Not the feeling that we've seen this movie through We called them weak We called them lazy We said they couldn't handle life Now if another pandemic's coming Y'all can have my badge tonight
Outro
Back in twenty-twenty We said we'd never leave Funny how experience Can change what you believe Not again... Not again…