Synthetic Medic · Song lyrics

Vital Signs

Genre: Metal
Released: April 7, 2026
Length: 4:52

The words

Lyrics

Intro

Static Unit 12, respond priority one Of course they need me

Verse 1

Sirens sing like lullabies Cutting through another lie “Worst day of their life,” they say It’s just another Tuesday Gloves on, mask up, dead inside Fake a pulse, but I’m alive They scream, they cry, they bleed, they beg I just nod and check the meds You swear this pain’s the end of you I’ve heard that line a time or two You’ll walk away, forget my name I’ll carry yours like it’s a stain

Pre-Chorus

I joke that I hate every face I see But silence hits harder when no one needs me

Chorus

I hate the sound of your heartbeat But I chase it in the night You’re everything I can’t stand But everything that keeps me alive Say you need me, say my name Tell me I’m the reason you stayed I hate the world that I’m saving But I’m nothing if I walk away

Verse 2

Coffee shakes and hollow eyes Laugh it off or you’ll capsize Dark humor like armor plates Cover up the cracks and breaks “Frequent flyer,” roll my eyes Still show up every time Complain the whole damn ride But never leave your side You’ll never see the cost it takes Every soul I couldn’t save Every breath I couldn’t bring Still echoes when I try to sleep

Pre-Chorus

I say I don’t care if you live or die But I memorize every goodbye

Chorus 2

Breakdown

GO AHEAD—CALL ME HEARTLESS I’M JUST NUMB, NOT GODLESS EVERY JOKE IS A WARNING SIGN EVERY LAUGH IS A FLATLINE YOU NEED ME—SAY IT AGAIN TELL ME I’M MORE THAN THIS SKIN IF I’M NOT SAVING YOU TONIGHT THEN WHAT THE HELL IS SAVING ME?

Bridge

When the sirens fade to silence And the night comes crashing in It’s not the screams that haunt me It’s the emptiness within I don’t do this ‘cause I love you I don’t do this ‘cause I care I do this ‘cause without it There’s nothing left in here

Chorus 3

I hate the sound of your heartbeat But I need it just the same You’re everything I run from But everything that kills the pain Say you need me, say my name Tell me I’m the reason you stayed I hate the world that I’m saving But it’s the only thing that keeps me awake

Outro

Unit 12… are you available …yeah… I’m here

About this song

“Vital Signs” is one of the most serious songs I've written as Synthetic Medic.

When you spend enough time in EMS, burnout can change the way you see people.

You can leave one call after witnessing the worst moment of a family's life...

and immediately be dispatched to something that frustrates you for completely different reasons.

Eventually, those extremes start piling up.

You get tired.

You get cynical.

You make dark jokes.

Sometimes you catch yourself feeling angry at the very people you're supposed to be helping.

And eventually you start asking yourself a pretty uncomfortable question:

If I feel this burned out, why do I keep coming back?

For me, the answer is complicated.

EMS is what I know.

It's what I've spent years learning how to do.

And somewhere along the way, being a paramedic became more than my job.

It became part of how I understand my purpose.

That's something I think can happen easily in this profession.

So much of our identity and our sense of worth can become tied to being useful when somebody else is having the worst day of their life.

I don't want to keep reviving the same overdose.

I don't want to tell another family that someone they love is gone.

There are days when I don't want to hear another set of tones at all.

But then the radio asks if I'm available.

And somehow the answer is still:

“Yeah... I'm here.”

That's what “Vital Signs” is about.

The strange contradiction of being exhausted by something that also gives you purpose.

Of resenting how much the job takes from you while still needing to feel like you have something left to give.

Sometimes the heartbeat you're trying to find isn't only the patient's.

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