[Verse 1] Take a number in the lobby, Sit beneath fluorescent lights, Filled these same damn forms before, Still trying to explain what's right. Last Name and last four, Rate the pain from one to ten, Waited months to get this far— Now I've gotta start again. I know you've got a schedule. I know I'm not the only one. But it took everything I had To admit that something's wrong. So before you write the answer, Before you send me on my way, Understand how hard it was JUST TO WALK IN HERE TODAY. [Chorus] WE'RE MORE THAN A NUMBER! More than a name upon a screen! More than another fucking checkbox Marked completed, marked as seen. Don't tell us that you honor us Then make us fight to get our care. We don't need another slogan— WE NEED SOMEBODY THERE. We're not asking you for perfect. We're just asking you to understand: TREAT THE VETERAN LIKE A PERSON, NOT A NUMBER IN YOUR HAND. [Verse 2] We were taught to carry weight, Keep your problems to yourself. Someone asks you how you're doing— “Good to go.” Don't ask for help. You learn to laugh when shit gets heavy, Learn to bury what you feel. Learn that somebody beside you Might be hurting just as real. So when a veteran says, “Doc, I don't think I'm doing well,” You might hear a simple sentence— YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT TOOK TO TELL. It was hard enough to say it. Harder still to walk through here. DON'T MAKE SOMEONE PROVE THEY'RE HURTING WHEN THEY FINALLY MAKE IT CLEAR. [Chorus] WE'RE MORE THAN A NUMBER! More than a name upon a screen! More than another fucking checkbox Marked completed, marked as seen. Don't tell us that you honor us Then make us fight to get our care. We don't need another slogan— WE NEED SOMEBODY THERE. We're not asking you for perfect. We're just asking you to understand: TREAT THE VETERAN LIKE A PERSON, NOT A NUMBER IN YOUR HAND. [Verse 3] Maybe medication helps me. Maybe that's exactly right. Maybe something helps me function. Maybe something helps me sleep at night. But don't reach for the prescription Before you've heard what brought me through. Treat the pain, but ask the question: “WHAT THE HELL IS HURTING YOU?” And when the next appointment Is another three months gone, Don't assume that I'll keep calling. Some of us just carry on. Some will figure no one's listening. Some won't ask a second time. WHEN ASKING ONCE TOOK EVERYTHING, DON'T SEND US TO THE BACK OF THE LINE. [Verse 4] Seventeen and a half a day. Think about what that means. More than six thousand veterans Lost to suicide in twenty-three. Not every death is on the V-A. That wouldn't fucking be the truth. But every number ought to make us ask: WHAT MORE CAN WE FUCKING DO? Because somewhere there's a veteran Saying, “I'm alright,” again, Who rehearsed the words, “I need some help,” But couldn't fucking say them. So when one finally finds the courage, Don't make help another fight. YOU MAY ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO HEAR “I'M NOT FUCKING ALRIGHT.” [Final Chorus] WE'RE MORE THAN A NUMBER! There's a person in that chair! There's a life beyond the paperwork, There's a reason that we're there! Treat the wound and treat the person. Ask the questions. Follow through. If we finally say, “I need help”— PLEASE HEAR WHAT THAT TOOK TO DO. And to every doctor, nurse and counselor Still doing everything you can, We know good people fight beside us In an overwhelmed system. We're not asking you for perfect. We're asking something overdue: LISTEN WHEN WE FINALLY SPEAK. TREAT US LIKE PEOPLE. FOLLOW THROUGH. We're more than numbers. AND SOMETIMES ASKING YOU FOR HELP IS THE HARDEST FUCKING THING WE DO.
