[Verse 1: bright pop belter female, low and steady over the war drums] Two-fourteen in the mornin', console six, the coffee cold Then a boy's voice on the line, he can't be fifteen years old "There's a man down at the bus stop on the corner, Fulton and Grand And he isn't breathin', ma'am, and I don't know where to put my hands" So I say, "Honey, what's your name?" He says, "It's Marcus," and he cries And I say, "Marcus, here's the thing, we're gonna keep this man alive" [Pre-Chorus: the low strings climbing] Kneel down by his shoulder, put your hands right on his chest Lock your elbows, lean your weight, I'll count, you do the rest [Chorus: bright pop belter female, the whole band and the war drums] Stay on the line, stay on the line, I'm right here Two hands on his chest and push, and count it loud and clear I can't hold him, I can't reach him, I'm a voice and nothin' more Stay on the line, 'cause the line is what a voice is for [Verse 2: bright pop belter female, the drums pounding] "One, two, three, four," he's countin', and I'm countin' in his ear And the ambulance is seven minutes out, and seven is a year "Ma'am, my arms are burnin'," "Marcus, keep it up, you're doin' good" "Ma'am, I think he's gone," "No, Marcus, you are doin' what you should" Then the sirens on the line, the medics' boots, somebody takes the phone And the line clicks off, and that's the part I never get to know [Chorus: the whole band and the war drums] Stay on the line, stay on the line, I'm right here Two hands on his chest and push, and count it loud and clear I can't hold him, I can't reach him, I'm a voice and nothin' more Stay on the line, 'cause the line is what a voice is for [Bridge: building, the last line belted full out over the war drums] I never get the endings, I only get the start A stranger's voice, a stranger's hands, a stranger's beatin' heart And still I'm here, I'm still here, every night at two I'm still on the line, I'm still on the line for you [Verse 3: bright pop belter female, the band pulled back, then building] Six years later there's a trainee sittin' down at console five Brand-new headset, shaky hands, that first-night look in both his eyes And he says, "Ma'am, you won't know me, but you counted me before At the bus stop down on Fulton, with a man there on the floor And he lived, ma'am, Mr. Reid, I see him Sundays at the store And I'm here because you stayed," and then the board lights up once more He takes the call, he lifts the mic, and I can hear him say it low "Stay on the line," the way I said it to him six years ago [Chorus: everything in, full voice] Stay on the line, stay on the line, I'm right here Two hands on his chest and push, and count it loud and clear I can't hold him, I can't reach him, I'm a voice and nothin' more Stay on the line, 'cause the line is what a voice is for [End]
