No Mercy (Justice for Charlie)

[Verse 1]
Oh Mercy, oh how these last 6 months have gone
I think about ‘em dust to dawn
I’m wishing I was like you when I could just move on
But to me, he wasn’t just a number on a little chart
A medical blunder that we can pick apart
Gee, golly, a bummer, I think we missed the mark
No Mercy, the funny thing is you hit my heart
Looking back, you never mentioned any challenges
Said he had a small leak in his valve to fix
Everything’s routine, it’s routine
Only thing routine was your callousness
Rewind two weeks beforehand
Bad back-pain, put him in your hands
They x-rayed specifically for a leak
Everything’s good, convinced it was how he sleeps
Now we fast forward post-procedure
What’s the verdict? Let us know, we’re eager
Wait I’m confused, there wasn’t no leak then?
So ya’ll cut him open for no reason?
But I thought Mercy hospital won awards
Put him under the knife and you wasn’t sure
Cold sweats and fever less than 24
Got me rushing my father through them double-doors
Now you pumping him with antibiotics
Tell him to eat, but he can’t ‘cause he’s nauseous
Role reversal, stopping him from crying out
I’m spoon-feeding my pops, he’s in a diaper now
9th floor infection scare
9 days of poking and prodding, tryna get somewhere
Negative cultures, the infection’s there
Now it’s pancreatitis and intensive care

[Chorus: Tarra Layne]
What do you gotta say now
It’s hard to say that you are telling me the truth
What am I gonna do now
These hands were bound in chains
As I watch him fade away, a-way, a-way, a-
Watch the clock tick, tock-tick, tock
My world stops
Hello can you hear my now
Better do what you gotta do
You gotta good one coming through

[Verse 2]
Check with the nurse who’s on the dayshift
He’s good on his BP and basics
They’re giving him blood, giving him platelets
They’re giving him fentanyl when the pain hits
Whole day mannequin stiff
A wet sponge dampens his lips
They’re giving him fluids to help the pancreas
And ya’ll keep telling me about his crankiness
He gotta get nutrients intravenously
Morale low, he’s speaking less frequently
Small breathing tube for all his breathing needs
Feel like the docs have sworn in secrecy
‘Cause now the fluids just went drain right
Tube stuck in his side act like a drain pipe
Another episode on the late night
You know what giving him permission to intubate’s like?
Now we’re checking on what his liver’s doing
They got us following bilirubin
His kidney started to fail first
Compartmentalization failure
Ain’t a patch of skin there ain’t a bruise at
Cut him open for a wound VAC
Call for a conference to plan
‘Cause now he don’t respond to commands
His yellow eyes keep wondering
Head nod, hand shaking, and jaundice skin
Positive cultures and we discuss his fate
Give the order, do not resuscitate
5 weeks, same plan, I connect the dots
C. diff in his blood, heading for septic shock
Give him comfort measures and sees his levels drop
Kiss him on his forehead and pay respect to pops

[Chorus: Tarra Layne]
What do you gotta say now
It’s hard to say that you are telling me the truth
What am I gonna do now
These hands were bound in chains
As I watch him fade away, a-way, a-way, a-
Watch the clock tick, tock-tick, tock
My world stops
Hello can you hear my now
Better do what you gotta do
You gotta good one coming through

[Verse 3]
Picking songs at the funeral home
I had to do it alone
Everyday I blew up his phone
I cried tears going through what he owns
VA placed the flag in my palms
Now he shares a plaque with my mom
For the pain and the grieving
For a date for bereavement
Halloween, me and Trevor were bummed
Thanksgiving was especially numbed
You can imagine how December was fun
Christmas, plus he should have turned 71
No Mercy, 2 years to file malpractice
These lawyers were tucking their tail tactics
They looking for gross negligence
Medical records show evidence
What a comorbidity
Take the case, no more sympathy
Flashback like postwar imagery
Every opening turns to closed door instantly
Drunk, having outburst, son sees his counselor
Still no luck with legal firms
Me and my brothers ain’t on speaking terms
Working on getting money, I wanted to buy you everything
Mercy, you took it from me
I wanted to get a trip for you just ‘cause I thought you needed
I wanted to see you smile in the face of cancer and beat it
I wanted to see you happy and now I will never get to
I wanted to see you smile after everything that you live through
The fact that you passed by and now was Mercy the issue
That’s why it’s no mercy, Mercy and I can never forgive you

[Chorus: Tarra Layne]
What do you gotta say now
It’s hard to say that you are telling me the truth
What am I gonna do now
These hands were bound in chains
As I watch him fade away, a-way, a-way, a-
Watch the clock tick, tock-tick, tock
My world stops
Hello can you hear my now
Better do what you gotta do
You gotta good one coming through