Johnny's Down!

Johnny's Down Boss! Johnny's Down!

something's happened, and he's on the ground.

Check the time 1604, he's down, not moving,

just a nose bleed nothing more.

Fish eyes stare back at me, feel for a pulse,

do the A-B-C.

Start compressions, start the blow,

count the hammers, long way to go.

Count a thousand, and a thousand more,

nothings working, he's cold on the floor.

Check the airway, check the pulse,

keep the rhythm, don't fret for the loss.

One thousand one, one thousand two,

keep the blow, lips turning blue.

Come back Johnny, don't leave now,

come back Johnny, too young somehow.

Tiring now, Change! Next! Time! On! Three!

check the time, 1613.

Keep the rhythm, keep the blow,

count the hammers, long way to go.

Johnny's down Boss, say a prayer,

no pulse, no breathing, a fish eyed stare.

Count a thousand, and a thousand more,

check the time, 1624.

Exhausted now, a loosing game,

keep the rhythm, but it's not the same.

Eyes unfocused stare back at me,

keep the rhythm and change on three.

Hammer down now, keep the flow,

exhausted arms, but no-one slows.

Change the call to the nursery rhyme,

keep the rhythm and keep the time.

Mary! Had! A! Little! Lamb! Little! Lamb!

come back Johnny, too young to die.

Keep the hammer, keep the blow,

1630, long way to go.

Young men crying, young men pray,

a brother dying on a hot summers day.

Sweat and tears in everyone's face,

keep the rhythm, count the pace.

Mary had a little lamb, is ringing in my ears,

we work on exhausted, and eyes rimmed with tears.

Count the hammers, check the time,

1642, change next time on three.

One more cycle, the medics arrive,

wire his chest, pray he's still alive.

"Life Extinguished!" the medic yells, "He's flat lined,

you've done your best, it's our turn now."

1648 they pull us away, and we lie there exhausted,

there's just nothing to say.

Johnny's gone Boss! gone away,

fish eyes stare back, yes son, he died today.

©Mike Subritzky

June 2001

(To Johnny L - we tried mate)