[Intro — spoken]

Raymond's wife had been sleeping in the spare room for two years...

She said it sounded like a chainsaw...

Raymond thought she was exaggerating...

His doctor did not...

[Verse 1]

Raymond drove his truck across the country every week,

Fifty-two years old — the road was all he'd seek,

But something changed — the morning coffees multiplied,

Falling asleep at red lights — nearly nearly died.

Wife said Raymond every night you stop and start,

Gasping — choking — every few minutes — off the chart,

Woke up every morning like he hadn't slept at all,

Headache — foggy — tired — no matter what the call.

[Pre-Chorus]

Raymond carried sixty extra pounds around his neck,

Collar size was eighteen — doctor did a check,

Blood pressure always high — no matter what they tried,

Three medications — still — pressure wouldn't hide.

[Chorus]

Raymond stops breathing — dozens of times a night,

Airway collapses inward — cutting off the light,

Oxygen drops low — brain sends the alarm,

Raymond wakes just long enough — never feeling warm.

[Verse 2]

Sleep study done at home — device upon his chest,

Counted all the pauses — sixty per hour — not the best,

Oxygen dropping into the eighties — brain alarmed,

Heart rate spiking every time — body getting harmed.

Doctor said the blood pressure wouldn't budge because,

Every time the airway closed — stress hormones because,

Years of oxygen drops — vessels under strain,

Sleep apnea driving all the pressure — all the pain.

[Bridge]

Mask prescribed — a gentle flow of pressure all night long,

Keeps the airway open — keeps the breathing strong,

First few nights were awkward — Raymond nearly quit,

Third week in — eight hours solid — finally fit.

Blood pressure dropping — finally — medication less,

Daytime energy returning — clearing all the stress,

Doctor said the trucking — needs a clearance check,

Sleep apnea and driving — safety on the deck.

[Outro]

Raymond drives again — cleared — machine beside his bunk,

Pressure keeping airways open — clearing all the junk,

Wife is back in bed beside him — finally quiet nights,

Raymond's breathing easy now — finally got it right.

“Raymond’s Story”