Mercy Seat
Johnny Cash
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It all began when they took me from my home And put me on Death Row A crime for which I'm totally innocent, you know I began to warm and chill To objects and their fields A ragged cup, a twisted mop The face of Jesus in my soup Those sinister dinner deals The meal trolley's wicked wheels A hooked bone rising from my food And all things either good or ungood And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this weighing of the truth An eye for an eye And a tooth for a tooth And, anyway, I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die. I hear stories from the chamber Christ was born into a manger And like some ragged stranger He died upon the cross Might I say it seems so fitting in its way He was a carpenter by trade Or at least that's what I'm told My killed hands tattooed E.V.I.L. across it's brother's fist That filthy five! They did nothing to challenge or resist In Heaven His throne is made of gold The ark of His Testament is stowed A throne from which I'm told All history does unfold. It's made of wood and wire And my body is on fire And God is never far away Into the mercy seat I climb My head is shaved, my head is wired And like a moth that tries To enter the bright eye I go shuffling out of life Just to hide in death awhile And, anyway, I never lied And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning To be done with all this weighing of the truth An eye for an eye And a tooth for a tooth And, anyway, I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die. And the mercy seat is burning And I think my head is glowing And in a way I'm hoping To be done with all this twistin' of the truth An eye for an eye And a tooth for a tooth And, anyway, there was no proof And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is glowing And I think my head is smokin' And in a way I'm hoping To be done with all these looks of disbelief. A life for a life And a truth for a truth And I've got nothing left to lose And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is smokin' And I think my head is melting And in a way that's helping To be done with all this twistin' of the truth An eye for an eye And a truth for a truth And, anyway, I told the truth But I'm afraid I told a lie.
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Written by: Nicholas Edward Cave, Mick Harvey
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
14 facts about this song
Artists"The Mercy Seat" was initially written and performed by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
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Cover PerformanceLegendary country singer Johnny Cash later covered the song for his 2000 album "American III: Solitary Man", which was met with widespread acclaim.
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Literary ReferenceThe song's title, "The Mercy Seat", is a biblical reference to the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolizes God's divine presence.
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Song ThemeBoth versions of "The Mercy Seat" depict a protagonist facing execution and maintaining his innocence until the end.
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Song Structure"The Mercy Seat" is known for its repetitive, chant-like structure, which enhances the song's intense and ominous atmosphere.
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Critical Acclaim for CaveRolling Stone listed Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat" as one of the 100 greatest songs of the 80s.
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Critical Acclaim for CashJohnny Cash's cover of the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 2001.
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InterpretationNick Cave has described the song as “a sort of God continuum, the ultimate divine decision”.
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Live PerformancesDespite its dark storyline, "The Mercy Seat" has become a staple song during Cave's live performances.
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Music VideoThe music video for Nick Cave's version was directed by Nigel Rolfe and features Cave sitting on an electric chair.
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Use in MediaJohnny Cash's cover of "The Mercy Seat" has been featured in a handful of TV series, such as "Daredevil" and "Person of Interest".
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PopularityCash's cover of the song has garnered over 11 million listens on Spotify as of September 2021.
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Album PerformanceCash's album "American III: Solitary Man", which includes his cover of "The Mercy Seat", peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200.
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LegacyNick Cave has expressed that he believes Johnny Cash's version of "The Mercy Seat" to be "unimprovable upon."
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"Mercy Seat Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6708294/Johnny+Cash/Mercy+Seat>.
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