The Mercy Seat
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
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And put me in Dead Row
Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know
And I'll say it again
I am not afraid to die
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
All things either good or un-good
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 measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
Interpret signs and catalogue
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog
The walls are bad, black, bottom kind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are sick breath gathering at my hind
I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And 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
Like my good hand
Tattooed E-V-I-L all across his 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
Down here 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
My kill-hand is called evil
Wears a wedding band that's good
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood
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 weighing up of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is growing
And I think my head is melting
And in a way I'm helping to be done
With all this twisting of the truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway, I saw no proof
And not a motive why
And the mercy seat is melting
And I think my blood is boiling
And in a way I'm spoiling all the fun
By all this consequence of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
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 measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway there was no proof
And not a motive why
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 measuring of proof
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 waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
A life for a life
And a truth for a truth
And anyway there was no proof
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is smoking
And in a way I'm hoping to be done
With all these looks of disbelief
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
But anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of 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-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of 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-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of 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-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of 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 waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm afraid I told a lie
The Mercy Seat by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is a song about a man who has been put in death row for a crime he did not commit. The lyrics, “It began when they come took me from my home and put me in Dead Row, of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know. And I’ll say it again. I am not afraid to die.” highlights the man's innocence and his refusal to be afraid of death, which shows the listener that he has accepted his fate.
The lyrics are packed with religious symbolism, with references to Jesus' face on a soup bowl, his birth in a manger, and his trade as a carpenter, which tie into the theme of mercy and salvation. The man contemplates the nature of justice, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” but ultimately decides that there is no proof nor motive for his crime, and he turns to the mercy seat.
The mercy seat symbolizes the ultimate power of forgiveness and redemption, and the lyrics take us on a journey of the man's emotional states as he approaches his inevitable death. The constant repetition of the chorus signifies the inevitability of death and the man's gradual acceptance of it. The song's raw emotions and religious symbolism create a powerful commentary on justice and mercy that is open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
It began when they come took me from my home
The beginning of my predicament was when they took me from my home.
And put me in Dead Row
They imprisoned me in Dead Row.
Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know
I am innocent and almost without fault.
And I'll say it again
I will repeat it again.
I am not afraid to die
I don't fear death.
I began to warm and chill
I began to feel warmth and coldness.
To objects and their fields
To objects and their areas.
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
A cup that is old and worn and a mop that has been used a lot.
The face of Jesus in my soup
I saw the face of Jesus in my soup.
Those sinister dinner deals
Those evil dinner deals.
The meal trolley's wicked wheels
The evil trolley wheels that the meals are served on.
A hooked bone rising from my food
I saw a bone with a hook sticking out of my food.
All things either good or un-good
Everything is either good or bad.
And the mercy seat is waiting
The mercy seat is waiting for me.
And I think my head is burning
I feel like my head is burning.
And in a way I'm yearning to be done With all this measuring of proof
I want this measuring of proof to be over soon.
An eye for an eye
An equal punishment for someone's deeds.
A tooth for a tooth
An equal punishment for someone's deeds.
And anyway I told the truth
I have told the truth through everything.
Interpret signs and catalogue
To analyze signals and categorize them.
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog
A tooth that has gone bad and a red mist.
The walls are bad, black, bottom kind
The walls are dark, dirty and low quality.
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the bad and dangerous breath that chases me.
I hear stories from the chamber
I hear tales from the examination room.
How Christ was born into a manger
How Jesus was born in a manger.
And like some ragged stranger
And like a stranger who is poor and dirty.
Died upon the cross
Died on the cross.
And might I say it seems so fitting in its way
I believe that it is fitting in some sense.
He was a carpenter by trade
Jesus was a carpenter by profession.
Or at least that's what I'm told
That's what I have heard.
Like my good hand
Like my good hand that I can rely on.
Tattooed E-V-I-L all across his brother's fist
The word EVIL is tattooed on his brother's fist.
That filthy five
Those dirty five.
They did nothing to challenge or resist
They did nothing to oppose or protest.
In Heaven His throne is made of gold
In Heaven, Jesus' throne is made of gold.
The ark of his Testament is stowed
The ark of Jesus' testimony is safely stored.
A throne from which I'm told
A throne that I have heard of.
All history does unfold
Where all history unfolds.
Down here it's made of wood and wire
On earth, it is made of wood and metal wire.
And my body is on fire
And I am feeling extreme pain.
And God is never far away
And God is always close by me.
Into the mercy seat I climb
I am climbing into the mercy seat.
My head is shaved, my head is wired
My hair is all shaved off and my head is wired.
And like a moth that tries to enter the bright eye
And like a moth that tries to get near the light.
I go shuffling out of life
I am starting to leave this life.
Just to hide in death awhile
To hide in death for a while.
And anyway I never lied
I have never lied.
My kill-hand is called evil
My hand of murder is called evil.
Wears a wedding band that's good
I wear a wedding ring that seems good.
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
It is a shackle that I have to endure a long time.
Collaring all that rebel blood
Controlling all of the blood of the rebel.
And the mercy seat is burning
The mercy seat is burning.
And I think my head is glowing
And I feel like my head is glowing.
And in a way I'm hoping to be done With all this weighing up of truth
I want all this truth weighing to be over.
And anyway I told the truth
Anyway, I have told the truth.
And I'm not afraid to die
I am not afraid of dying.
And the mercy seat is growing
The mercy seat is growing larger.
And I think my head is melting
I feel like my head is melting.
And in a way I'm helping to be done With all this twisting of the truth
I want all this twisting of the truth to be over.
And anyway I saw no proof
I didn't see any proof.
And not a motive why
And without any motive.
And the mercy seat is melting
The mercy seat is melting away.
And I think my blood is boiling
I think my blood is boiling.
And in a way I'm spoiling all the fun By all this consequence of truth
I am spoiling things because of the consequences of the truth.
And I've got nothing left to lose
I have nothing left to lose.
And the mercy seat is waiting
The mercy seat is waiting.
And in a way I'm yearning to be done With all this measuring of proof
I want all this measuring of proof to be over with.
A life for a life
Equal punishment for someone's life.
And a truth for a truth
Equal punishment for someone's actions.
And anyway there was no proof
Anyway, there was no proof.
And not a motive why
And without any motive.
And in a way I'm yearning to be done With all this measuring of proof
I want all this measuring of proof to be over with.
And anyway I told the truth
Anyway, I told the truth.
And the mercy seat is waiting
The mercy seat is waiting.
And in a way I'm yearning to be done With all this measuring of proof
I want all this measuring of proof to be over with.
An eye for an eye
An equal punishment for someone's actions.
And a tooth for a tooth
An equal punishment for someone's actions.
But anyway I told the truth
But anyway, I told the truth.
And I'm not afraid to lie
I am not afraid to lie.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Written by: Nicholas Edward Cave, Mick Harvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eoinryan3275
There's life before you listen to Nick Cave and then theres life after you listen to Cave
@lauraroach3512
Best comment
@PaulRGauthier
Facts.
@froogsleegs
I love this song. It sounds like a total desperate mess of overwhelming dark noise; Nick Cave is truly the king of capturing those deep emotions.
@serinataylor6299
well put
@kathleenbergin9844
VERY well put! Beautifully articulate description. I love this song too; it has an urgency to it & you can really hear the fear & panic.
@findusuli
You're probably right. At first, I wanted to state that he'd only be king next to Leonard Cohen, but Cohen's songs are never a desperate "mess". Overwhelmung and dark, desperate, for sure, but not a "mess" full of panic. The same can be said about Johnny Cash, which can be perfectly seen by his cover of this song, I guess!
So, yeah, you're very right. Just thinking about the song From Her To Eternity is probably enough to say that that's a legit statement. :) <3
@peterlancaster8800
He most certainly is, Alice!!
@tihipp217
was the mercy seat an implement of 16th century torture?
@rh4051
This is probably one of the best songs ever written, just brilliant!