There are at least two acts named Brainbox:

1. A Dutch psychedelic r… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two acts named Brainbox:

1. A Dutch psychedelic rhythm & blues band (founded late 1960s)
2. A Canadian electronic act (founded early 1990s)

1. The Dutch Brainbox is a late 1960's/early 1970s Dutch rhythm & blues/psychedelic band that recently re-united. Star guitarist Jan Akkerman and drummer Pierre van der Linden were in Brainbox before they went on to form the internationally succesful Focus. The original Brainbox' main 'weapon', however, was the characterful, high-pitched voice of frontman, Kaz Lux.

The group's 1970 début LP, Brainbox, was a major success in The Netherlands. Down Man was also a modest hit in the United States.

Shortly after the release of the début album, Akkerman and Van der Linden left the band to form Focus. Less than a year later, in 1971, frontman Lux also left the group, which then released a second studio album, Parts (1972), with a line-up that had changed beyond recognition. The album was, therefore, not fully acknowledged as a Brainbox album by fans.

The 21st century saw two reunions of the (almost complete) original '1970 line-up': the first in 2003, the second from 2009 onwards. 2011 even saw the release of a new studio album, entitled The 3rd Flood, Brainbox' third studio album since 1970.

2. The Canadian Brainbox is Tom Third, who has worked as a professional composer for 20 years. He studied film and new media at The Ontario College of Art and Design and In 1991 signed an international recording deal with Nettwerk Records that has yielded three critically acclaimed electronica albums Transcontinental Weekend (1992), Primordia (1994) and Continuous City (2001).

As a film composer, Third’s music employs an innovative combination of traditional instruments with electronic and digitally manipulated sounds. He co-wrote songs sung by Gary Busey and rapper Ice-T for the feature 'Jacob Two Two And The Hooded Fang' in 1999, and then scored the feature 4 DAYS starring Colm Meaney the same year. An ongoing commitment to the short and experimental film community has resulted in many soundtracks for award winning films and installations that have been shown at film festivals and art galleries worldwide.

In 2000 he scored 22 episodes of the television series 'Queer as Folk' and won the MPSE Golden Reel Award for music editing. Subsequent projects have included 52 episodes of 'ReGenesis', the award winning drama produced by Shaftesbury Films in Toronto. Other recent assignments include the acclaimed six episode drama, 'Durham County', for The Movie Network, several episodes of 'The Nature Of Things' for the CBC. Tom’s newest project is the score for 'The Listener', a new series on NBC, FOX and CTV that has been released in 180 territories. In 2004 Tom won the Volkswagen Score Competition sponsored by the Berlin Film Festival, and juried by Walter Murch, David Holmes, and Martin Steyer.

Sinner's Prayer
Brainbox Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you please.

I used to have plenty of money, the finest clothes in town,
But bad luck and trouble overtaken me, bound to get me down.
Please have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you please.

Keep on working now, child.
Lord every morning.

Well if I've been a bad boy, baby, I declare I'll change my ways.
I don't want bad luck and trouble to follow me all my days.

Please have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you

Overall Meaning

please.

The song "Sinner's Prayer" by Brainbox is a plea for mercy from a person who has fallen on hard times. The repeated refrain of "Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me" shows a humble and contrite attitude towards the struggles of life. The lyrics speak of a past life of abundance and luxury that has now been replaced with bad luck and trouble. The singer acknowledges that they may have wronged others in the past, asking for forgiveness and mercy.

In the second verse, the singer expresses a desire to change their ways and avoid future suffering. The use of the term "bad boy" suggests a sense of recklessness or immorality in the past. The final plea for mercy shows the sincerity and urgency of the singer's request for forgiveness. The repeated use of "if you please" adds a polite and almost supplicating tone to the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
The singer asks God to have mercy on them.

Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you please.
The singer expresses remorse for any harm they may have caused to others, and asks for mercy from God for any wrongdoings.

I used to have plenty of money, the finest clothes in town, But bad luck and trouble overtaken me, bound to get me down.
The singer has experienced a significant loss of wealth and status, and believes that they are experiencing a run of bad luck that is causing them to suffer.

Keep on working now, child. Lord every morning.
The artist encourages themselves (or someone else) to keep working hard and to stay faithful to God.

Well if I've been a bad boy, baby, I declare I'll change my ways.
The artist acknowledges their own mistakes and shortcomings, but is determined to make a change and become a better person.

I don't want bad luck and trouble to follow me all my days. Please have mercy, Lord have mercy on me.
The singer expresses a desire to break free from their current circumstances and find a better path for their life, and once again asks God for mercy.

Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you please.
The singer repeats their plea for mercy and forgiveness from God for any wrongs they may have committed towards others.

Contributed by John H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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