Mercy Street
Gregorian Lyrics

Looking down on empty streets, all she can see
Anne is looking down from a vantage point and can only see empty streets

Are the dreams all made solid
She sees that what was once dreams have become real, tangible things

Are the dreams all made real
She confirms that indeed, the dreams have become real

All of the buildings, all of those cars
Every building and car that she sees

Were once just a dream
At some point, all the buildings and cars did not yet exist, they were just ideas in someone's mind

In somebody's head
Someone had to imagine all these things into existence

She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
Anne imagines broken glass and steam, depicting a possibly violent encounter

She pictures a soul
Her imagination focuses on the human aspect of the experience

With no leak at the seam
Yet, even though the soul might be damaged, it is not destroyed

Lets take the boat out
Anne invites someone to take the boat out

Wait until darkness
Anne suggests waiting until dark before going out on the boat

Nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
There is nothing of interest or truth in the institutional corridors she sees around her

Nowhere in the suburbs
There is nothing of note in the suburbs either

In the cold light of day
During daylight hours when everything is illuminated and visible

There in the midst of it so alive and alone
Amidst all of that emptiness, Anne feels both alive and isolated

Words support like bone
The right words can be the framework that support someone, just like bones support the body

Dreaming of mercy st.
Anne is dreaming of a place called Mercy Street

Wear your inside out
She is exposing her vulnerabilities and emotions, rather than hiding them or putting on a facade.

Dreaming of mercy
Anne hopes to receive mercy at Mercy Street

In your daddy('s arms again
She reminisces about feeling safe and secure, like a child in her father's arms

'swear they moved that sign
Anne isn't sure if the sign promising mercy has been moved or gone missing

Pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
Anne is taking out some documents from a drawer that is easy to open

Tugging at the darkness, word upon word
She is struggling to express herself, pulling words out one by one from her internal darkness

Confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
She is opening up and revealing all her deepest secrets in the imaginary box that symbolizes the act of confession

To the priest-he's the doctor
The priest, much like a doctor, is there to help and heal, possibly through absolution

He can handle the shocks
The priest is able to take in and offer advice for her difficult revelations

Dreaming of the tenderness-the tremble in the hips
Anne dreams of tenderness and embraces the physical and emotional sensations that come with it

Of kissing Mary's lips
She imagines a romantic encounter with someone named Mary

Looking for mercy
Anne is still searching for Mercy Street and for mercy itself

Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
The repetition of the word highlights how important mercy is to Anne and how much she is still searching for it

Anne, with her father is out in the boat
The song comes full circle and ends with Anne and her father out on the boat, enjoying the sea

Riding the water
Anne and her father are allowing the boat to move them along the water

Riding the waves on the sea
The waves of the sea are carrying them along their journey