Mike & The Mechanics are an English rock/pop supergroup formed in 1985 as a… Read Full Bio ↴Mike & The Mechanics are an English rock/pop supergroup formed in 1985 as a side project of Mike Rutherford, one of the founding members of the band Genesis. The initial line-up for the band was Rutherford on bass, vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young, keyboardist Adrian Lee and drummer Peter Van Hooke. Following Young's death in 2000, the band took a break. In 2004, Paul Carrack became the band's sole lead vocalist until the band drifted apart in 2007. The band reformed in 2010 with new vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.

Mike & The Mechanics debuted with their stellar eponymous album in 1985 which highlighted Rutherford's innovative guitar work and the vocal talents of the two Pauls, amongst other guest vocalists. Initially, the group's albums were released between Genesis albums, all three Genesis members having solo projects of their own, most notable in the huge chart success of singer/drummer Phil Collins. This ended with the disbanding of Genesis in 1998.

The classic song "The Living Years" from the album of the same name was to be the height of their critical success to date; the #1 single was written by and about the dissension between singer BA Robertson and his father, a situation that was never rectified prior to his father's death, sung with great passion by Carrack. The album also featured the song "Nobody's Perfect" which received considerable airtime as the music to a successful television advertising campaign for Tennants bitter. Their third album "Word of Mouth" followed in 1991 with less commercial and critical success although the lead single, with vocals by Paul Young, reached the Top 20. The fourth album "Beggar On a Beach of Gold" was a high watermark in the quality of their material, with both the album and first single "Over My Shoulder" charting well with many considering the album the band's best work.

After a hiatus following Young's death from a heart attack on July 17, 2000, the band reformed in 2004 as Mike & the Mechanics featuring Paul Carrack releasing the album "Rewired".

A new Mike & the Mechanics album (titled "The Road") was released in the spring of 2011, supported by a 22-date UK tour. Replacing Carrack and Young as vocalists for the group are Andrew Roachford and Canadian actor/singer Tim Hower.

Mea Culpa
Mike & The Mechanics Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can't forgive
And you won't forget
We did something
That we both regret mea culpa

I held my breath while you
Took your time
To tell the world

What's yours is mine mea culpa

You don't need me
You don't need anyone at all
You've got what you desired
You lit the fire
And watched the rise and fall

And in your eyes I could see my face
A non believer
In a state of grace mea culpa

I see no reason for your complaint
You got the sinner
And not the saint mea culpa

I can't say much I can't say anything at all
You tell the story well
Then you retire to watch the rise and fall

You never know what's in your heart
Until you look
You never know what's in your heart
Until you look
Take a look
Just take a look
Just take a look
Just take a look

Ad libs to fade

Overall Meaning

In "Mea Culpa," Mike & The Mechanics explore the theme of regret and the bitter aftermath of a mistake. The opening lines of the song, "You can't forgive and you won't forget, we did something that we both regret mea culpa" suggest that both parties are aware of their wrongdoing, but the damage has already been done. The phrase "mea culpa" is a Latin term meaning "my fault," which is frequently used to acknowledge one's wrongdoing or error in judgment.

The song's narrator seems to regret his actions but is unwilling to take full responsibility for them. The lyric "I held my breath while you took your time to tell the world what's yours is mine mea culpa" suggests that he was complicit in the mistake but felt powerless to stop it. He's reconciled to the fact that the blame falls solely on him, but still finds it difficult to move on.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the other party's coldness and lack of empathy towards the singer: "You don't need me, you don't need anyone at all, you've got what you desired, you lit the fire, and watched the rise and fall." The singer feels abandoned, as if he's been used and discarded. The line "you got the sinner and not the saint mea culpa" suggests that the other party is only interested in punishing him for his wrongdoing, rather than acknowledging their own faults in the situation.

Line by Line Meaning

You can't forgive
You are unable to pardon us

And you won't forget
You refuse to forget what we have done

We did something
We committed an act

That we both regret mea culpa
We both feel remorseful about our actions

I held my breath while you
I was anxious while you

Took your time
Were taking your time

To tell the world
To inform everyone

What's yours is mine mea culpa
To acknowledge that I wrongfully took what belonged to you

You don't need me
You don't require my presence

You don't need anyone at all
You don't require anyone's company

You've got what you desired
You obtained what you wanted