Song of Joy
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics

Have mercy on me, sir
Asking for kindness and help.

Allow me to impose on you
Requesting permission to stay despite the inconvenience.

I have no place to stay
Expressing homelessness.

And my bones are cold right through
Describing the physical toll of being homeless.

I will tell you a story
Preparing to recount a story.

Of a man and his family
Introducing the subject of the story.

And I swear that it is true
Asserting the validity of the story.

Ten years ago I met a girl named Joy
Beginning the story with the introduction of the character Joy.

She was a sweet and happy thing
Describing Joy's demeanor.

Her eyes were bright blue jewels
Using a metaphor to describe Joy's eyes.

And we were married in the spring
Revealing that the singer married Joy.

I had no idea what happiness a little love could bring
Reflecting on the positive impact of love on one's life.

Or what life had in store
Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of life.

But all things move toward their end
Recognizing that everything is temporary and will come to an end.

Then one morning I awoke to find her weeping
Beginning the account of Joy's descent into despair.

And for many days to follow
Describing the duration of Joy's sadness.

She grew so sad and lonely
Emphasizing Joy's emotional state.

Became Joy in name only
Implying that Joy had lost her true identity.

Within her breast there launched an unnamed sorrow
Personifying Joy's sadness as a force.

And a dark and grim force set sail
Metaphorically describing the start of something ominous.

Farewell happy fields
Saying goodbye to the notion of happiness.

Where joy forever dwells
Contrasting the idea of happiness with Joy's fate.

Hail horrors hail
Eliciting a sense of despair and dread.

Was it an act of contrition or some awful premonition
Posing a question about the cause of Joy's sadness.

As if she saw into the heart of her final blood-soaked night
Speculating that Joy had foreseen her own death.

Ah, I see sir, that I have your attention!
Addressing the listener and acknowledging their interest in the story.

Well, could it be?
Rhetorically asking if something could be possible.

How often have I asked that question
Expressing how frequently the question has been asked before in the story.

Well, then in quick succession
Transitioning to another event in the story.

We had babies, one, two, three
Revealing that Joy and the singer had children.

We called them Hilda, Hattie and Holly
Naming the children.

They were their mother's children
Drawing attention to the fact that the children inherited Joy's characteristics.

There was no laughter in the house
Indicating the lack of joy in the family's home.

No, not for Hilda, Hattie or Holly
Clarifying that the children were also affected by the absence of joy.

"No wonder", people said, "Poor mother Joy's so melancholy"
Quoting other people's opinions about Joy's sadness and connecting it to motherhood.

Well, one night there came a visitor to our little home
Introducing a new character in the story.

I was visiting a sick friend
Explaining where the singer was when the visitor came.

I was a doctor then
Revealing the singer's profession.

Joy and the girls were on their own, yeah
Emphasizing that Joy and the children were alone when the visitor came.

Joy had been bound with electrical tape
Describing Joy's state when the artist returned home.

In her mouth a gag
Providing greater detail to the description above.

She'd been stabbed repeatedly
Revealing that Joy had been murdered.

And stuffed into a sleeping bag
Providing detail about how Joy's body was disposed of.

In their very cots my girls were robbed of their lives
Revealing the fate of the children.

Method of murder much the same as my wife's
Making a connection between Joy's and the children's murders.

It was midnight when I arrived home
Providing context for the time of arrival.

Said to the police on the telephone
Declaring the singer's actions in response to what he saw.

Someone's taken four innocent lives
Indicating the gravity of the situation.

They never caught the man
Describing the outcome of the investigation.

He's still on the loose
Implying that the murderer is still out there.

It seems he has done many, many more
Speculating about the breadth of the murderer's activity.

Quotes John Milton on the walls in the victim's blood
Providing an eerie image of what the murderer left behind on the walls.

The police are investigating at tremendous cost
Acknowledging the effort being put into the investigation.

In my house he wrote "His red right hand"
Revealing that the murderer taunted the singer by leaving a message in his home.

That, I'm told is from Paradise Lost
Explaining the origin of the message.

The wind round here gets wicked cold
Describing the setting.

But my story is nearly told
Signaling that the story is coming to an end.

I fear the morning will bring quite a frost
Expressing a sense of foreboding.

So I've left my home
Revealing that the singer has become a wanderer.

I drift from land to land
Describing the artist's itinerant lifestyle.

I am upon your step and you are a family man
Addressing the listener.

Outside the vultures wheel
Describing the desolate environment around the singer.

The wolves howl, the serpents hiss
Emphasizing the dangerous and unwelcoming surroundings.

And to extend this small favor, friend
Asking for a favor from the listener.

Would be the sum of earthly bliss
Suggesting that the requested favor would be fulfilling.

Do you reckon me a friend?
Asking if the listener views the singer as a friend.

The sun to me is dark
Metaphorically describing the singer's state of mind.

And silent as the moon
Continuing the metaphor and emphasizing the artist's solitude.

Do you, sir, have a room?
Requesting lodging from the listener.

Are you beckoning me in? (Hit it)
Asking if the listener is inviting the artist into their home.