Says Alex of the first single from the fourth Oh Mercy album - still untitled... “Sandy is a fast song. Faster than the other ones. Or slower. It really just depends on how you count the bars. And which song you compare it to. Faster than a real slow song. Slower than a real fast one. Sandy is a stuck in the middle kind of song. I wrote it in Nashville. I was walking to a Mexican restaurant. It's about self loathing. And self loathing by way of resenting someone who loves you. Just for loving you! (what a world!!!). It's a little about needing it. But wishing you didn’t need it. In the end you're god damn glad you got it.”
Alex Gow recently returned home to Melbourne from the States where he spent time in Nashville, Portland and Los Angeles, disconnected and rootless - a ‘romatic saboteur’ creating his forthcoming album.
Read the album’s travel diary here: http://www.ohmercy.com.au/about/
Gow is one of Australia’s most acclaimed singer/songwriters. Releasing three albums by the time he was 25, he won the ‘Outstanding Potential Award’ at the AMP’s in 2009 and was awarded the EG Music ‘Outstanding Achivement’ Award in 2012. He also has a string of ARIA nominations under his belt for the albums Privileged Woes, Great Barrier Grief and most recent, Deep Heat.
tenderness
Oh Mercy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't matter where you come from it feels just the same
To wash away a sickness or to revel in joy
Distance doesn't change what time can destroy
They say that Truganini was the last of her kind
The sky it took her spirit when her body declined
Her bones first were stolen now she's scattered at sea
Your body is a tender song
Then I blink and it's gone x2
Board an aeroplane as I sit there and sigh
I think about the way I left a stranger behind
I was cruel, I was cruel, when I should have kind
I can only sleep when I know that I've tried
She touched me with a feather and it felt like a stone
Our limbs moved together, a night spent alone.
When the morning comes, by the light of dawn
Every inch of you, now a map that I've drawn
Your body is a tender song
Then I blink and it's gone.
I opened my eyes so I could see,
The woman that was sitting on me,
Her hair was long it covered up her chest,
The candles burned her fiery silhouette.
Oh Mercy's song "Tenderness" begins with a description of a person walking in the Auckland rain. The lyrics highlight how the rain has the power to wash away a sickness and bring joy, regardless of where one comes from. Despite distances, time has the power to destroy what once existed. The lyrics move on to reference Truganini, the last surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal, and the brutal reality of her story. Her bones were first stolen and then scattered at sea, and the singer expresses deep sadness at her fate.
The lyrics take a turn towards a more personal experience in the next verses. The singer reflects on how they had been cruel to someone they should have been kind to and positively turning things around in order to sleep peacefully. The song moves towards a romantic encounter where the bodily experience is likened to a tender song. The singer describes a night spent with a stranger, in which they felt connected through touch and movement. The song ends with a sensual image as the singer describes a woman sitting on him, candles burning in the background.
Line by Line Meaning
Walked for forty minutes in Auckland rain
I walked for forty minutes in the rain in Auckland. Regardless of our origin, rain feels the same to us all. The rain can either ease our sadness or bring joy into our lives. The distance does not prevent time from exerting its destructive nature.
They say that Truganini was the last of her kind
Truganini is recognized as the last member of her people. Due to her body failing, her spirit was taken by the skies. After her death, her bones were stolen, and her ashes were scattered at sea. I'm crying for her, and I hope you're thinking of me.
Your body is a tender song
Your body is a delicate melody, unique to only you. A melody that becomes a memory once it's gone.
Board an aeroplane as I sit there and sigh
As I board a plane, I sit in silence and let out a sigh. I think about the way I treated someone I had just met - I was unkind when I should have been compassionate. I cannot fall asleep without knowing that I have attempted to right my wrongs.
She touched me with a feather and it felt like a stone
Her touch was gentle as a feather, but the weight on my chest was heavy like a stone. We moved together, and we spent a night with no one else. When the morning arrived, every detail of her body had been etched into my memory.
I opened my eyes so I could see
I opened my eyes to see the woman who was sitting on top of me. Her long hair draped over her chest, and her body was silhouetted by the burning candles.
Contributed by Christopher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.