Small Mercies are a classic rock band for the modern era. Their songs brist… Read Full Bio ↴Small Mercies are a classic rock band for the modern era. Their songs bristle with a mood of instant familiarity. Break the band into sonic parts and you’ll hear chiming choruses, shimmering guitars and an explosive bottom end; all of which are fronted by a young voice fit to fill arenas, stadiums and the airwaves.

Hailing from Brisbane, the four-piece released their debut album, Beautiful Hum, on May 24th 2008. No less a tastemaker than Billboard magazine are touting the band’s hometown as one of the globe’s happening musical hotspots. It’s the city where Savage Garden, The Saints and Powderfinger made their mark before achieving national and international recognition. Small Mercies may well swell those ranks.

Small Mercies’ vocalist Steve Blaik, guitarist Danny Procopis and drummer Marty O’Brien all met at high school. Steve and Danny form the band’s song writing hub while Marty, along with bassist Jeff Reeves, complete the group and provide a rock solid rhythm section.

Innocent
Small Mercies Lyrics

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It's amazing I can even close my eyes
To hide away, from the fear
Although I try I'm losing my whole life
My conscious now, is clear

Now I
I can't explain
I'm not to blame

We are all innocent now
Nothing to say
The more we betray
We are all innocent

I long to find the words to justify
The reason now, for what we do
You're so damn blind, I'm human, I'm mankind
Perfectly flawed, I'm just like you

Now I
I can't explain
I'm not to blame
We are all innocent now
Nothing to say
The more we betray
We are all innocent

I gotta keep on running
I can feel it coming
You hold me down as waves tower over my head
Words sound like thunder
Yea you pull me under
But we can be free

Hey now
Hey now
So free

It's amazing I can even close my eyes
To hide away, from the fear

Now I
I can't explain
I'm not to blame
We are all innocent now
Nothing to say
The more we betray
We are all innocent now

I can't explain
I'm not to blame
We are all innocent now
Nothing to say
The more we betray
We are all innocent

Innocent now
Innocent now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Small Mercies's song Innocent explore themes of fear, innocence, and human flaws. The opening line, "It's amazing I can even close my eyes, to hide away from the fear" sets the stage for the rest of the song. The singer is trying to escape from the fear that surrounds them, but despite their efforts, they feel like they are losing their entire life. Despite feeling lost and helpless, the singer acknowledges that their conscience is clear.

The chorus, "We are all innocent now, nothing to say, the more we betray, we are all innocent" suggests a sense of resignation and acceptance of the fact that everyone is flawed and has their own struggles. The singer longs to find the words to justify their actions and understand the reasons behind what they do, but ultimately understands that they, like everyone else, are "perfectly flawed" and just like the rest of humanity.

The final verse speaks to the idea of being held down by life's struggles, represented in the metaphor of waves towering over one's head. The thundering words and overwhelming nature of life can feel like they are pulling the singer under, but they express the desire to be free from these constraints.

Overall, the lyrics of Innocent convey a sense of vulnerability and acceptance of the human condition, while also expressing the desire to break free from the limitations that hold us down.

Line by Line Meaning

It's amazing I can even close my eyes
It's remarkable that despite all the fear and anxiety around me, I still manage to find pockets of peace.

To hide away, from the fear
When the world gets too scary, I seek comfort in hiding and doing everything in my power to protect myself.

Although I try I'm losing my whole life
Despite my attempts to hold on to everything I hold dear, I feel like I'm constantly losing grip on everything that makes life worth living.

My conscious now, is clear
At the very least, I take solace in the fact that I have nothing to be guilty about.

I can't explain
I struggle to articulate the extent of my emotions and their impact on my life.

I'm not to blame
Despite everything that goes wrong around me, I'm not responsible for all of it.

We are all innocent now
In the end, all of us are victims of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Nothing to say
There's no point in trying to make sense of everything that's going wrong in our lives.

The more we betray
The more we try to distance ourselves from the people around us, the deeper we fall into despair.

I long to find the words to justify
Sometimes I wish I could figure out the reasons things happen and I could make sense of all the pain around me.

The reason now, for what we do
If we could look deeper into ourselves and understand the truth behind our actions, perhaps we could move forward.

You're so damn blind, I'm human, I'm mankind
Sometimes, people can't see past their own biases and ignorance, but I hope they recognize we're all flawed, emotional beings.

Perfectly flawed, I'm just like you
In many ways, despite our differences and the pain we cause each other, we're all just people struggling to get by.

I gotta keep on running
I don't have a choice but to keep moving forward and trying to survive.

I can feel it coming
There's a sense of inevitability behind all the pain and suffering around me.

You hold me down as waves tower over my head
The weight of the world comes crashing down on me, and it feels like there's no escape.

Words sound like thunder
The words people say to me sometimes feel like they're designed to hurt and tear me down.

Yea you pull me under
The people around me sometimes drag me down further into the depths of despair.

But we can be free
Despite everything, there's always hope that one day we'll be able to escape the pain and find peace.

Hey now
Despite everything, I refuse to give up on hope.

So free
The idea of being free from all the pain and horror around me feels like a distant dream.

Innocent now
Despite everything, I hope that one day we can all start fresh and find a way to live in peace.

Innocent now
Despite everything, there's always hope that we can all learn to live together in harmony.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: STEVE MICHAEL BLAIK, DANIEL JOSE PROCOPIS, STUART STUART

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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