The Innocence Mission are a folk band featuring the beautiful, mesmerizing … Read Full Bio ↴The Innocence Mission are a folk band featuring the beautiful, mesmerizing vocals of Karen Peris, and the guitar backing of her husband, Don Peris.

Their signature style is dreamy slow songs, with beautiful melodies.

The original band, including Mike Bitts (bass), and Steve Brown (drums), was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 80s when the members met during a Catholic school production of Godspell. Although all members of the band have contributed musically, Karen Peris does most of the group's writing.

Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989 (A&M Records), was produced by Larry Klein, then-husband of Joni Mitchell, and recorded in the couple’s basement recording studio. The album peaked on the Billboard charts at #167 in 1990, and the album’s second track, "Black Sheep Wall", released as a single in 1989, peaked at #22 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks. The album’s fifth track, "Clear to You", was used on the soundtrack of the pilot episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Klein also produced their 1991 follow up, Umbrella.

Their third and final A&M album, Glow, released in 1995 (A&M Records), Was produced by Dennis Herring, who had previously produced two records for Camper Van Beethoven. This album is a departure from Klein's heavier production style. Whereas the first two releases may have brought to mind The Sundays and The Cocteau Twins with their moody keyboards, Herring's lighter touch gave more emphasis to the group's guitar work and to Karen's vocals and lyrics.

Glow contains songs that appear on the soundtracks of the films Empire Records, and Dream for an Insomniac, as well as the television series Party of Five. The album’s second track, Bright as Yellow, peaked on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks at #33.

In 1999 the band recorded for a new label, Badman. Additionally, drummer Steve Brown left the band to pursue a career as a chef. On the subsequent album, Birds of My Neighborhood, Brown played drums and brushes on "Snow," but otherwise the group became a trio. Now bereft of drums, their sound took an even more acoustic direction. Some songs featured just Don and Karen, and a few, such as "She May Turn Around," featured only Karen's voice and instrumentation.

The 2000 release of Christ is My Hope, featuring religious music that had inspired them over the years, was independently released on their own website. Small Planes, released in 2001, featured outtakes from Glow and Birds of My Neighborhood. 2003's Befriended was their next "regular" album.

In 2004, the Innocence Mission released Now the Day is Over, a collection of lullabies. Except for "My Love Goes With You," all songs are cover versions, such as a stripped-down vocal and piano rendition of Henry Mancini's Moon River,

The Innocence Mission's new album We Walked in Song was released March 13, 2007.

Mercy
The Innocence Mission Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There is my kite
Caught around a signpost
The sign says: You are almost there.
So I was right - there is a Heaven
Very near

But there are no fires in hell
There is only Mercy

Some days my kite goes where I cannot see
And I feel happy for its freedom
When it's tangled in the trees and wires
I know it's my own fault
All my fault

But there are no fires in hell
There is only Mercy
(I believe)

One day my kite will escape forever
And I will jump to catch the trailing string

Wishes and wants will fall from my pocket
As I wave, full of peace

Overall Meaning

In The Innocence Mission's song Mercy, the singer reflects on the concept of heaven and hell as she looks at her kite caught around a signpost with the message "you are almost there" written on it. She comes to the realization that heaven is near, and there is no place for fires in hell, only mercy. The idea of heaven and hell can be interpreted in different ways, but the singer's understanding is that mercy is abundant and outlasts any notion of eternal punishment that we may have.

The second verse talks about the singer's own kite getting tangled in the trees and wires due to her own fault, but she still cherishes the moments of freedom and happiness that her kite experiences. The idea of mistakes and faults is juxtaposed with the ultimate concept of mercy. The final verse talks about how one day the kite, a metaphor for our own desires and aspirations, will escape forever. The singer expresses a sense of peace and acceptance at this thought, and the imagery of wishes falling from her pocket is symbolic of the letting-go of earthly desires and the embrace of a peaceful state of mind.

Overall, the song speaks to the idea of forgiveness and letting go of our earthly desires and faults, accepting the abundance of mercy that is available to us. It is a song that can be interpreted in different ways, depending on one's personal beliefs and experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

There is my kite
I have a kite.

Caught around a signpost
It's stuck in a post with a sign.

The sign says: You are almost there.
The sign says I'm almost at my destination.

So I was right - there is a Heaven
I was right, there is a heaven.

Very near
It's very close now.

But there are no fires in hell
Hell doesn't have any fires.

There is only Mercy
Only mercy exists in hell.

Some days my kite goes where I cannot see
Sometimes my kite goes where I can't see it.

And I feel happy for its freedom
I'm happy it has the freedom to do that.

When it's tangled in the trees and wires
But when it gets tangled, it's my fault.

I know it's my own fault
I acknowledge that I'm to blame.