The term Various Artists is used in the record industry when numerous singers and musicians collaborate on a song or collection of songs. Most often on Last.fm, compilation album tracks appear under the name of Various Artists erroneously because the individual artist is not listed in the album's ID3 information.
Compilation albums, for example.
Sometimes, single releases may be credited to Various Artists when their profits are going to charity and, usually in high-profile cases, are sometimes known by a group name. Examples include Band Aid with their releases of Do They Know It's Christmas? and USA for Africa with We Are The World.
Various Artists is also an actual performance name for Torsten Pröfrock, who runs the German DIN label. Torsten performs also as Dynamo, Erosion, Resilent, Traktor besides some others. He's a good friend of Robert Henke and since the Fall of 2004, he is a member of Monolake.
Various Artists was also a short-lived Bristol punk band formed by brothers Jonjo and Robin Key (originally from Birmingham). Other members were also simultaneously in Art Objects who went on to become The Blue Aeroplanes, the latter the Key brothers also co-wrote some songs and were involved in. When Various Artists imploded, the Key brothers went on to form Either / Or.
Various Artists also appear on tracks from musical theater soundtracks, due to the nature of having many cast members on one song, as well as an ensemble in some cases.
Mercy
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to pierce a thousand veils
Hands so numb didn't feel the shame
Lonely souls they love the pain
So let it run, let it all fall away
You don't give a damn if I leave or I stay
Have mercy
Darling have mercy
Cause I ain't strong
Have mercy
When the love's gone
Oh, when the love's gone, when the love's gone
Have mercy, oh have mercy
When the love's gone
The fall out, no it never clears
Misty eyed for a hundred years
Swing me low, darling, drag me down
Draw my blood with a stolen crown
And let it run, let it all fall away
You don't give a damn if I leave or I stay
Have mercy
Darling have mercy
Have mercy
Cause I ain't strong
Have mercy
When the love's gone
Oh, when the love's gone, when the love's gone
Have mercy, oh have mercy
And let me run, let my heart get away
You don't give a damn if I leave or I stay
Have mercy
Darling have mercy
Oh, have mercy
Cause I ain't strong
Darling have mercy, when the love's gone
Oh, when the love's gone, when the love's gone
Have mercy, oh have mercy
When the love's gone
The lyrics of "Mercy" by Various Artists are thought-provoking and emotionally intense. The song begins with the singer being laid down on a bed of nails, with the intention of piercing a thousand veils. This imagery speaks to the idea of a painful journey towards enlightenment or self-discovery. The line "Lonely souls they love the pain" suggests that some people deliberately subject themselves to pain as a means of coping with their loneliness or emotional pain.
The chorus of the song is a plea for mercy, with the singer admitting that they are not strong enough to handle the pain of lost love. The lyrics "When the love's gone, oh when the love's gone, have mercy" are particularly poignant, conveying the idea that the loss of love can be devastating and overwhelming.
As the song progresses, the singer describes the aftermath of a love gone wrong, with the fallout never clearing and the pain lingering for a hundred years. The imagery of being dragged down and having blood drawn with a stolen crown suggests that the singer feels wronged by their former lover and is struggling to move on.
Overall, "Mercy" is a powerful song about the pain of lost love and the difficulty of moving on. The lyrics are rich with metaphorical imagery and emotional depth, making it a standout track on the album.
Line by Line Meaning
You lay me down on a bed of nails
You make me face something hard and overwhelming that could cause me physical and emotional harm.
Just to pierce a thousand veils
You force me to confront many layers of my own fears, secrets, and vulnerabilities that are hard to uncover.
Hands so numb didn't feel the shame
You make me lose my sense of responsibility and moral compass, unable to recognize the negative consequences of my actions.
Lonely souls they love the pain
People who feel alone or disconnected from others may develop a strange attachment to suffering and misery as a way to cope with their emotions.
So let it run, let it all fall away
Letting go of our past experiences and emotions, no matter how painful or taxing they are, can help us move forward with our lives and find peace.
You don't give a damn if I leave or I stay
You are indifferent to my feelings and needs, and would not miss me if I were not around anymore.
Have mercy Darling have mercy
I am begging you to show me kindness and compassion, to acknowledge my suffering and help me find a way out of it.
Have mercy Cause I ain't strong
I cannot endure this pain and hardship on my own, I need someone to support and guide me through it.
When the love's gone Oh, when the love's gone, when the love's gone
When a relationship loses its spark and connection, it can be hard to keep going and feel fulfilled emotionally and physically.
The fall out, no it never clears
The aftermath of a difficult or traumatic experience may linger and affect us in various ways, even after we have moved on or tried to forget it.
Misty eyed for a hundred years
We may feel sad, regretful, or nostalgic about something or someone for a long time, even after it has happened or left us.
Swing me low, darling, drag me down
You drag me to the lowest point of my emotions and self-worth, making me feel helpless and powerless.
Draw my blood with a stolen crown
You have taken something of value from me, such as my trust, confidence, or dignity, and used it to hurt me or manipulate me.
And let me run, let my heart get away
Sometimes the only way to heal and recover from a painful experience is to distance ourselves from it, both physically and emotionally.
Writer(s): WINSTON DELANO RILEY, REGGIE HENRIQUES WILLIAMS, TERRANCE LE VARR THORNTON, TAUHEED EPPS, MIKE DEAN, ANTHONY KHAN, KANYE OMARI WEST, HERBERT TURNER, STEPAN TAFT, WILBERT KEITH WILLIAMS, JAMES THOMAS, WILLIE HANSBRO, MALIK YUSEF EL SHABAZZ JONES, SEAN MICHAEL ANDERSON, DENZIE HUGH BEAGLE
Contributed by Brooklyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.