Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
The Mercy Seat (Live at Alexandra Palace, 2020)
[Verse 1]
I began to warm and chill
To objects and their fields
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
The face of Jesus in my soup
Those sinister dinner deals
The meal trolley's wicked wheels
A hooked bone rising from my food
All things either good or ungood

[Chorus]
And the mercy seat is awaiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof
Of An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die

[Verse 2]
Interpret signs and catalogue
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog
The walls arе bad
Black, bottom kind
They are the sick brеath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath gathering at my hind
[Verse 3]
I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And might I say
It seems so fitting in its way
He was a carpenter by trade
Or at least that's what I'm told

[Bridge 1]
Like my good hand I
Tattooed E.V.I.L. across it's brother's fist
That filthy five! They did nothing to challenge or resist

[Verse 4]
In Heaven His throne is made of gold
And the ark of His Testament is stowed
A throne from which I'm told
All history does unfold
Down here it's made of wood and wire
And my body is on fire
And God is never far away

[Bridge 2]
My kill-hand is called E.V.I.L
Wears a wedding band that's G.O.O.D
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood
[Chorus]
And the mercy seat is a-waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning
To be done with all this weighing up of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die

[Chorus]
The mercy seat is burning
And I think my head is glowing
And in a way I'm helping
To be done with all this weighing up of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway, I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die

[Chorus]
And the mercy seat is a smoking
And I think my head is melting
And in a way I'm helping
To be done with all this twisting up of truth
A lie for a lie
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
[Chorus]
And the mercy seat is melting
And I think my blood is boiling
And in a way I'm spoiling all the fun
With all this truth and consequence
A lie for a lie
And a truth for a truth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die