nick cave • mick harvey
This eerie tale of a doomed man's walk to the last chair to be seated in, was amplified by an electric combination of chords in a wall of sound and recorded by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for the 1988 album "Tender Prey". More restrained and acoustic versions have been released as bonus tracks here and there, and the song is still regularely performed on stage ... 'cause the bad seeds are still sprouting.
"Mercy Seat" refers both to the lid of the Ark of the Covenant (kaporet) and to the electric chair. The song has allusions to Christianity: in the Old Testament, the mercy seat is the symbol of the throne of God over the Ark of the Covenant.
The original uses some kind of open tuning. The chords here are more or less after the Johnny Cash cover on American Recordings III "Solitary Man" (2000), where producer Rick Rubin impresses with an awesome arrangement.
it all began when they come took me from my home and put me on Death Row
a crime for which I am totally innocent you know
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
and the mercy seat is waiting • and I think my head is burning
and in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this weighing of the 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
I hear stories from the chamber : Christ was born into a manger
and like some ragged stranger he died upon the cross
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
my kill-hand's tatooed E.V.I.L. across it's brother's fist
that filthy five ! they did nothing to challenge or resist
in Heaven His throne is made of gold • the ark of his testament is stowed
a throne from which I'm told all history does unfold
it's made of wood and wire and my body is on fire
and God is never far away
into the mercy seat I climb : my head is shaved • my head is wired
and like a moth that tries to enter the bright eye
I go shuffling out of life just to hide in death awhile
and anyway I never lied
and the mercy seat is waiting • and I think my head is burning
and in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this weighing of the 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
and the mercy seat is burning • and I think my head is glowing
and in a way I'm hoping to be done with all this twisting of the truth
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
and anyway there was no proof and I'm not afraid to die
and the mercy seat is glowing • and I think my head is smoking
and in a way I'm hoping to be done with all these looks of disbelief
a life for a life and a truth for a truth
and I've got nothing left to lose and I'm not afraid to die
and the mercy seat is smoking • and I think my head is melting
and in a way that's helping to be done with all this twisting of the truth
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
and anyway I told the truth ... but I'm afraid I told a lie ...
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
Am Em Am Em ... [recite lyrics to the repeated chords, 4/4 rythm] it all began when they come took me from my home and put me on Death Row a crime for which I am totally innocent you know ... 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 Am and the mercy seat is waiting Eaug and I think my head is burning C and in a way I'm yearning G Gm to be done with all this weighing of the truth Gm7 Bb an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth C and anyway I told the truth Am and I'm not afraid to die
I've listed alternatives for C major and E augmented: that's because it's a good idea to let the bassline from start go A-E-A-E(A minor)-G#-E-G#-E(Eaug)-G-E-G-E(C major)-F-G(etc...)
Beware of fret position on Eaug.
