Mercy Seat
It all began when they 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 And 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.
- Long Black Veil
- Flesh & Blood
- Just The Other Side
- If I Give My Soul
- Understand Your Man
- Banks Of The Ohio
- Two Timing Woman
- The Caretaker
- Old Chunk Of Coal
- I'm Going To Memphis
- Breaking Bread
- Waiting For A Train
- Casey's Last Ride
- No Earthly Good
- The Fourth Man In The Fire
- Dark As A Dungeon
- Book Review
- Down There By The Train
- Pochohantas
- I'm A Drifter (Version 1, Heartbreaker version)
- Trouble In Mind
- Down The Line
- I'm Movin' On
- As Long As The Grass Shall Grow
- Heart Of Gold
- The Running Kind (with Tom Petty)
- Everybody's trying To Be My Baby (with Carl Perkins)
- Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (with Carl Perkins)
- T Is For Texas
- Devil's Right Hand
- I'm A Drifter (Version 2)
- Like A Soldier
- Drive On
- Bird On A Wire (Live)
- A Singer Of Songs
- The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore
- Redemption Song (with Joe Strummer)
- Father & Son (with Fiona Apple)
- Chattanooga Sugar Babe
- He Stopped Loving Her Today
- Hard Times
- Wichita Lineman
- Cindy (with Nick Cave)
- Big Iron
- Salty Dog
- Gentle On My Mind
- You Are My Sunshine
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- The Man Comes Around (Early Take)
- Where We'll Never Grow Old
- I Shall Not Be Moved
- I Am A Pilgrim
- Do Lord
- When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
- If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven
- I'll Fly Away
- Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies
- Let The Lower Lights Be Burning
- When He Reached Down
- In The Sweet By And By
- I'm Bound For The Promised Land
- In The Garden
- Softly And Tenderly
- Just As I Am
- Delia's Gone
- Bird On A Wire (Album Version)
- Thirteen
- Rowboat
- The One Rose
- Rusty Cage
- Southern Accents
- Mercy Seat
- Solitary Man
- Wayfaring Stranger
- One
- Hung My Head
- The Man Comes Around (Album Version)
- We'll Meet Again
- Hurt

