“Mercy Now”

On Saturdays our companions are musicians.

I don’t remember when I first heard Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” but it went straight to my heart. I couldn’t tell what emotion the music was pressing on, but it felt deep and huge. It’s the only song about mercy I’ve ever heard—plenty on forgiveness, but not the depths of mercy.

I kept listening to the song and sharing it with others. Then I bought her memoir, “Saved By A Song.” Mary Gauthier was born in New Orleans to a mother who gave her to St. Vincent’s Women and Infants Asylum, where she spent the first year of her life. She was adopted by an Italian Catholic couple from Thibodaux, Louisiana. Her father was an alcoholic—he’s the one she sings of in the opening line of the song. She had a brother, also adopted, who careened in and out of the criminal justice system for offenses including armed robbery. She sings of him in the second verse.

A note about her reference to “My church and my country.” Like so many Catholics, Gauthier was deeply troubled by the clergy sexual abuse that began to emerge some twenty years ago.

In her memoir she writes, “’Mercy Now’ came to me as a prayer in a time when loved ones and the world around me was sinking into darkness. The song brought catharsis, and then, unexpectedly, it brought something else. The desperation I’d felt, laced with anger and fear, began to give way to a new calm. I began to feel connected.

“A decade after I wrote it, Rolling Stone called ‘Mercy Now’ one of the ‘Top 20 saddest songs of all time.’ I’m honored to have one of my songs in a Rolling Stone top-twenty-of-all-time poll, but ‘Mercy Now’ is not sad, it’s real. People sometimes cry when they hear it, but if tears come, I think they are tears of resonance; the words provide listeners a witness to their struggle. ‘Mercy Now’ started as a personal song, then it deepened. It became universal.”

“Mercy Now” has become her signature song. She writes, “I’ve played it on every stage at every show, every night.” Gauthier has sung in many prisons, and she says this song always breaks open the hearts of some pretty hardened men. I think I know why.

(Full lyrics below.)

Mercy Now

My father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over, it won’t be long, he won’t be around
I love my father, he could use some mercy now

My brother could use a little mercy now
He’s a stranger to freedom, he’s shackled to his fear and his doubt
The pain that he lives in, it’s almost more than living will allow
I love my brother, he could use some mercy now

My church and my country could use a little mercy now
As they sink into a poisoned pit, it’s going to take forever to climb out
They carry the weight of the faithful who follow them down
I love my church and country, they could use some mercy now

Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race towards another mushroom cloud
People in power, they’ll do anything to keep their crown
I love life and life itself could use some mercy now

Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don’t deserve it, but we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance, dangle ‘tween hell and hallowed ground
And every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now

STORIES OF SIMPLICITY & JOY begins tomorrow.

COIntroduction
Stories of Turning
Week One
Stories of Wild Places
Week Two
Stories of Dogged Faith
Week Three
Stories of Mercy & Forgiveness
Week Four
Stories of Simplicity & Joy
Week Five
Stories of Prayer & Surrender
Week Six
Stories of Transforming Love

March 9, 2024 by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: Family, Forgiveness, Grace, Healing, Lent, Mercy, Music, Suffering, Surrender, Transformation, Uncategorized