The enormously talented musician and gifted songwriter Peter Gabriel has written a slew of amazingly poetic songs, but I felt that this particular song was perfect for its subject matter. Written for poet Anne Sexton, who tragically killed herself at the young age of 45, the title of this song refers to one of her poems, "45 Mercy Street," the address of her childhood home. I am deliberately not including the actual song in this post because I want the focus to be on the words.
Mercy Street
by Peter Gabriel
Looking down on empty streets, all she can see
Are the dreams all made solid
Are the dreams all made real
All of the buildings, all of those cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head
She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
She pictures a soul
With no leak at the seam
Let's take the boat out
Wait until darkness
Let's take the boat out
Wait until darkness comes
Nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
Nowhere in the suburbs
In the cold light of day
There in the midst of it so alive and alone
Words support like bone
Dreaming of Mercy St.
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of Mercy St.
'swear they moved that sign
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms
Pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
Tugging at the darkness, word upon word
Confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
To the priest--he's the doctor
He can handle the shocks
Dreaming of the tenderness, the tremble in the hips
Of kissing Mary's lips
Dreaming of Mercy St.
Wear your insides out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of mercy st.
'swear they moved that sign
Looking for mercy
In your daddy's arms
Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
Anne, with her father is out in the boat
Riding the water
Riding the waves on the sea
http://petergabriel.com/
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