Mercy (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mercy |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 3:51 |
| Alternative titles | |
| First live performance | 9th May 2015 |
| Latest live performance | 15th October 2019 |
| Recorded | 2014/2015 - The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, Canada |
| Writer/composer | Matthew Bellamy |
| Producer | Muse, Robert "Mutt" Lange |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psycho | < | Mercy | > | Reapers |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 2nd Law (2012) | < | Drones (2015) | > | Simulation Theory (2018) |
Information
In Mercy, the protagonist has some consciousness, is aware of being used and abused and notes that something bad is happening to them[1]
According to Matt: “The opening line of ‘Mercy’ - Help me I’ve fallen on the inside - is a reference to the protagonist knowing and recognizing that they have lost something, they have lost themselves. This is where they realize they’re being overcome by the dark forces that were introduced in ‘Psycho.’[2]
Mercy will be the next single and be aired on radios worldwide on Monday 18th May. The song was live premiered at iHeartRadio's gig in New York in May 2015. The live recording of this live debut was uploaded to SoundCloud but has since been removed. The song was downloadable for those who purchased Drones through the code sent via e-mail. The song was leaked for anybody to download later during the day, when the link for the download was copied and put on Reddit. It is also the first song on the album that does not contain the word "Drones".
The song contains piano in the verses, similar to Starlight. It gets heavy during the build-up and in the choruses, when arppegiated synth also kicks in. The choruses are similar to those of Stockholm Syndrome. The melodies sound fairly positive, in opposition of the previous two songs of the album.
Instrumentation
The song features piano in the verses, alongside the distorted bass guitar playing the melody and drums. In the pre-chorus and the chorus sections, when it goes heavy, it features arpeggiated synth, as well as heavily distorted guitar, bass and drums.
Live
Mercy has been a constant part of the setlist since its live debut, only skipping five dates, of which the latter three were promotional gigs. The song, as one of the major singles from the album, will likely continue being performed at nearly every date of the tour. Confetti is often thrown out into the crowd during this song during live performances. Mercy was commonly introduced with Matt yelling "Put your hands in the air!!" during 2015 gigs.
Lyrics
Help me, I’ve fallen on the inside
I tried to change the game I tried to infiltrate But now I'm losing Men in cloaks Always seem to run the show Save me from the ghosts and shadows Before they eat my soul Yeah
Mercy Mercy
Show me Mercy From the powers that be Show me mercy Can someone rescue me
Absent gods And silent tyranny We're going under Hypnotized by another puppeteer and Tell me why the men in cloaks always have to bring me down Running from the ghosts and shadows The world just disavows Yeah
Mercy Mercy
Show me mercy From the powers that be Show me mercy Can someone rescue me Show me mercy Show me mercy please
Help me I’ve fallen on the inside And all the men in cloaks Trying to devour my soul
Show me mercy From the powers that be Show me mercy From the gutless and mean Show me mercy From the killing machines Show me mercy Can someone rescue me