The Mercy Seat (Live)

They came, took me from my home Put me on death row Of which I am nearly wholly innocent of, you know I'll say it again I'm not afraid to die 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 A 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 measuring of proof But an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die Interpret signs and catalogue A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog The walls are bad, black, bottom kind They have a sick breath at my hind They have a sick breath at my hind They have a sick breath at my hind They have a sick breath gathering at my hind I hear stories from the chamber The Christ was born into a manger And like some ragged stranger died upon the cross And 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 Like my good hand tattooed Evil all across his 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 Down here 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 Like a moth that tries to enter the bright eye So I go shuffling out of life Just to hide in death a while And anyway I never lied My kill-hand is called Evil Wears a wedding band that's Good 'Tis a long-suffering shackle Collaring all that rebel blood 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 weighing up of truth An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth But I've got nothing left to lose But I'm not afraid to die The mercy seat is glowing And I think my head is melting 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 But anyway I saw no proof And nor no motive why The mercy seat is melting And I think my blood is boiling In a way I'm spoiling all the fun by all this consequence and truth An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And I've got nothing left to lose And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning In a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway there was no proof And nor a motive why And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is burning In a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth But anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die 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 measuring of proof A life for a life and a truth for a truth And anyway there was no proof And I'm not afraid to die And the mercy seat is waiting And I think my head is smoking And in a way I'm hoping to be done with all these looks of disbelief An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth But anyway I told the truth And I'm not afraid to die 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 measuring of proof 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 waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof 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 waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof 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 waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof 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 waiting And I think my head is burning And in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth But I'm not afraid to lie 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 measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth But I'm not afraid to lie 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 measuring of proof An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth And anyway I told the truth And I'm afraid I chose to lie