Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel on Divine Mercy Sunday 2020

19 Apr 2020 · 6 min

Watch on YouTube

6:29

The video features a single speaker delivering a lyrical, poetic rendition that weaves together verses from Peter Gabriel’s song “Mercy Street” with overtly devotional language for Divine Mercy Sunday. The speaker repeatedly invokes “Our Lady of Mercy,” visualizes dreams becoming reality, and uses vivid imagery of broken glass, streams, boats, and darkness to explore themes of longing, forgiveness, and spiritual yearning. Refrains such as “dreaming of Mercy Street” and “in your daddy’s arms again” underscore a personal quest for mercy and protection. The piece culminates with a greeting, “Happy Sunday of Mercy, everyone,” framing the performance as a prayerful celebration of the Catholic feast of Divine Mercy.

Chapters

Our Lady of Mercy. Our Lady of Mercy. Looking down an empty street and all she can see are the dreams all made solid, are the dreams all made real. All of the buildings, all of the cars were once just a dream in somebody's head. She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the stream, she pictures a soul With no leak at the seams, 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 gray, nowhere in the suburbs in the cold light of day, there in the midst of it so lonely, Surviving alone, ward support like bone, dreaming of Mercy Street. Wear your insides out, dreaming of Mercy. In your daddy's arms again, dreaming of Mercy Street. Swear they move that sign, dreaming of mercy in your daddy's arms. Pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth. Pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth. Tugging at the darkness, word upon word. Basing all the secret things in the warm velvet box to the pre. He's the doctor, he can handle the shocks. Dreaming of the tenderness, the tremble in the hips. Kissing Mary's lips. Dreaming of Mercy Street. Wear your insides out. Dreaming of Mercy Street. In your daddy's arms again, dreaming of Mercy Street. Swear they moved that sign, looking for mercy. In your daddy's arms. Mercy, mercy, looking for mercy, looking for mercy. Looking for mercy. Looking for mercy. Looking for mercy. And with, and with her father is out in the boat, riding the water, riding the waves of the sea. Happy Sunday of Mercy, everyone.