The Mercy Seat

Johnny Cash

Tom: C

Am    Em                             Am                                      Em
       It all began when they took me from my home and put me on
                     Am                                   Em                              Am      Em
Death Row,         a crime for which Im totally innocent, you know.

Am                 Em                   Am                  Em
    I began to warm and chill        to objects            and their fields,
Am                          Em               Am                           Em
    a ragged cup, a twisted mop,        the face of Jesus in my soup,
Am                    Em                  Am                           Em
    those sinister dinner deals,      the meal trolley's wicked wheels,
Am                      Em
    a hooked bone rising from my food,
Am                                 Em
    and all things either good or ungood.

    Am                                                  E
         And the mercy seat is waiting,      and I think my head is burning,
C                                                      G                                                 Bb
    and in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this weighing of the truth.

    An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,
                                         F                                      Am   Em   Am   Em
    and anyway I told the truth, and I'm not afraid to die.

  Am                                        E                                                 C
        I hear stories from the chamber, Christ was born into a manger,
                                                             G
    and like some ragged stranger he died upon the cross.
                Bb
    Might I say it seems so fitting in its way,
                                          F                                                Am Em Am Em
    he was a carpenter by trade, or at least that's what I'm told.

Am                     Em                      Am                  Em
    My kill-hands tatooed E.V.I.L.        across it's brother's fist,
Am               Em                 Am                                  Em
    that filthy five! They did nothing to challenge or resist.

   Am                                                       E
        In Heaven His throne is made of gold,
                                                 C
    the ark of His Testament is stowed,
                                                       G
    a throne from which I'm told all history does unfold.
           Bb
    It's made of wood and wire, and my body is on fire
F                                       Am
    and God is never far away.

                                        E                                                         C
    Into the mercy seat I climb, my head is shaved, my head is wired,
                                                 G
    and like a moth that tries to enter the bright eye,
             Bb
    I go shuffling out of life, just to hide in death a while,
F                                  Am
    and anyway I never lied.

                                                     E
    And the mercy seat is waiting,      and I think my head is burning,
C                                                     G                                                Bb
   and in a way I'm yearning to be done with all this weighing of the truth.

    An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,
                                         F                                      Am
    and anyway I told the truth, and I'm not afraid to die.

                                                       E
    And the mercy seat is burning,      and I think my head is glowing,
C                                                   G                                                  Bb
    and 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,
                                                   F                                     Am
     and anyway there was no proof, and I'm not afraid to die.

                                                        E
    And the mercy seat is glowing,        and I think my head is smoking,
C                                                   G                                              Bb
    and in a way I'm hoping to be done with all these looks of disbelief.

    A life for a life, and a truth for a truth,
                                               F                                       Am
    and Ive got nothing left to lose, and Im not afraid to die.

                                                         E
    And the mercy seat is smoking,       and I think my head is melting,
C                                                        G                                               Bb
    and in a way thats helping to be done with all this twisting of the truth.

    An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,
                                         F                                     Am
    and anyway I told the truth, but Im afraid I told a lie.

( Am E C G Bb F Am ) (3x)