Peter Gabriel — Mercy Street
Album: SoAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 5569
Length: 6:13
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Looking down on empty streets, all she can see
Are the dreams all made solid
Are the dreams made real
All of the buildings, all of the cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head
She pictures the broken glass, 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 gray
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 Street
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of Mercy Street
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 Street
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
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
Mercy, looking for mercy
Mercy, looking for mercy
Looking for mercy
Oh, mercy
Looking for mercy
Anne, with her father, is out in the boat
Riding the water
Riding the waves on the sea
Are the dreams all made solid
Are the dreams made real
All of the buildings, all of the cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head
She pictures the broken glass, 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 gray
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 Street
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of Mercy Street
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 Street
Wear your inside out
Dreaming of mercy
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
Mercy, looking for mercy
Mercy, looking for mercy
Looking for mercy
Oh, mercy
Looking for mercy
Anne, with her father, is out in the boat
Riding the water
Riding the waves on the sea
Comments (643)add comment
Trustocity wrote:
Brilliant!
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
This track is simply captivating đź‘Ť
itsme_bygolly wrote:
This didn't age well.
Neither will YOU! ...got a mirror?
This didn't age well.
Neither will YOU! ...got a mirror?
ssdhesi wrote:
Your comment is uninteresting!
Musically uninteresting, hard to listen to disjointed rhythm such as this with cacaphonic inchoherence
Your comment is uninteresting!
itsme_bygolly wrote:
This didn't age well.
Neither will you
This didn't age well.
Neither will you
Posts in this thread remind me of how I love Radio Paradise: its music, its listeners, and the way so many of us listeners contribute to our collective understanding of the songs and the writers.
From my heart,
Uncle Hud
From my heart,
Uncle Hud
For me this song triggers a kind of waking dream and in fact dreams that have included the feeling and mood, a kind of dream landscape.
Sublime. Just had to check .. yes, it's already a 10.
Few artists do mood or environmental music so well. The deep, rich bass, the slap of the drum, the roll of the synth and backing vocals, the twinkle of the high end .. and that voice. Fabulous.
Few artists do mood or environmental music so well. The deep, rich bass, the slap of the drum, the roll of the synth and backing vocals, the twinkle of the high end .. and that voice. Fabulous.
kenmo wrote:
Back in the day I was an avid follower of streaming technology (anybody remember Real Audio and liveconcerts.com?). This was early to mid '90's. I dowloaded the player program that Bill made available when he worked at KPIG and was in there like a dirty shirt when he started RP in early Y2K. 22 years... yikes. Well done, B&R!
This didn't age well.
Back in the day I was an avid follower of streaming technology (anybody remember Real Audio and liveconcerts.com?). This was early to mid '90's. I dowloaded the player program that Bill made available when he worked at KPIG and was in there like a dirty shirt when he started RP in early Y2K. 22 years... yikes. Well done, B&R!
This didn't age well.
goatshow wrote:
Don't know about Ann Sexton. Will say Gabriel thoroughly mined Syvlia Platt for this one.
For those wondering about Anne Sexton and this song, here is a wondrous union of the two that honors both:
https://youtu.be/5Y5KELHc0Hw
Don't know about Ann Sexton. Will say Gabriel thoroughly mined Syvlia Platt for this one.
The sleigh bells are tuned slightly different from each other and alternate...
Anyone else catch that?
Anyone else catch that?
Lazarus wrote:
... and a big part of that incredibleness was due to its producer, Daniel Lanois.
... and a big part of that incredibleness was due to its producer, Daniel Lanois.
For those wondering about Anne Sexton and this song, here is a wondrous union of the two that honors both:
https://youtu.be/5Y5KELHc0Hw
https://youtu.be/5Y5KELHc0Hw
radiotoe wrote:
Back in the day I was an avid follower of streaming technology (anybody remember Real Audio and liveconcerts.com?). This was early to mid '90's. I dowloaded the player program that Bill made available when he worked at KPIG and was in there like a dirty shirt when he started RP in early Y2K. 22 years... yikes. Well done, B&R!
Knowing there's at least of 18 years of comments reminded me that I;ve been listening to RP since 2004. Tempus Fugit! Whoa ...
Back in the day I was an avid follower of streaming technology (anybody remember Real Audio and liveconcerts.com?). This was early to mid '90's. I dowloaded the player program that Bill made available when he worked at KPIG and was in there like a dirty shirt when he started RP in early Y2K. 22 years... yikes. Well done, B&R!
I remember listening to this on a tape while driving in East Berlin in the late '80s. It captured the dark feeling on that side of the wall. It still has that power. Brilliant. Sublime.
Bill, how do you maintain, with all the negative comments here?
Eh, I mean, it's okay, but not totally feeling it.
"Swear they moved that sign" - such an evocative line, seems to speak of a deeper meaning but it doesn't matter exactly does it, we all know that slightly sickly sense when revisiting a memory, our home town, an old haunt.
Stingray wrote:
Just don´t pay them any attention...
33 very poor souls voted this song "1" (no kidding)!
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Just don´t pay them any attention...
Amazing album.. Peter is a master! Daniel Lanois's production on this was top shelf
It’s a ten✌️
In the early 90s a friend gave me this CD as I was leaving to work in Japan for a few weeks under a lot of pressure. I was often programming late at night, controlling hundreds of horsepower of machinery which could be damaged if I screwed up. I could also be injured. I didn't know who I could trust there, and it seemed some people were trying to sabotage my work. I listened to this whole album countless times and it helped me keep my sanity. In the end the project was successfully completed and I got to see some of Japan during Obon week. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives. I ended up writing a three part magazine article for Midnight Engineering about the experience called "The Mud Pump From Hell". Somehow this album was a perfect fit for those crazy times halfway around the globe. Thank you, Mr Gabriel. And Bill.
Started off at a 9
...but this is a very rare "10" from me.
...but this is a very rare "10" from me.
The definition of nailed it.
On_The_Beach wrote:
Awesome stuff, and beautifully said, Trustocity.
And who the heck gave this comment a thumbs down?!
some dumb cfunt
nice play RP ;D
Awesome stuff, and beautifully said, Trustocity.
And who the heck gave this comment a thumbs down?!
some dumb cfunt
nice play RP ;D
Trustocity wrote:
Awesome stuff, and beautifully said, Trustocity.
And who the heck gave this comment a thumbs down?!
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Awesome stuff, and beautifully said, Trustocity.
And who the heck gave this comment a thumbs down?!
bking wrote:
Wow, you only rate yourself a 3?
That's kinda sad.
My 16 year-old self: 8. My 49 year-old self: 3.
Wow, you only rate yourself a 3?
That's kinda sad.
jp33442 wrote:
Then go listen to commercial radio asshole
He's got the wrong attitude and the wrong station and the wrong life! (In regard to the first comment).
Then go listen to commercial radio asshole
He's got the wrong attitude and the wrong station and the wrong life! (In regard to the first comment).
Stingray wrote:
Proud Boys evidently!
33 very poor souls voted this song "1" (no kidding)!
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Proud Boys evidently!
Stingray wrote:
They can't help it, when it's just a mouse click away.
33 very poor souls voted this song "1" (no kidding)!
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
They can't help it, when it's just a mouse click away.
SmackDaddy wrote:
Then go listen to commercial radio asshole
How many times a day do we have to hear this guy? Every damn day.
Then go listen to commercial radio asshole
This is one the highest rated songs I've ever seen on RP. Well deserved!
SmackDaddy wrote:
Total Ratings: 4189
Average: 8.4 [the RP jury has spoken!]
Plays (last 30 days):
Main Mix - 2
Mellow Mix - 6
Maths isn't your thing?
Hint: if you don't listen to RP you won't have to hear this guy
... and we won't have to see your whining
WIN WIN
How many times a day do we have to hear this guy? Every damn day.
Total Ratings: 4189
Average: 8.4 [the RP jury has spoken!]
Plays (last 30 days):
Main Mix - 2
Mellow Mix - 6
Maths isn't your thing?
Hint: if you don't listen to RP you won't have to hear this guy
... and we won't have to see your whining
WIN WIN
Peter Gabriel is one of the 2 artists who I have stuck with through my whole life. The other is Pink Floyd. I mean that I still like any new releases (far and few between these days). God I'm old.
SmackDaddy wrote:
Smack that “skip” button
How many times a day do we have to hear this guy? Every damn day.
Smack that “skip” button
bking wrote:
My 19 year-old self: 8. My 53 year-old self: 10.
My 16 year-old self: 8. My 49 year-old self: 3.
My 19 year-old self: 8. My 53 year-old self: 10.
My 16 year-old self: 8. My 49 year-old self: 3.
How many times a day do we have to hear this guy? Every damn day.
Solid PG.
Musically uninteresting, hard to listen to disjointed rhythm such as this with cacaphonic inchoherence
I was surprised to see I'd never rated this. I just gave it a solid 9, partly for the wonderful comments. Maybe I need to go read Anne Sexton.
Thank you, RP.
c.
Thank you, RP.
c.
talexb wrote:
And one of our blessed souls pointed me to this 23 year old Gabriel performance from 1973. Brilliant.
I'm loathe to comment while [Trustocity]'s beautiful is at the top, but their story is heightened by the contrasting pictures of Mr. Gabriel -- on the left, a youthful looking thirty-something, and on the right, a gentleman of retirement age.
Bless this wonderful source of most excellent music and this thoughtful community.
Bless this wonderful source of most excellent music and this thoughtful community.
And one of our blessed souls pointed me to this 23 year old Gabriel performance from 1973. Brilliant.
So would be in my top 10 albums of all time, no questions. Gabriel is pure genius
Four comments:
1) Like many others here, this is one of my favorite PG songs. Every listen takes me away for a moment, to both literal and figurative places
2) I wasn't aware of the connection to an Anne Sexton poem until I back-tracked through 18 years of comments (and read all of the thoughtful ones)
3) Knowing there's at least of 18 years of comments reminded me that I;ve been listening to RP since 2004. Tempus Fugit! Whoa ...
4) RP listeners -- not your average musical bear ...
1) Like many others here, this is one of my favorite PG songs. Every listen takes me away for a moment, to both literal and figurative places
2) I wasn't aware of the connection to an Anne Sexton poem until I back-tracked through 18 years of comments (and read all of the thoughtful ones)
3) Knowing there's at least of 18 years of comments reminded me that I;ve been listening to RP since 2004. Tempus Fugit! Whoa ...
4) RP listeners -- not your average musical bear ...
I'm loathe to comment while [Trustocity]'s beautiful is at the top, but their story is heightened by the contrasting pictures of Mr. Gabriel -- on the left, a youthful looking thirty-something, and on the right, a gentleman of retirement age.
Bless this wonderful source of most excellent music and this thoughtful community.
Bless this wonderful source of most excellent music and this thoughtful community.
easmann wrote:
MattRudely wrote:
Probably. At least, I hope you're right. But you don't know, no matter how strongly you may believe, nobody does.
I find it interesting that it's a legitimate scientific theory that warrants consideration and investigation. You know, every far-fetched theory is a joke until it isn't. Not saying this will go that way, but, it could …
"Hey, have you heard? They're saying the Earth is round, not flat!"
"Ha ha ha, RIGHT!"
"Hey, have you heard? They're saying the Universe is round, not flat!"
"Ha ha ha, RIGHT!"
And then of course there's this:
Scientific American: Are We Living In a Computer Simulation?
MattRudely wrote:
I've got this.
No.
No.
Probably. At least, I hope you're right. But you don't know, no matter how strongly you may believe, nobody does.
I find it interesting that it's a legitimate scientific theory that warrants consideration and investigation. You know, every far-fetched theory is a joke until it isn't. Not saying this will go that way, but, it could …
"Hey, have you heard? They're saying the Earth is round, not flat!"
"Ha ha ha, RIGHT!"
"Hey, have you heard? They're saying the Universe is round, not flat!"
"Ha ha ha, RIGHT!"
Pjesnik wrote:
It's my favorite line from this song, and I quote it all the time when thinking about the manifestation of our goals/dreams. Congratulations on completing your thesis
"All of the buildings, all of the cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head."
I used to write this quote (translated, of course) in the Acknowledgement of my MSc thesis.
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head."
I used to write this quote (translated, of course) in the Acknowledgement of my MSc thesis.
It's my favorite line from this song, and I quote it all the time when thinking about the manifestation of our goals/dreams. Congratulations on completing your thesis
"All of the buildings, all of the cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head."
I used to write this quote (translated, of course) in the Acknowledgement of my MSc thesis.
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head."
I used to write this quote (translated, of course) in the Acknowledgement of my MSc thesis.
...joy division, peter gabriel...okay
T Akazungu wrote:
I agree with what you say enough to go 5+1 on this one. I was a bit too young to get PG then, I'm slowly liking him more, and find the PG Genesis is not what PG Solo was. So Long Live RP and changing tastes!!
One of the best songs, from one of the best albums of the 80s. I really like Peter post-Genesis, and I really like Genesis post-Peter.
I agree with what you say enough to go 5+1 on this one. I was a bit too young to get PG then, I'm slowly liking him more, and find the PG Genesis is not what PG Solo was. So Long Live RP and changing tastes!!
Trustocity wrote:
Getting older sucks, but it does give you perspectives like this :)
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet."
Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other.
What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Getting older sucks, but it does give you perspectives like this :)
Trustocity wrote:
Reading your comment 14 years later, new to RP. Very evocative of my own memories of that album. Thanks.
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet."
Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other.
What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Reading your comment 14 years later, new to RP. Very evocative of my own memories of that album. Thanks.
The video for this is SO hot.
easmann wrote:
I've got this.
No.
I've got this.
No.
Stingray wrote:
Don't be mean !
33 very poor souls voted this song "1" (no kidding)!
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Freedom of taste or the terror of idiocy?
Don't be mean !
One of the best songs, from one of the best albums of the 80s. I really like Peter post-Genesis, and I really like Genesis post-Peter.
dsd wrote:
having bipolar family members, I grieve over those we have lost to the hell of depression. I thank God and our technology that we are making progress in treating this stuff and keeping many alive—but we have so much more to do—not just in development of treatment, but particularly in distribution—RIP Anne
having bipolar family members, I grieve over those we have lost to the hell of depression. I thank God and our technology that we are making progress in treating this stuff and keeping many alive—but we have so much more to do—not just in development of treatment, but particularly in distribution—RIP Anne
radioparadise9 wrote:
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist.
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist.
I'll not comment on the existence of God but I don't find your argument very compelling. You may as well also ask:
"Why is there pain as well as pleasure?"
"Why is there bitter as well as sweet?"
”Why is there ugliness as well as beauty?”
"Why is there poison as well as balm?"
"Why is there darkness as well as light?"
"Why is there risk as well as reward?"
"Why is there poverty as well as wealth?"
"Why is there consequence as well as volition?"
You seem to suggest that the nature of reality precludes a designer, perhaps because that nature does not conform to one that you would have approved?
To me that's no better than the many comments like "it's a bad song because I don't like it".
And then of course there's this:
Scientific American: Are We Living In a Computer Simulation?
Increasing my rating from 8 to 9 - O U T S T A N D I N G
But why is that worth a " Thumbs down" ?
But why is that worth a " Thumbs down" ?
radioparadise9 wrote:
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist.
Congratulations. You're an Asshole.
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist.
Congratulations. You're an Asshole.
<3
dsd wrote:
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist?
having bipolar family members, I grieve over those we have lost to the hell of depression. I thank God and our technology that we are making progress in treating this stuff and keeping many alive—but we have so much more to do—not just in development of treatment, but particularly in distribution—RIP Anne
Someone has to point out the obvious - why did your god create depression - and then fail to fix it?
... because your imaginary friend doesn't exist?
This whole album is brilliant! Listened to it non stop in my 20's
hagz21 wrote:
me too, well done indeed
One of my few 10's. Well done Mr Gabriel. Well done.
me too, well done indeed
great song..
Such a perfect song!
Thank you Peter Gabriel for
Mercy Street
This is 8 - Most Excellent to me TY RP :)
More Peter Gabriel please, please
melzabutch wrote:
clwguy wrote:
Trustocity, absolutely brilliant thank you for that.
Yeah, that was brilliant. brought a tear to my eye for my own memories... Mercy Street is one of the few songs that truly merit a 10.
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Trustocity, absolutely brilliant thank you for that.
clwguy wrote:
Trustocity, absolutely brilliant thank you for that.
Mercy Street is one of the few songs that truly merit a 10.
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Trustocity, absolutely brilliant thank you for that.
A marvelous song for a great poet.
Mercy Street is one of the few songs that truly merit a 10.
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Trustocity, your comment is as perfect and memorable as this song.
Trustocity wrote:
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
I attended the So reunion tour at Red rocks a few years ago, magical...
apd wrote:
That was touching and very illustrative. I could visualize the scene.
That was touching and very illustrative. I could visualize the scene.
Dao lived on Mercy St. I miss her.
Man he captures the emotion 
an awesome song with more ambience than in your eyes that i havent heard by gabriel astounding 9
One of my few 10's. Well done Mr Gabriel. Well done.
bump:
kcar wrote:
Trustocity wrote:
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Jeez, this album is 30 years old? Where did the time go? Where are my keys?
Some great youtube videos of this one live.
This sounds even better with headphones.
This is an easy 10.
L2
Love this song, simply love this song. Good lyrics and emotion in his voice.
Ah vintage PG - before the pretentiousness became too much for me.
Truly one of the most amazing songs ever.
I love lunar rovers, boats, spaceships, and hate cars.
SmackDaddy wrote:
and yet he never plays 'Sledgehammer'
Bill, you have an unhealthy obsession with Peter Gabriel
and yet he never plays 'Sledgehammer'
SmackDaddy wrote:
This is just an issue of differing tastes.
An unhealthy obsession would be demonstrated by trying to get rid of something you don't like by mischaracterizing a ... oh.
Bill, you have an unhealthy obsession with Peter Gabriel
This is just an issue of differing tastes.
An unhealthy obsession would be demonstrated by trying to get rid of something you don't like by mischaracterizing a ... oh.
kicking wrote:
You CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!!
I can't believe it's been almost 30 years since the release of this album..
You CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!!
I can't believe it's been almost 30 years since the release of this album..
having bipolar family members, I grieve over those we have lost to the hell of depression. I thank God and our technology that we are making progress in treating this stuff and keeping many alive—but we have so much more to do—not just in development of treatment, but particularly in distribution—RIP Anne
SmackDaddy wrote:
no such thing
Bill, you have an unhealthy obsession with Peter Gabriel
no such thing
One of my first LP:s , know all sngs by heart
Every song on this album gives me goosebumps.
I love the story about the making of this album, his colleagues actually nailed him shut in his garden studio to force him to finish the work and not get distracted on every other project that he was conjuring up from his over fertile imagination :)
Genius
I love the story about the making of this album, his colleagues actually nailed him shut in his garden studio to force him to finish the work and not get distracted on every other project that he was conjuring up from his over fertile imagination :)
Genius
SmackDaddy wrote:
8< virtual editing scissors applied
Bill, you have a healthy obsession with Peter Gabriel
8< virtual editing scissors applied
good point - can't imagine Phil playing drums on this.
gjeeg wrote:
Chills
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
Bill, you have an unhealthy obsession with Peter Gabriel
Words are speaking for themselves.
A complete Artist.
A complete Artist.
So is one of my favourite albums ever.
"So" by Peter Gabriel has never been dislodged as one of my "Top Ten" favorite albums of all time.
I even flew across the Atlantic to watch him perform it live at the O2 arena hoping that Kate Bush might just show up but alas........
I even flew across the Atlantic to watch him perform it live at the O2 arena hoping that Kate Bush might just show up but alas........
fredriley wrote:
Seconded. Bosses never read reports anyway, just skimread the 'executive summary' - all else is pointless verbiage. As Bev wrote below, a post as poetic and poignant as this should be a permanent attachment to the song.
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Thirded. Great story. Thanks.
Seconded. Bosses never read reports anyway, just skimread the 'executive summary' - all else is pointless verbiage. As Bev wrote below, a post as poetic and poignant as this should be a permanent attachment to the song.
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Thirded. Great story. Thanks.
Who was that balding grey frosted geezer I saw recently singing this song?
Damn, he looked lot like me.
easmann wrote:
Thanks for posting this, easmann.
fredriley wrote:
Anne Sexton’s Original Poem “45 Mercy Street”: The Genesis of Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street”
...
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Anne Sexton’s Original Poem “45 Mercy Street”: The Genesis of Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street”
Thanks for posting this, easmann.
glassbrain wrote:
Elbow's cover would get a PSD ....so awful!
I gave this an "8 - Most Excellent", 'cos it is. But, if Bill had played Elbow's cover...I would have given it "9".
Elbow's cover would get a PSD ....so awful!
I gave this an "8 - Most Excellent", 'cos it is. But, if Bill had played Elbow's cover...I would have given it "9".
fredriley wrote:
Anne Sexton’s Original Poem “45 Mercy Street”: The Genesis of Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street”
...
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Anne Sexton’s Original Poem “45 Mercy Street”: The Genesis of Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street”
kcar wrote:
Seconded. Bosses never read reports anyway, just skimread the 'executive summary' - all else is pointless verbiage. As Bev wrote below, a post as poetic and poignant as this should be a permanent attachment to the song.
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Trustocity wrote:
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Seconded. Bosses never read reports anyway, just skimread the 'executive summary' - all else is pointless verbiage. As Bev wrote below, a post as poetic and poignant as this should be a permanent attachment to the song.
Who's Anne Sexton, and what's her connection to the song?
Trustocity wrote:
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Every corporate drone in America with a used car and a mortgage was once a teenager staying out too late on a Tuesday night with a group of friends speeding down their town's main strip with the windows open and the radio loud, and when I was that teenager, "So" was the album in the tape deck. I sat in the passenger's seat with my right foot dangling out the window as my best friend drove. The girl he pined for sat in the back with the boy she was dating, my other best friend, and it felt more like a romantic triangle among true comrades from a French movie than the angst-riddled tripe you see on "One Tree Hill." When you love the guy your girl is dating as much as you love the girl, it's the definition of "bittersweet." Whenever "Mercy Street" started trickling through the speakers of that old Grand Am, with its tender, discordant synths followed by the triangle, the atmosphere in the car was hushed. My pal turned the stereo up so loud we couldn't even hear the wind rushing through four open windows. Today, reinhabiting the boy I was, my heart swells like a sponge cake in my chest to remember how happy and at peace I was. We all knew the words by heart, had all read Anne Sexton just to better understand the song, and the unfiltered sadness we experienced from the beginning to the end of that song made us feel magnificently alive and vulnerable, and connected to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I'm never going to finish this report my boss wants by 4:30. Not with "Mercy Street" playing...
Screw your boss. That report was irrelevant dust before it was even finished. Hold onto memories and emotions like these. Thank you for sharing.
Near the end of his great period. I miss this guy.
Love it when I get to hear two songs rated 10 in a row (Bob Dylan - Shelter from the Storm, and now, my favorite Gabriel song)!
gjeeg wrote:
Well said. Two good bands, two very different reasons for playing. OK...Make money is a single reason, but you can do it one way or another.
Chills
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
Well said. Two good bands, two very different reasons for playing. OK...Make money is a single reason, but you can do it one way or another.
sparksfry wrote:yes :)
gjeeg wrote:
yes :)
Chills
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
yes :)
Chills
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
After all these years.
I know now why Peter left Genesis.
He had This to do.
They had That to do.
Too much genius in one band.
wow - this song still stops me cold in my tracks every time..
Up to and including this album, Gabe was so good.
And now, his latest stuff makes me ashamed to have loved him so hard.
And now, his latest stuff makes me ashamed to have loved him so hard.
Wonderful,
beautiful music
deep, thoughtful lyrics
beautifully sung
wow
beautiful music
deep, thoughtful lyrics
beautifully sung
wow
The lyrics, on their own (according to Musixmatch):
Looking down on empty streets
All she can see
Are the dreams all made solid
Are the dreams made real
All of the buildings
All of the cars
Were once just a dream
In somebody's head
She pictures the broken glass
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 gray
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 Street
Wear you're inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of Mercy Street
I 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 Street
Wear you're inside out
Dreaming of mercy
In your daddy's arms again
Dreaming of Mercy Street
I swear they moved that sign
Looking for mercy
In your daddy's arms
Mercy, mercy
Looking for Mercy Street
Looking for mercy
Mercy
Looking for mercy
Looking for mercy
Looking for mercy
Oh, looking for mercy
Looking for mercy
Anne, with her father
Is out in the boat
Riding the water
Riding the waves on the sea