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Mercy Now

from Pretty Bird by Kathy Mattea

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    Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville's finest song interpreters,”
    Kathy Mattea has enjoyed the kind of success many artists only dream of: two
    GRAMMY wins, four CMA Awards, four #1 country singles, and five gold albums
    (plus a platinum collection of her greatest hits). The dream almost ended,
    though, when Mattea entered her 50s and began to find her voice changing.
    What followed was a three year journey through life challenges and vocal
    glitches that she describes as her “dark night of the soul,” a trying time of
    personal anguish and professional uncertainty that threatened to silence her
    permanently.
    “The hardest thing was facing the question of whether I would still be able to
    sing well enough to enjoy it. That was the acid test for me, and I had to be
    willing to walk through a process that bumped me up against the very real
    possibility that, in the end, the answer might be “No.”
    Instead, Mattea dug in with a vocal coach, re-committed to her music, and
    emerged with the most poignant album of her career, “Pretty Bird.” Working
    with her old friend, music roots wizard Tim O’Brien, producing, “Pretty Bird” is
    a chronicle of her journey, song by song, back to singing for the sheer joy of it.
    It’s an emotional, moving collection, one that draws its strength not only from
    Mattea’s touching performances, but also from her uncanny ability to weave
    seemingly disparate material into a cohesive whole. From a playful take on
    Oliver Wood’s “Chocolate On My Tongue” to a tender rendition of Mary
    Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” from a British traditional to a Bobbie Gentry classic,
    these are the songs that helped Mattea reclaim her voice, and she inhabits
    each as fully as if it were her own.
    Exquisitely arranged and delivered with the kind of subtlety and nuance that
    can only come from a lifetime of heartbreak and triumph, ‘Pretty Bird’ is a
    title Kathy Mattea inhabits quite literally, and it’s a welcome reintroduction to
    one of country and Americana music’s most enduring and beloved figures.

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lyrics

My father could use a little mercy now

The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground

His work is almost over, it won't be long, he won't be around

I love my father, he could use some mercy now

My brother could use a little mercy now

He's a stranger to freedom, shackled to his fear and his doubt

The pain that he lives in is almost more than living will allow

I love my brother, he could use some mercy now

My church and my country could use a little mercy now

As they sink into a poisoned pit, it's going to take forever to climb out

They carry the weight of the faithful who follow them down

I love my church and country, they could use some mercy now

Every living thing could use a little mercy now

Only the hand of grace can end the race towards another mushroom cloud

And the people in power, they'll do anything to keep their crown

I love life, and life itself could use some mercy now

Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now

I know we don't deserve it, but we need it anyhow

We hang in the balance, and dangle 'tween hell and hallowed ground

And every single one of us could use some mercy now

Yeah every single one of us could use some mercy now

credits

from Pretty Bird, released September 7, 2018
MERCY NOW
(Mary Gauthier)
Mary Gauthier Songs (ASCAP)

Jim Brock: Drums
Victor Krauss: Bass
Bill Cooley: Acoustic Guitar
Tim O’Brien: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Dan Dugmore: Steel
Bobby Wood: Organ

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Kathy Mattea Nashville, Tennessee

Twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association, Kathy Mattea is among the most successful women in the genre’s history, yet her creative spirit has led her to explore musical territory well beyond its confines. Her recent recordings have intertwined Celtic, gospel, and bluegrass influences with the folk and acoustic music that have served as her artistic anchor. ... more

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