Johnny Cash — Mercy Seat Chords
I'm a lazy guitar player so I wrote the whole song out for ya.
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Standard tuning — EADGBe
INTRO
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VERSE
Simply Am, E repeated
These are put before some of the chord changes, the song sounds fine without them.
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CHORUS
Chords
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Am AmMaj7 Am7 G Gm Bb Fmaj7 Am
(The parts that don't have the chords, is to be played like the chorus)
It ALL began when they come took me from my home
And put me on Death Row,
a crime for which I am totally innocent, you know.
Am E
I began to warm and chill
Am E
To objects and their fields,
Am E
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
Am E
The face of Jesus in my soup
Am E
Those sinister dinner deals
Am E
The meal trolley's wicked wheels
Am E
A hooked bone rising from my food
Am E
All things either good or ungood.
Am
And the mercy seat is waiting
AmMaj7
And I think my head is burning
Am7
And in a way I'm yearning
G Gm
To be done with all this weighing of the truth.
An eye for an eye
Bb
And a tooth for a tooth
Fmaj7
And anyway I told the truth
Am
And I'm not afraid to die.
Am / E / Am / E
Am
I hear stories from the chamber
AmMaj7
Christ was born into a manger
Am7
And like some ragged stranger
G Gm
He died upon the cross. Might I say,
Bb
it seems so fitting in its way
Fmaj7
He was a carpenter by trade
Am
Or at least that's what I'm told
Am / E / Am / E
Am E
My kill—hand's tatooed E.V.I.L.
Am E
across it's brother's fist
Am E
That filthy five!
Am E
They did nothing to challenge or resist.
Am AmMaj7
In Heaven His throne is made of gold
Am7
The ark of his Testament is stowed
A throne from which I'm told
G
All history does unfold.
Gm
It's made of wood and wire
Bb
And my body is on fire
Fmaj7 Am
And God is never far away.
Am AmMaj7
Into the mercy seat I climb
Am7
My head is shaved, my head is wired
And like a moth that tries
G
To enter the bright eye
Gm
I go shuffling out of life
Bb
Just to hide in death awhile
Fmaj7 Am
And anyway I never lied.
Am
And the mercy seat is waiting
AmMaj7
And I think my head is burning
Am7
And in a way I'm yearning
G Gm
To be done with all this weighing of the truth.
An eye for an eye
Bb
And a tooth for a tooth
Fmaj7
And anyway I told the truth
Am
And I'm not afraid to die.
Am
And the mercy seat is burning
AmMaj7
And I think my head is glowing
Am7
And in a way I'm hoping
G Gm
To be done with all this twisting of the truth.
An eye for an eye
Bb
And a tooth for a tooth
Fmaj7
And anyway there was no proof
Am
And I'm not afraid to die.
Am
And the mercy seat is glowing
AmMaj7
And I think my head is smoking
Am7
And in a way I'm hoping
G Gm
To be done with all these looks of disbelief.
A life for a life
Bb
And a truth for a truth
Fmaj7
And I've got nothing left to lose
Am
And I'm not afraid to die.
Am
And the mercy seat is smoking
AmMaj7
And I think my head is melting
Am7
And in a way that's helping
G Gm
To be done with all this twisting of the truth
An eye for an eye
Bb
And a tooth for a tooth
Fmaj7
And anyway I told the truth
Am
But I'm afraid I told a lie.