Mercy, Mercy, Me!

We’ve known about this for a long time, haven’t we? I remember the first Earth Day. I was 12.

“Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)”

Woo ah, mercy mercy me
Ah things ain’t what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Woo mercy, mercy me, mercy father
Ah things ain’t what they used to be, no no
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas, fish full of mercury
Ah oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain’t what they used to be, no no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain’t what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Oh, na na…
My sweet Lord… No
My Lord… My sweet Lord

In 1971, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” album included the song “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology Song)whose lyrics were not only heart-wrenching then and now, but also prophetic. The What’s Going On album not only dealt with the environment, but humanity, racism, hunger, hate, corruption, the political climate, etc. As I listened to Marvin’s lyrics in my mind’s eye, I was blown away because the words are more alive today than they were in 1971. Link

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.