Love and Mercy

Album: Brian Wilson (1988)
Play Video


  • I was sittin' in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin

    Oh the violence that occurs seems like we never win


    Love and mercy that's what you need tonight

    So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight


    I was lyin' in my room and the news came on T.V.

    A lotta people out there hurtin' and it really scares me


    Love and mercy that's what you need tonight

    So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight


    I was standin' in a bar and watchin' all the people there

    Oh the lonliness in this world well it's just not fair


    Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo

    Oooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooo

    Ahhhhh-ahhhhhh-ahhhhhh-ohhhhhh-ohhhhhh


    Hey love and mercy that's what you need tonight

    So, love and mercy to you and your friends tonight


    Love and mercy that's what you need tonight

    Love and mercy tonight


    Love and mercy



    Writer/s: Brian Douglas Wilson
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Gav from LouisianaThe harmonies at the end are incredible. Rest in peace to the immortal Brian Wilson.
  • Jim from Ocean Grove, NjBrian Wilson is a musical genius. He wrote all the great Beach Boys songs that some guys with Mike Love still perform. After finishing the spectacular album Pet Sounds, Brian created the song Good Vibrations and was working on an album called Smile. But, Brian was overwhelmed by Sargent Peppers by the Beatles and felt he could not write songs as good (remember Beatles had 3 songwriters) and he started having psychiatric problems.
    After 20 years, Brian finally began to record again and opened his 1988 solo album with this gem. He is basically talking about how difficult it can be living in this world. When you look around, you see loneliness, people drinking to escape, tragedies shown on TV, violence in movies. But, love and mercy TONIGHT, one day at a time, can help you keep going rather than sink into depression.
    The harmonies are as beautiful and sublime as songs by the Beach Boys in the 1960s.
    See the movie, Love and Mercy. Excellent.
    And, if you get a chance, see Brian live, still performing in 2017 with a great band.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.