For every child who lies still beneath his mother's eyes
She's asking why the God of love would give then take away?
For every self made man doing everything he can
To fill the void that's deep within eating at his soul

Ooh, have mercy, ooh, ooh
Have mercy on us all

For every wife who cries when her husband's lying eyes
Give the sordid game away and something dies within
For those who walk the streets, destitute and desperate
We shake our heads and wash our hands, and hurry on our way

Ooh, have mercy, ooh, have mercy, oh, whoa
Ooh, have mercy on us all, have mercy on us all
Ooh, have mercy, Lord, ooh, have mercy, oh, whoa
Ooh, mercy on us all, have mercy on us all

Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy, have mercy
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy
Have mercy on us all

Lord, have mercy, have mercy, Lord
Christ, have mercy, have mercy, Lord, have mercy
Lord, have mercy, have mercy, Lo-Lo-Lord

Oh God, forgive us for the wrong that we have done
The night is filled with weeping and we're aching for that dawn
Oh God of love, this world has suffered for so long
Have mercy on us all

We want to see the light, we want to see the day
When hope is realized and hatred washed away
When justice rules the heart, compassion leads the way
Have mercy on us all

Forgive our driven need to make a virtue out of greed
We've set our hearts on worldly things that cannot satisfy
We've used tomorrow's gold today while nature chokes along the way
How many years before we pay? Perhaps we're paying now

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Have mercy on us all

Hear our cry, oh Lord