It has been said that in the waning hours and days after conflict, some soldiers have been asked to consider the unimaginable by the comrades they have grown to love and trust. This song is about very hard choices the living have faced after battle for many centuries. It addresses a subject that has been whispered in private since the dawn of warfare, yet is rarely spoken of in the light of day. I chose to examine this not through the lens of conclusions, but through the lens of the one placed in this difficult position.
This song is the first of a trilogy that explores the physical, emotional and relational suffering resulting from the horrors of war. The second song of the trilogy is The Dead are the Lucky Ones. The third and final song of the trilogy will be released later this fall.
MERCY KILL
The thunder of the battle slowly fades
Into the sound of low mournful groans
I walk among the wounded as they lay
Among the dead in a field of flesh and stone
to Soldier please do you have some water?
Soldier please bring a blanket for the chill
Soldier please tell my wife and daughter
Can you spare a bullet for a Mercy Kill?
As the night falls on the life of those
That hope not to see another day
Angels are waiting for their souls
As their voices rise in agony and pain
to Soldier please do you have some water?
Soldier please bring a blanket for the chill
Soldier please tell my wife and daughter
Can you spare a bullet for a Mercy Kill?
Black and white are turning grey
An’ wrong and right are hard to say
Musicians:
Scott Schultz: Producer, Engineer, Drums
Kevin Troyer: Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
Rob Muzick: Electric Guitars
Johnny Stanton: Bass
Josh Schultz: Keys & Organ
Jim Ed Hodges: Fiddle
Carissa Eldridge: Background Vocals
Mastered by: Scott Schultz
All Tracks recorded at Raindrop Studios, Nashville Tennessee
All lyrics ©Kevin Troyer & recordings ©7th Rest Publishing