We can't be oblivious,
We are not ignorant,
Blood in our hearts,
Blood on our hands,
We're human, we reason, we're breathing,
Protecting the living and dying, surviving,
We're trying to breathe in safety,
Come home safely

Mercy screams its violent love,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
The depth of us created for,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
This is where they kiss

Life here sacrificed,
Someone who paid the price,
Blood in our hearts,
Blood on our hands,
We cry out, we're fighting, it's warfare, we're dying,
Believing we're winning, it's ending, we're singing,
It's already done, we've overcome

Mercy screams its violent love,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
The depth of us created for,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
This is where they kiss

With a life on the line (Fire!),
That consumes or refines (Fire!),
To ascent or decline, to retreat or to climb,
Out of sight, out of mind 'til attacked from behind.
Will this fire resume or refine?

Mercy screams its violent love,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
The depth of us created for,
Justice and mercy, justice and mercy,
And this is where they kiss



Lyrics submitted by FlyleafRox

Track duration: 02:40

"Justice and Mercy" as written by Sameer Bhattacharya, James Culpepper, Jared Hartmann, Kirkpatrick Seals, Lacey Nicole Sturm

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Justice and Mercy song meanings
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36 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I know they are a catholic band, but if they do not mention God or Jesus, you just can not assume it is about a relationship with God or Jesus. If you listen to the live version, she states what it means to her at the House of Blues which is battle that she was going through her life. Justice means fairness and mercy means showing obedience to someone usually with more power or control over you. The fact that she is saying that "mercy screams her violent love", I think she is talking about holding back or showing mercy can eat you up because what you are going through is not just. But when she says "With a life on the line (fire), That consumes or refines (fire)", you do not let someone control your life to the point it consumes, you walk away or you act better than that person.
    Flag cardy4321on October 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In every interview about this song she says its about the Soliders.
    Flag BethP2013on May 07, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:I don't think this song is as specific as Jesus or the Iraq crisis. More or less a paradox between the wars in the world and the internal wars within ourselves.
    Flag KrakenAttackon March 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:We're cryin' OUT, we're fighting...............
    Life HERE sacrificed, Someone who paid the price...........
    The DEATH of us created for justice and Mercy...........


    I think it's right
    Flag Boogabear1on January 01, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think its both meanings, both about soldiers and about jesus.
    Flag catybugon December 23, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hopefully this doesn't come across as me beating the Bible over anyone's head, but this is what I think the song primarily means, though I think she's also trying to tie it in a little with the war in Iraq.

    Blood in our hearts
    Blood on our hands

    Scripture frequently talks about us having blood on our hands. Even those who have not actually shed anothers blood have done so in their hearts. Jesus taught us that whoever hates his brother is guilty of murder.

    "Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
    or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
    but your iniquities have made a separation
    between you and your God,
    and your sins have hidden his face from you
    so that he does not hear.
    For your hands are defiled with blood
    and your fingers with iniquity;
    your lips have spoken lies;
    your tongue mutters wickedness."
    Isaiah 59:1-3

    Life he sacrificed
    Someone who paid the price
    Justice and mercy
    This is where they kiss

    Christ sacrificed himself on the cross, paying the price for our sin.

    "Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."
    Hebrews 9:25-28

    "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
    Romans 3:23-26

    Propitiation refers to sacrifice. Christ is our redemption ("paying the price" to get something back). In Romans we see also the justice and mercy of God meeting. Justly, sin requires consequence. A price has to be paid. In mercy, God took that consequence on himself (through Christ).

    Will this fire consume or refine

    Refining fire is a common theme in Scripture. Those who accept Christ's offer of redemption will face some trials in this life that will refine, but they will not be consumed. Those who reject this offer will be cut off from God and face the fire will consume.

    "In the whole land, declares the LORD,
    two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
    and one third shall be left alive.
    And I will put this third into the fire,
    and refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
    They will call upon my name,
    and I will answer them.
    I will say, 'They are my people';
    and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
    Zechariah 13:8-9

    We're crying, we're fighting, it's warfare, we're dying
    Believing we're winning, it's ending, we're singing
    It's already done
    We've overcome

    "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
    Romans 8:35-39
    Flag emaildumpon September 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To strengthen the theory about the troops in Iraq, the line 'Fire that consumes or refines' could be about oil, and that could be a metaphor for the war...
    Don't hold me on that - it's just a theory. I'm not sure...
    Flag jjk890on December 16, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:The message that I'm getting from this song is that we need to be grateful that we are here today. We can't treat life like crap. "Life he sacrifice" hence this song is having to do with Jesus.
    Flag Kunieon April 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song may be dedicated to the war in iraq or whatnot but that isn't what its about. there are biblical references all in this song.

    "We can�t be oblivious
    We are not ignorant
    Blood in our hearts
    Blood on our hands
    We�re human, we reason, we�re breathing, protecting
    The living and dying, surviving, we�re trying "

    ^about how we are guilty and responsible for Jesus' deaths and how we are humans and so we make mistakes but we try.

    "The depth of us created for
    Justice and mercy"
    ^this is what God created us for.

    "This is where they kiss"
    ^i LOVE this line!!!! its referring to before the crucifixion when judas betrayed Jesus he planned it and told the people he giving Jesus over to to be killed that they one he 'greeted with a kiss' was the one who claimed to be the Christ.

    "Life he sacrificed
    Someone who paid the price
    Blood in our hearts
    Blood on our hands
    We�re crying, we�re fighting, it�s warfare, we�re dying
    Believing we�re winning, it�s ending, we�re singing
    It�s already done
    We�ve overcome"

    ^Jesus sacrificed his life for us and paid the price for our sins. we are responsible. its going through all of the stages. first, crying fighting warfare dying.
    then after he is risen and we accept his forgiveness. we win, its ending, were singing. its done we've overcome. referring to how when Jesus died the veil/curtain in the temple seperating us from God was torn and Jesus last words included 'it is finished' meaning we no longer have to die/live life seperated from God.



    Flag Kittton March 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:WOW! So poetic, so beautiful.

    Definately a Jesus reference here...
    "Life he sacrificed
    Someone who paid the price
    Blood in our hearts
    Blood on our hands
    We’re crying, we’re fighting, it’s warfare, we’re dying
    Believing we’re winning, it’s ending, we’re singing
    It’s already done
    We’ve overcome"
    Flag Paramedico987on October 12, 2008   Link

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