Please Forgive Us - Natalie Merchant

"Mercy, mercy," why didn't we hear it?
"mercy, mercy," why did we read it
buried on the last page of our morning papers?

The plan was drafted, drafted in secret
gunboats met the red tide
driven to the rum trade
for the army that they created
but the bullets were bought by us
it was dollars that paid them

Please forgive us
we don't know what was done
in our name

There'll be more trials like this in mercenary heydays
when they're so apt to wrap themselves up
in the stripes and stars and find that they are able
to call themselves heroes
to justify murder
by their fighters for freedom

Please forgive us
we don't know what was done
please forgive us, we didn't know

Could you ever forgive us?
I don't know how you could

I know this is no consolation...

Please forgive us
we didn't know

Could you ever believe that
we didn't know?

Please forgive us
we didn't know

I wouldn't blame you
if you never could

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