Have Mercy on the Criminal Lyrics

Lyric discussion by starrling 

Cover art for Have Mercy on the Criminal lyrics by Elton John

I feel that these lyrics are far more meaningful in this decade than before. In the U.S., we have a huge population of prisoners, and many of those are people of color serving exorbitant terms for simple infractions. And it seems we've brought back the old debtors prisons, as well. The U.S. is sliding back into the dark ages one step at a time. So, once again, I do believe Bernie Taupin, genius lyricist, wrote a song that lives beyond the 70s. And Elton brilliantly put it to music (OH what a musician!).