My Lutheran colleague during our campus ministry years at the University of Western
Ontario and Fanshawe College in London, Ontario was a man named Bill Kurschinski. His favourite expression was “Lord, have mercy!”
Three years after returning to parish ministry, during a particularly hectic week, I found myself thinking, “Lord, have mercy! What a week!” The refrain soon followed. But it was in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s related stresses and pressures, that I finally completed the song with verses about a seven day week that was a complete wash.
It’s been a “you know what I mean” that kind of a week
It’s been a dawn to dusk, a sleepless wreck of a week
It’s been an “I can’t wait for Sunday!” kind of a week
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
It’s been a headline, deadline, red-line kind of a week
It’s been a craving for some me-time mess of a week
It’s been a “Help me, Lord, I’m sinking!” crazy week
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
Monday came, hit me like an Arctic blast
After a weekend that went by much, much too fast
Tuesday had me guessing all day long
Left me wondering how I got it oh so wrong
Wednesday’s known by some as the midweek hump
But I got stuck this side of a downward slump
It’s been a “you know what I mean” that kind of a week
It’s been a dawn to dusk, a sleepless wreck of a week
It’s been an “I can’t wait for Sunday!” kind of a week
Lord have mercy! What a week!
Thursday’s known for one day left to go
That’s what made it seem so long and slow
TGIF, Friday came at last
Got pulled over, fined for going too fast
Saturday went shopping, paid some bills
All my teams lost, spills without the thrills
It’s been a headline, deadline, red-line kind of a week
It’s been a craving for some me-time mess of a week
It’s been a “Help me, Lord, I’m sinking!” crazy week
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
Sunday morning I planned to go to church
But I slept in, then went on a Google search
Sunday afternoon I meant to take a hike
But my legs and my feet went on a hunger strike
Sunday night I wanted to watch my shows
But the power went out for reasons unknown
It’s been a “you know what I mean” that kind of a week
It’s been a dawn to dusk, a sleepless wreck of a week
It’s been an “I can’t wait for Sunday!” kind of a week
Lord have mercy! What a week!
It’s been a headline, deadline, red-line kind of a week
It’s been a craving for some me-time mess of a week
It’s been a “Help me, Lord, I’m sinking!” crazy week
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
Lord, have mercy! What a week!
© Peter Slofstra • 2021 • Orillia, Ontario