The Everlasting Mercy

Cover of the first edition

The Everlasting Mercy is a poem by John Masefield, the UK's second longest-serving poet laureate.

It was published in 1911, and is styled as the confession of a man who has turned from sin to Christianity. The work that first made Masefield famous, it shocked early 20th century British sensibilities with its direct, honest, and therefore often harsh language, as the life of protagonist violent, drunken womanizer Saul Kane is laid out in detail.

In Popular Media

In the third episode of the series Peter Gunn, The Vicious Dog, the last line is the antagonist, asked why he'd committed the crimes, responding with a quote from Everlasting Mercy:

O Lord, the sin Done for things there's money in.