What does Mercy mean?

Shawn Mendes: Mercy Meaning

Album cover for Mercy album cover

Song Released: 2016


Get "Mercy" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

Mercy Lyrics

You've got a hold of me
Don't even know your power
I stand a hundred feet
But I fall when I'm around you

Show me an open door
Then you go and slam it on me
I can't take anymore
I'm saying baby

Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jan 28th 2017 !⃝

    In my eyes, the song is about a guys loving a girl and her not loving him back. It's unrequited love. When it says he's a puppet on her strings- he will do anything for her basically. When it says she has no idea of the pain, maybe she doesn't know he feels this way or that it hurts him so bad. The song is him asking for mercy from her, he can't let her go.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 22nd 2017 !⃝

    I'm not sure if this song is about a relationship at all. I think it's about a passion he has (like painting, acting or of course making music). He will always try to be realy good an he suffers for his passion, because he wants perfection. It never turns out perfect, thats why he longs for mercy. But he is so "in love" whit his passion he cant stop doing it.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 14th 2018 !⃝

    This song is not necessarily linked to any relationship at all. It could be Shawn directly speaking to himself. Everyone has an inner beast inside of them, where he is trying to reassure himself and try to take control of his life. He does not want to hurt himself, but he cannot possibly do so without taming the inner beast within himself. By doing so, the song also relates to human nature--how people are manipulative, controlling, and out to dominate. According to the song, people are not necessarily innately evil, but each person's inner beast takes control over their actions and thoughts. As a whole, society does not seek out to hurt, but rather there are demons inside each person's head. This leads to an interpretation where Shawn is begging for the internal demons and beasts to let humanity take its own route, whether the outcome is negative or positive.

  4. anonymous
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    Feb 16th 2019 !⃝

    First of all, I think the song is about a girl who thinks she's just doing "little things" that can have little to no affect, but the boy knows that her actions aren't "little things" to him. Second of all, how on Earth did all these conspirisy theroists get here!!!

  5. anonymous
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    Nov 1st 2018 !⃝

    This as any og Shawn songs is about drugs. I mean drugs is all he ever sung about... tries to disguise it but can not...it kinda obvious

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    Dec 29th 2017 !⃝

    "Consuming all the air inside my lungs,
    ripping all the skin from off my bones,
    I'm prepared to sacrifice my life,
    I would gladly do it twice."
    This is clearly a suicide call. You are prepared to sacrifice your life, or take it. Suicide.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Dec 5th 2017 !⃝

    i thenk mirci is bout 2 person sean and me wen we did sum fun activity wit da lites on in hotel when he in my countri. his ask for mirci bcuz i 2 much fun.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  8. anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2017 !⃝

    100% illuminati song, even calls himself a puppet!!!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. anonymous
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    Aug 26th 2017 !⃝

    In my opinion, this song isn't about a relationship with a girl. I think it's about his relationship with the music industry. Maybe being a part of this music industry it's very hard and it has a big pressure on him, you can see here " I can't take anymore... Please have mercy on me". I don't know how many of you heard about the illuminati, but I believe everything about them. They are real and mostly of the popular singers are sell outs (they sold their soul to Satan). I don't think Shawn is a Illuminati puppet ( like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna) but in this verses you can see "I'm a puppet on your string/ And even though you got good intentions/ I need you to set me free". The illuminati gave him popularity, money,fortune and he loves this, but sometimes he can't do this no more.. It's too exhausting. " Even though you don't mean to hurt me/ you keep tearing me apart" They keep tearing him apart from the truth.. Well, this is my interpretation of the song..When I first read the lyrics I knew this has nothing to do with a girl. I actually love Shawn and I hope he isn't a sell out to illuminati.

  10. anonymous
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    Aug 2nd 2017 !⃝

    The song is about a destructive relationship. He is in love with a girl that is a narcist. Narcists are not aware of how manipulative and empathiless they can be:

    You've got a hold on me
    Don't even know your power

    Maybe this girl is talking down on him to make herself feel better:

    I stand a hundred feet
    But I fall when I'm around you.

    She tries to play him around, a way of manipulating him:


    Show me an open door
    Then you go and slam it on me

    He is getting sick of it:

    I can't take anymore

    He asks her for mercy, mercy on his heart.

    He does everything for her:

    I drive trough the night just to be near you baby.

    He knows it is sick how he is obsessed or utterly in love with het that he is doing everything to be with her.

    'Tell me that I am not crazy'

    He knows he already became crazy by how she treats him.

    He is not as demanding as she is. He just wants her to be honest.

    I am not asking for a lot, just that you are on this baby.

    She needs to be honest, because it is driving him crazy and he still has his pride.

    He is asking for mercy, mercy on his heart.

    He is doing everything for her but she is still demanding him and manipulating him and still not loving him back the way he is loveling her.

    Consuming all the air inside my lungs, wripping all the skin from of my bones.

    He is so so hurt and asks this demaning girl who is controling him like a puppit on her string.


    She had issues with herself that is the reason she does not know she is hurting him. She does not mean to hurt him and maybe she loves him so much and really has good intentions. He is getting really hurt in this relationship.

  11. anonymous
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    Jul 20th 2017 !⃝

    A emotionally bas relationship. A guy willing to risk everything to help this relationship. But he's asking for mercy because she's hurting him. She's like playing games to draw him closer and then stop as it restarts again. It's a cycle that this girl makes. They guy wants relief from all the pain in the relationship. "Consuming all the air inside my lungs, ripping all the skin from off my bones, I'm prepared to sacrifice my life, I'll be glad to do it twice." That lyric is describing his pain about all this including "I'm a puppet on your string." And "Even though you have good intentions I need to set me free." She's having a hold of him, captaviting him.

  12. anonymous
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    Jul 4th 2017 !⃝

    He's talking about the illuminati here.
    Talking about how he's getting controlled and that he's "a puppet on your strings". He sacrificed his life once to become famous but he would gladly do it twice to not be famous anymore and not be part of the illuminati. He's begging to be set free. And the part where he's in the car is a way showing that he's trapped and can't get out of the illuminati, even if he tries really hard.

  13. anonymous
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    Jul 4th 2017 !⃝

    He's talking about the illuminati here

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Jun 6th 2017 !⃝

    I think it is about a guy loving a girl who keeps hurting him by not loving him as much as he loves her. She doesn't try to hurt him or even realise the pain he's going through because of her. He knows the relationship is bad for him but can't leave as she is all he wants even thought he knows she doesn't love him back. She's giving him mixed signals 'show me an open door then you go and slam it on me'. He wants her to 'have mercy on him' and stop giving him false hope and let him move on from her and find closure.

  15. anonymous
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    May 13th 2017 !⃝

    I think he fells like the relationship has mental affects on them and he's hurting emotionally and she might have good intentions but she is manipulative as he says I'm a puppet on your strings and she doesn't even notice that she does it, and she takes a lot out of him like when he says consuming all the air inside my lungs ripping all the skin from off my bones, but he would do anything for her.

  16. anonymous
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    Apr 24th 2017 !⃝

    What I think the song meant was he was asking her for mercy for not loving him right and he's heartbroken and asking her to not hurt him anymore.

  17. anonymous
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    Mar 11th 2017 !⃝

    It can also mean he is pleading for mercy whilst on tour, like he is just saying "give me a break" or "please have mercy" as he said in an interview.

  18. Jennifer Moffett
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    Mar 3rd 2017 !⃝

    I view it as a letter from the environment and animals to humanity.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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