Song Lyric Analysis

Shawn Mendes - Mercy

 The person in question doesn’t
even know how strong their
Shows that someone's in
control is over him
control of him

“You’ve got a hold of me, don’t even know your power”

Aimed at someone in
particular
A very strong use of word,
showing how truly in control they
really are
 He's the biggest person, full of He's no longer the most
self-confidence and in full powerful 100ft man that
control of himself he was before when he’s
in the presence of this
person

“I stand a hundred feet, but I fall when I'm around ya”

He's a huge pop star

worldwide, but when he's
Pride in himself with this person they Falls in love all over again every time he
make him feel like a sees this person
normal person
 Maybe they’re
Acts like a chance is playing with him, A forceful word,
opening up maybe its deliberate and
uncertainty powerful action

“Show me an open door, then you go and slam it on me”

Making it evident
there’s a possibility
A way back in
After the chance opens
up, they close it in his
face
Saying that its Begging for
coming from him Polite way of forgiveness
saying it

“I’m saying, baby please have mercy on me”

The ‘please’ comes before the ‘mercy’ can be associated

actual statement indicating with forms of attack, and
how desperate he is for this surrendering, saying he's
forgiveness under attack by this person
 This is how
Unintentional he feels from
and he knows it, in pain
that

“Even though you don’t mean to hurt me,

you keep tearing me apart”
It’s a constant thing
that’s happening

As if the pain he's going through has

withered him down to the bare minimum
 Not the most
comfortable time for Even just to be
someone to be driving close to them he’d
do this

“I’d drive through the night, just to be near you baby”

Dark, gloomy, vulnerable –

all things that could
describe him at this time
 Defines as ‘serve
as evidence or
Doesn't want to seem
proof that
crazy but wants
something exists’
forgiveness from them

“Heart open testify, tell me that I'm not crazy”

He’s at his most

Acts as if he’s waiting
vulnerable
to hear something
 Doesn’t think Just wants to
its that difficult know the truth
to be honest He just wants them to
open up and be honest

“I'm not asking for a lot, just that you’re honest with me”

Doesn’t have to go
All he wants is clarity any further than
and honesty just them two
 Making it clear He doesn’t
he has pride in want to lose
himself his pride too,
especially in
this manor

“ My pride, is all I’ve got ”

He's lost everything else

he had
 In control of his
He knows that he's just emotions and
the main character of behaviour
their little game

“I’m a puppet on your strings”

Coming from him its The other person is fully in

almost like admittance control and there’s nothing
and acceptance he can do about it
 The idea is along the right
Suggests that he’s lines, but it wont work out
understanding of their side, for the both of them
but feels his is more important

“And even though you’ve got good intentions,

I need you to set me free”

Its not a want, it’s a Like he’s being released

need from prison almost, being
let out of a life sentence
 Maybe he’s talking so They could be finishing
They’re taking all of it much and trying so hard him off almost
and hiding it that he's running out of
breath

“Consuming all the air inside my lungs,

ripping all the skin from off my bones”

Like an action of hatred,

if you rip something you
usually mean it