Meaning
'Lord have mercy' — an exclamation of shock, distress, dismay, or exasperation. 'Lawd a massy!' bursts out at bad news, a fright, a disaster, or the sheer trials of life. Deeply rooted in Jamaica's Christian culture, it calls on the Lord's mercy in the face of trouble, and is one of the most common and heartfelt exclamations in everyday speech.
Examples
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Lawd a massy! Look wha happen.
Lord have mercy! Look what happened.
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Lawd a massy, di price gone up again.
Lord have mercy, the price has gone up again.
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When she hear, she bawl 'Lawd a massy!'
When she heard, she cried out 'Lord have mercy!'
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Lawd have mercy, look how di place mash up!
Good grief, look how the place is destroyed!
Used to react to a shocking or messy sight.
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Lawd have mercy pon mi, mi tired!
Lord have mercy on me, I'm tired!
'pon' = upon; here it leans closer to genuine appeal.
Origin
From 'Lord have mercy' (massy = mercy); an exclamation of shock/distress. See Lawd God, Massa God.
How it’s used
'Lord have mercy!' — an exclamation of shock, distress, or dismay. See Lawd God, Massa God.