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!'
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]].