Mercy – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Madame Monsieur
• Album: VU D'ICI

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant story behind "Mercy" by Madame Monsieur, a song that beautifully blends French pop and electropop to narrate a tale of hope born amidst challenging circumstances. Learn how this song uses its lyrics and melody to champion a humanitarian message, making it a special and memorable piece of music.

[English]

I was born this morning

My name is Mercy

...

In the middle of the sea

Between two countries, Mercy

...

It was a long road and Mom took it

She had me in her womb for eight and a half months

Oh yes, eight and a half months

We left home, it was war

Sure she was right, there was nothing to lose

Oh no, except for life

I was born this morning, my name is Mercy

...

They reached out their hand and I am alive

...

I am all those children that the sea took

I will live a hundred thousand years, my name is Mercy

...

If it's urgent to be born

Understand too

That it's urgent to be reborn

When everything is destroyed

Mercy

And there before our eyes was the enemy

An immense blue, perhaps infinite

But yes, we knew the price

Rising from a wave, a friendly ship

Gave us a chance for survival

It's there that I let out my first cry

I was born this morning, my name is Mercy

They reached out their hand and I am alive

...

I am all those children that the sea took

...

I will live a hundred thousand years, my name is Mercy

...

Behind the semaphores, could it be the right port?

What will tomorrow bring? Face to face or hand in hand

What will tomorrow bring?

I was born this morning, my name is Mercy

...

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, I'm fine, thank you

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, I'm fine, thank you

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, I'm fine, thank you

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, I'm fine, thank you

...

[French]

Je suis née ce matin

Je m'appelle Mercy

Au milieu de la mer

Entre deux pays, Mercy

C'était un long chemin et Maman l'a pris

Elle m'avait dans la peau, huit mois et demi

Oh oui, huit mois et demi

On a quitté la maison, c'était la guerre

Sûr qu'elle avait raison, y'avait rien à perdre

Oh non, excepté la vie

Je suis née ce matin, je m'appelle Mercy

On m'a tendu la main et je suis en vie

Je suis tous ces enfants que la mer a pris

Je vivrai cent mille ans, je m'appelle Mercy

S'il est urgent de naître

Comprenez aussi

Qu'il est urgent de renaître

Quand tout est détruit

Mercy

Et là devant nos yeux y'avait l'ennemie

Une immensité bleue peut-être infinie

Mais oui, on en connaissait le prix

Surgissant d'une vague, un navire ami

A redonné sa chance à notre survie

C'est là, que j'ai poussé mon premier cri

Je suis née ce matin, je m'appelle Mercy

On m'a tendu la main et je suis en vie

Je suis tous ces enfants que la mer a pris

Je vivrai cent mille ans, je m'appelle Mercy

Derrière les sémaphores, serait-ce le bon port?

Que sera demain? Face à face ou main dans la main

Que sera demain?

Je suis née ce matin, je m'appelle Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, je vais bien merci

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, je vais bien merci

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, je vais bien merci

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, Mercy, je vais bien merci

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
naître /nɛtʁ/ A2	verb - to be born
mer /mɛʁ/ A1	noun - sea
enfant /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ A1	noun - child
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
guerre /ɡɛʁ/ B1	noun - war
chance /ʃɑ̃s/ B1	noun - chance
immensité /imɑ̃.se.te/ B2	noun - immensity
navire /na.viʁ/ B2	noun - ship
détruit /de.tʁɥi/ B2	verb - to destroy
surgir /syʁ.ʒiʁ/ B2	verb - to emerge
premier /pʁə.mje/ A2	adjective - first
maison /mɛ.zɔ̃/ A1	noun - house
maman /ma.mɑ̃/ A1	noun - mom
prix /pʁi/ B1	noun - price
urgent /yʁ.ʒɑ̃/ B1	adjective - urgent
tendu /tɑ̃.dy/ B2	verb - to stretch

Key Grammar Structures

• Je suis née ce matin

  ➔ Passé Composé

  ➔ Uses the auxiliary verb "être" because "naître" (to be born) is a reflexive verb. The past participle "née" agrees with "Je" (feminine singular). Indicates a completed action in the recent past.

• C'était un long chemin et Maman l'a pris

  ➔ Passé Composé (l'a pris) and Imparfait (c'était)

  ➔ "C'était" uses the imparfait to describe the situation (the path was long). "L'a pris" uses the passé composé to describe the action of taking the path. "L'" is a pronoun replacing "chemin."

• Elle m'avait dans la peau, huit mois et demi

  ➔ Imparfait (avait) with indirect object pronoun (m')

  ➔ "avait" is in the imparfait, describing a continuing state. "m'" is an indirect object pronoun, indicating that she felt Mercy within her.

• On a quitté la maison, c'était la guerre

  ➔ Passé Composé (a quitté) and Imparfait (c'était)

  ➔ "A quitté" (left) is a completed action in the past. "C'était" (it was) is describing a state or background condition.

• Sûr qu'elle avait raison, y'avait rien à perdre

  ➔ Imparfait (avait) and Impersonal Expression (y'avait)

  ➔ "Avait" (had) describes a belief she held. "Y'avait" (there was) is an impersonal expression.

• Je suis tous ces enfants que la mer a pris

  ➔ Relative clause with Passé Composé (a pris)

  ➔ "que la mer a pris" is a relative clause defining which children are being referred to – those taken by the sea. "a pris" is in the passé composé, indicating a completed action.

• S'il est urgent de naître, comprenez aussi

  ➔ Subjunctive (est) after "s'il" expressing condition and imperative (comprenez)

  ➔ The use of the subjunctive "est" after "s'il" gives a hypothetical feel to the condition. "Comprenez" is in the imperative mood, expressing a command or request.

• Et là devant nos yeux y'avait l'ennemie

  ➔ Impersonal Expression with Imparfait (y'avait)

  ➔ "Y'avait" (there was) is an impersonal construction using the imparfait, describing a scene in the past.