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'What will we tell our children if we fail to protect the planet? - Vaiteani
We are artists of the Pacific & Indian oceans drawing on our islands cultural voice and our love and fears for nature, the heart of our communities to create music which speaks for our island homes and ocean.
Marvin Gayes powerful eco-anthem, connected with us during the recording of our album 'Our Island', with each of the verses speaking directly to us and our islands environmental issues, sadly still relevant 50 years later. Once the groove got going we wanted to keep it going so we added more verses singing out for current eco issues, in the language of our islands, (of course).
We feel apart of a movement across our small island Earth, reshaping our relationship to nature, more like waking up to the fact that we are nature, we are all (everything) is a dynamic part of an incredible living eco system. There are better minds than ours expressing this, we are artists so we hope our music uplifts, consoles inspiring hope in action. - Tim, the producer.
Our version of Mercy Mercy Me (the ecology) features,
Emlyn from Mauritius singing in Creole.
Putad of the Amis peoples of Taiwan singing in Amis.
Sauljaljui of the Paiwan peoples of Taiwan singing in Paiwan.
Vaiteani of Tahiti singing in Tahitian.
& Selina Leem with an excerpt of her spoken word piece, 'Just a Blue Planet'.
Selina was the youngest delegate at COP 21 Paris speaking just after the hopeful 1.5 threshold was committed to, her speech touched the world and moment. We have placed her 'Just a Blue Passport' excerpt over these images as a reminder to the commitment the world made at that time to protecting our planet and large ocean nations.
'1.5 is all we've got' - Selina Leem
lyrics
Mercy Mercy Me - lyrics with translations & additional updated verses
(Spoken word intro)
I don’t think adults understand
how important this earth is
because
I don’t think they really care
(Emlyn from Mauritius singing in Creole)
whoa oh, mercy mercy me
Bann zafer nepli kouma avan
oh, things ain't what they used to be
Delwil fane dan losean, Delwil fane dan nou lamer
oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas
Bann pwason f'inn ranpli ar merkir
fish full of mercury
(Putad from the indigenous Amis peoples of Taiwan singing in Amis)
hey oh, mercy mercy me
I cow a ko langdaway no kakarayam
oh, things ain't what they used to be
Maiyof a fali citokoay
no, where is the blue sky?
Nani wali nani etip nani riyar
poison comes from the east, north, and sea
(Sauljaljui from the indigenous Paiwan peoples of Taiwan singing in Paiwan)
whoa oh, mercy, mercy me
aicua tja a udanan
oh, things ain't what they used to be
na mapavalitanga
what about this overcrowded land
iniya namaya ta sicuayan
how much more abuse
tjaudain~sa tja umalji
from man can she stand?
(Vaiteani from Tahiti singing in Tahitian)
whoa, mercy mercy me
’Ua huri tū’ā roa te mau mea ato’a
oh, things ain't what they used to be
’Ua vi’ivi’i ’ino roa te fenua ’e te reva
now, radiation underground and in the sky
Te pohe nei te mau ’animara
animals who live nearby are dying
(Selina Leem of the Marshall Islands)
should I tell you what’s happening in backyard
my backyard is waves crashing
and breaking sea walls two meters high
my family’s only protection from the water
The Marshall Islands’ got thirty-three years left
to the developed countries
1.5
what is that?
a promise
1.5 is all we’ve got
It’s all we’ve got
(Emlyn from Mauritius singing in Creole)
Zanimo ape toufe ar plastik
animals are suffocating with plastic
Nou ape trouv zot kadav
their dead bodies are lying on our beaches
Ariv lor nou rivaz
by all the plastic
Anpwazone avek bann plastik
from far away, from the open sea
(Putad from the indigenous Amis peoples of Taiwan singing in Amis)
Hey yo, mercy mercy me
I cowa ko makapahay a foting
where are the beautiful fish
Kafanaan nako itiyaho a para
I still remember that beautiful place
Kangodo'en nita kona riyar
ocean deserves respect
(Sauljaljui from the indigenous Paiwan peoples of Taiwan singing in Paiwan)
whoa oh, mercy mercy me
Naramulju a u varung
with my saddened heart
Qinungkuli a pana
rivers are covered with concrete
Maljimek anga zaljum i pana
he water has become putrid
Anema sun kinemeneman
what’s in your mind?
(Vaiteani from Tahiti singing in Tahitian)
Oh mercy mercy me
french
’Ua huri tū’ā roa te mau mea ato’a
things ain't what they used to be
french
’Auē te māuiui e
how painful
french
Te morohi nei te tai moana e
life in the ocean is disappearing
(Emlyn)
Kot zame monn ale...
where I have never been....
Zot f'inn anpwazone...
they have been poisoned....
Ayez pitié
have mercy
(Vaiteani)
what the world needs now
Is love sweet love
(Spoken word Outro)
beautiful
all these beautiful animals
and birds and plants
it will just amaze you
that you live in such a beautiful place
credits
released May 5, 2023
Mercy Mercy Me (the ecology)
by - Small Island Big Song
Song Credits
Composer - Marvin Gaye
Produced, Arranged & Mixed by Tim Cole.
Project Producer - BaoBao Chen
Emlyn from Mauritius singing in Creole.
Putad of the Amis peoples of Taiwan singing in Amis.
Sauljaljui of the Paiwan peoples of Taiwan singing in Paiwan.
Vaiteani of Tahiti singing in Tahitian.
& Selina Leem with an excerpt of her spoken word piece, 'Just a Blue Planet'.
Sammy of Madagascar played the Kabosy
Putad played Bass
Sauljaljui played a few layers of Moon Lute.
Luc Totterwitz played Ukulele
Kokol of Mauritius played the Calabash
Airileke of Papua New Guinea played Kundu Drums & Conga
Tim Cole from Australia added a shaker.
Nature Sounds - Dawn on Mount Gulaga, Tilba Tilba, Australia
Opening & closing statements by an 11 year old after the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer forest fires.
Both her and and the wildlife of Mount Gulaga (Dromedary) narrowly escaped the fires.
Fridays for Future Rallies - courtesy Guardian News, ‘Students around the world go on climate strike’ - Creative Commons
Selina’s COP 21 Footage - courtesy 350.org, ‘Selina Leem, 18 year old from Marshall Islands, speaks at final COP21 plenary’- Creative Commons
