Oh, no matter how she tried, she always looked a mess
Rolled to her feet, she just didn't know
I know you've done your best
I'm livin' in shame
She had a grandson, two years old
She always did her best
Workin' hard down on her knees
Mama, I miss you
Mama, I miss you
Oh, cooked and cleaned and always in the same old dress
Won't you forgive me, mom
Workin' hard down on your knees
She wore a sloppy dress
Said I was born elite
For my uptown friends to see her
Came a telegram
Always tryin' to please
Married a guy, was livin' high
I was always so afraid
With maids and servants at my feet
That I never even showed her
I know you've done the very best you could
Never used a fork or a dinner plate
In a college town
Mama, I miss you
Mama passed away while making homemade jam
Never even boarded a train
I know you're not to blame
I know you've done your best
I'm livin' in shame
Before she died
I must have been insane
Always had her stockings low
Mama, I miss you
She cried to see me by her side
But I never understood
Mama, mama, mama, can you hear me?
Afraid one day when I was grown
That I would be her
I lied and said mama died on a weekend trip to Spain
I didn't want him to know her
For all the wrong I've done?
She never got out of the house
Mama, mama, mama, can you hear me?
Out of the pot she ate
Away from home, a new identity I found
