My mother used to whore herself

And my father

Would reap the benefits of her labor

It was almost as if she was absent

Absent from her own life

I remember

She would scrub the floors for the white folks

Just to come home

To cook and to clean

For the man who broke her

And i love to watch her dance to the tunes on

The soul stations, yeah

Just to ease her mind



But my mother

She was vindictive in her own fashion

So she passed down to me her traits

Like that of her brown eyes and her dark hair

She passed down to me

Her sadness



Make me wanna holler

The sadness fills my heart

Make me wanna holler

Make me wanna holler

Make me wanna holler

Baby

Make me wanna holler



My child will one day ask me

What will i be?

As a child i promised myself

I'd never be

Like my mother or my father

I would ask myself,

"did he feel so much pain

That it would make him wanna hurt another?"



But there was no excuse

There was no excuse to make up for the pain

That i knew my mother felt



But somewhere my destiny came

That i too became a slave, to my heart

Wanting love so badly

That i'd do anything

No matter the shame



Make me wanna holler

I...

Love me

Make me wanna holler

Tell me

Make me wanna holler

Mmm, so sorry

Make me wanna holler

So sorry



Why?

I never got the nerve

To ask my father "why?"

But my mother

She would say,

She stayed for my brother and myself

But i would have sold my soul

Just to share in one day

Of my mother's desired happiness



When night fell

Sometimes when night fell

I'd close my eyes

And i'd hide

Close your eyes

When they would yell and scream

When my father would paint her

With a dark face

Of being belittled, disrespected

And set aside

His liquor, the salve

For the unseen wounds



I learned so much from him

What did i learn?

How to hurt all of those

Who try to get too close



Make me wanna holler

Make me wanna holler

Sometimes i get so...

Make me wanna holler

I just don't understand

Why?

Make me wanna holler

Tell me why

Mmm, so sorry

So sorry for the pain

Make me wanna holler

So sorry



I'm so sorry

Just play for me

Play for me



She would close her eyes and cry

He would close his heart and hide

She would close her eyes and cry



After all this time

Nothing's changed



Make me wanna holler

Make me want to holler

Yes i do

Make me wanna holler

Sell my soul just to see ya happy

So sorry for the pain

Make me wanna holler

So sorry, so sorry, so sorry, yeah

Make me wanna holler

So sorry for the pain



I always thought my mother

Deserved so much more

But i never knew how to fix that

I drown myself in guilt

I just don't know what to do

No

Mama i love you.


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