the first thing i remember knowin'
was my mom, to jail, a-goin'
twas a young un's nightmare openin' up wide
in a cop car leavin' town
her arms and ankles bound
no one could make her mind
but, mom, i tried

i'm a lonely gentle child
from a fam'ly, crazed and wild
my mama liked to knock off liquor stores
not a lesson, ever learnin'
bound for hell's eternal burnin'
my mama...was rotten to the core

and she turned forty-one in prison
of her life, she'd lost control
no one could steer her right
but, mom, i tried...mom, i tried
mom will never get no better
so she's best off locked inside
but i know i'm not to blame
cause, mom, i tried

dear ol' daddy...rest his soul
made my mama lose control
she shot him dead, one night, all high on booze
sheriffs came out to arrest
in the pen, she's now a guest
i guess its only right she pays her dues

and she turned sixty-one in prison
then her cellmate's life, she stole
her attorney lost the case...so mama fried...mama fried
took the 'lectric chair to stop her
kill the evil there inside
and its really quite a shame...that mama fried