Your dreams had to be bygones
Cause life pinned you down
The babies cry, the dead beat dead
So wonderin' that you even
The songs that took you away
West Virginia mountains, but hard times
Family bonds and country rhymes
Well, they got you through 1962
Oh, mama, you wanted to be a singer,
You've done a heft of a job
of taking whatever's come your way
through your weathered face
But from time to time when I play a song
I know you see yourself up on that stage
Five babies from a deadbeat dad
It's a wonder that you even
The songs that took you away
West Virginia mountains, ballpark times
Family bonds and country rhymes
Well, they got you through 1962
I hope I make your dreams come true
you wanted to be a singer, too
Oh, mama you wanted to be