fore she was mama

Clay Walker

ââ?¬Ë?Bout ten years old, hide and seek
I found me in the closet
Ready or not I stumbled on
And opened up that box of
Yearbooks, letters, black and whites
A hundred, maybe more
Next thing I know my brothers and me
Got ââ?¬Ë?em scattered on the floor (Yeah)

There was one of her, flippinââ?¬â?¢ the bird
Sittinââ?¬â?¢ on a Harley
And a few with some hairy hippie dude
Turns out his name was Charlie
Her hair, her clothes, her drinkinââ?¬â?¢ smokinââ?¬â?¢
Had us boys confused
Iââ?¬â?¢ll never forget the day us nosey kids got introduced

To Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama
In a string bikini, in Tijuana
Wonââ?¬â?¢t admit she smoked marijuana
But I saw Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama

We put that box right where it was
And never said a word
But growinââ?¬â?¢ up got hard just tryinââ?¬â?¢
Not to picture her

In anything but aprons, dresses
Mini-vans and church
Oh and Daddy would have whooped our butts
For digginââ?¬â?¢ up that dirt

On Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama
In a string bikini, in Tijuana
She wonââ?¬â?¢t admit she smoked marijuana
But I saw Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama

We laugh and hang it over her head
Right above her halo
Her face turns red when we bring up
That tie-dyed Winnebago
She runs and hides and still denies
That hip high rose tattoo
She burned that box of forget-me-nots
When she found out we knew

About Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama
In a string bikini, in Tijuana
Wonââ?¬â?¢t admit she smoked marijuana
But that was Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama

And thereââ?¬â?¢s that one down in the Bahamas
But that was Mama, ââ?¬Ë?fore she was Mama