{"id":15048,"date":"2019-05-10T09:41:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T15:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/articles.cmt.com\/?p=1781275"},"modified":"2019-05-10T09:41:09","modified_gmt":"2019-05-10T15:41:09","slug":"mothers-day-songs-when-things-get-tough-who-you-gonna-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/mothers-day-songs-when-things-get-tough-who-you-gonna-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother\u2019s Day Songs: When Things Get Tough, Who You Gonna Call?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

by Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> 1h ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

Please have a box of tissues within reach. Mamas are a tearful subject in country music whether those mamas are nourishing or nasty.<\/p>\n

Here \u2014 just in time for Mother\u2019s Day \u2014 are a dozen of the most dramatic and memorable mom-inspired lyrics, arranged chronologically. Ready, set, weep!<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    \n

    1932: Jimmie Rodgers\u2019 \u201cMother the Queen of My Heart\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Hoyt \u201cSlim\u201d Bryant, Jimmie Rodgers<\/p>\n

    Even in death, mama comes through. Disregarding the warnings of his \u201ckindest old mother,\u201d our boy surrenders to \u201cdrinking and gambling\u201d after she\u2019s passed on. Then one day in a poker game, he turns over the card he\u2019s drawn and sees his mother\u2019s face. This time, he takes her advice seriously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n
    \n

    1945: Eddy Arnold\u2019s \u201cMommy Please Stay Home With Me\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Eddy Arnold, Wally Fowler, J. Graydon Hall<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s the setup: \u201cA mother went out on a party\/She left at home her baby son\/He cried and begged her not to leave him\/But she would not give up her fun.\u201d Can you guess where the situation goes from there? This is a two-tissue minimum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n
    \n

    1951: Hank Williams\u2019 \u201cI Dreamed About Mama Last Night\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writer: Fred Rose<\/p>\n

    In this recitation, Luke describes a selfless mother who is so devoted to her kids that she won\u2019t go to bed until they\u2019re all safe at home. She\u2019s even cheerful about her self-sacrifice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n
    \n

    1956: Flatt & Scruggs\u2019 \u201cGive Mother My Crown\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writer: Walter Bailes<\/p>\n

    This mama raises \u201cher children on a widow\u2019s small pay\u201d that she earns from \u201cwashing and ironing.\u201d In heaven, says the singer, \u201cIf I\u2019ve a crown coming when awards go around\/Please, blessed Jesus, give Mother my crown.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n
    \n

    1959: Kitty Wells\u2019 \u201cMommy for a Day\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Harlan Howard, Buck Owens<\/p>\n

    This weeper is sung from the mother\u2019s point of view. She\u2019s been cast out by her husband, she tells us, because people have told him lies about her. So he\u2019s restricted her access to their \u201clittle girl\u201d to Sunday afternoons. Naturally, the daughter\u2019s confused by what\u2019s going on, and mama can\u2019t easily explain it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  6. \n
    \n

    1968: Merle Haggard\u2019s \u201cMama Tried\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writer: Merle Haggard<\/p>\n

    Of all the mama songs in country music, this is probably the most recognized one \u2014 which is a real achievement considering the tough competition. The nugget of the story, a No. 1 for Haggard, is this: \u201cI turned 21 in prison, doing life without parole\/No one could steer me right, but Mama tried.\u201d It carries the message as \u201cMother the Queen of My Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  7. \n
    \n

    1972: Dottie West\u2019s \u201cMommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Dottie West\u2019s baldly manipulative song pairs her vocally with her then 4-year-old son, Dale. But listen at your own risk. You could drown in those puddles of tears.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  8. \n
    \n

    1977: C.W. McCall\u2019s \u201cRoses for Mama\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Gene Dobbins, Wayne Sharpe, Johnny Wilson<\/p>\n

    In this recitation \u2014 guaranteed to crack the steeliest heart \u2014 a guy decides to visit his friend in Florida for a few days of drinking and wenching. He tells his mother in Tennessee he\u2019s on a tight schedule but will try to stop and see her on his way back. The incidents that ensue are too convoluted to go into here. But prepare to cry your eyes out before the song ends on a redemptive note.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  9. \n
    \n

    1984: The Judds\u2019 \u201cMama He\u2019s Crazy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writer: Kenny O\u2019Dell<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  10. \n
    \n

    1988: Shenandoah\u2019s \u201cMama Knows\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Tony Haselden, Tim Mensy<\/p>\n

    An affectionate tribute to the kind of mom who knows what\u2019s going on with her kids before they\u2019re prepared to tell her. In other words, just about every mom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  11. \n
    \n

    1991: Diamond Rio\u2019s \u201cMama Don\u2019t Forget to Pray for Me\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Larry Cordle, Larry Shell<\/p>\n

    Leaving home doesn\u2019t mean leaving mama. Here the singer is on a career fast track but still incredibly homesick and in need of a mother\u2019s reassurance. \u201cI just thought of you and home and got a little sad.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  12. \n
    \n

    1992: Reba McEntire\u2019s \u201cIs There Life Out There\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Rick Giles, Susan Longacre<\/p>\n

    This song mentions neither mother nor child, but both are implicit in the question, \u201cIs there life beyond [my] family and [my] home?\u201d Unlike most of the mothers considered in the songs cited above, this modern one doesn\u2019t find fulfillment in simply serving her husband and kids. Even so, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want to leave\/She\u2019s just wonderin\u2019\/Is there life out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  13. \n
    \n

    2002: Blake Shelton\u2019s \u201cThe Baby\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Michael White, Harley Allen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  14. \n
    \n

    2007: Kellie Pickler\u2019s \u201cI Wonder\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Kellie Pickler, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, Karen Rochelle<\/p>\n

    Another case of infant abandonment and the lingering wounds it leaves. The song goes, \u201cI think about how it ain\u2019t fair\/That you weren\u2019t there to braid my hair like mothers do . . . Did you even miss me through the years at all.\u201d That this song is based on Pickler\u2019s own childhood makes it all the more heartbreaking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  15. \n
    \n

    2010: Carrie Underwood\u2019s \u201cMama\u2019s Song\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Carrie Underwood, Kara DioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen, Luke Laird.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  16. \n
    \n

    2017: Brandi Carlile\u2019s \u201cThe Mother\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  17. \n
    \n

    2018: Kacey Musgraves\u2019 \u201cMother\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  18. \n
    \n

    2019: Kane Brown\u2019s \u201cGood As You\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Kane Brown, Brock Berryhill, Shy Carter, Taylor Phillips, Will Weatherly<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n

  19. \n
    \n

    2019: Rita Wilson\u2019s \u201cThrow Me a Party\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Writers: Rita Wilson, Kristian Bush, Liz Rose<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Want to hear more? Then try Billy \u201cCrash\u201d Craddock\u2019s \u201cMy Mama Never Heard Me Sing,\u201d Bill Anderson\u2019s \u201cMama Sang a Song,\u201d Flatt & Scruggs\u2019 \u201cMother Prays Loud in Her Sleep,\u201d the Forrester Sisters\u2019 \u201cMama\u2019s Never Seen Those Eyes\u201d and John Conlee\u2019s \u201cMama\u2019s Rockin\u2019 Chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n
    Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Edward Morris 1h ago Please have a box of tissues within reach. Mamas are a tearful subject in country music whether those mamas are nourishing or nasty. Here \u2014 just in time for Mother\u2019s Day \u2014 are a dozen of the most dramatic and memorable mom-inspired lyrics, arranged chronologically. Ready, set, weep! 1932: Jimmie […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 16:37:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15048\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}