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Mama Tried
Merle Haggard Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The first thing I remember knowin'
Was a lonesome whistle blowin'
And a young un's dream of growin' up to ride
On a freight train leavin' town
Not knowin' where I'm bound
And no one could change my mind but Mama tried
One and only rebel child
From a family, meek and mild
My Mama seemed to know what lay in store
Despite all my Sunday learnin'



Towards the bad, I kept on turnin'
'Til Mama couldn't hold me anymore

And I turned twenty-one in prison doin' life without parole
No one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied
That leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama tried

Dear old Daddy, rest his soul
Left my Mom a heavy load
She tried so very hard to fill his shoes
Workin' hours without rest
Wanted me to have the best
She tried to raise me right but I refused

And I turned twenty-one in prison doin' life without parole
No one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied
That leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama tried

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard and The Strangers talk about the rebelliousness of a young man in a family that was "meek and mild". The song starts with memories of the young man's dreams of leaving town to ride on a freight train without knowing where he was headed. Despite his mother's best efforts to raise him right, he ended up turning towards bad decisions. The lyrics show regret for the choices that led him to end up serving life in prison at the age of twenty-one, with nobody to steer him right but his mother, who had tried so hard to raise him properly.


The song tells the story of how the young man's father died, leaving his mother to shoulder a heavy load all by herself, working hard to give her son the best life she could. However, the son kept turning towards bad choices until he ended up in prison. The song ends on a poignant note with the realization that the mother's efforts to raise her son right had been in vain, and the blame for his fate lay entirely with himself.


Overall, "Mama Tried" is a moving tribute to the sacrifices mothers make to raise their children right, and the heartbreak they feel when their efforts go unrewarded.


Line by Line Meaning

The first thing I remember knowin'
The earliest memory I have is of knowing something.


Was a lonesome whistle blowin'
I recall hearing a sad, solitary train whistle.


And a young un's dream of growin' up to ride
As a child, I dreamed of growing up and riding a freight train.


On a freight train leavin' town
I wanted to leave town on a freight train, uncertain where I'd go.


Not knowin' where I'm bound
I didn't know where the train would take me, but it didn't matter.


And no one could change my mind but Mama tried
Despite my determination, my mother tried to convince me otherwise.


One and only rebel child
I was the only child in the family that acted out and defied authority.


From a family, meek and mild
My family was otherwise obedient and reserved.


My Mama seemed to know what lay in store
My mother had a sense of what the future held for me.


Despite all my Sunday learnin'
In spite of my religious upbringing and education, I still made poor choices.


Towards the bad, I kept on turnin'
I was drawn to trouble and continued down a negative path.


'Til Mama couldn't hold me anymore
My mother eventually couldn't control me or my actions.


And I turned twenty-one in prison doin' life without parole
I ended up in prison for life without the possibility of parole at the age of 21.


No one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried
Despite my poor decisions, my mother tried to guide me onto a better path.


Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied
My mother tried to bring me up in a positive way, but I didn't listen to her begging.


That leaves only me to blame 'cause Mama tried
Despite my mother's efforts to help me, I am responsible for my own choices and consequences.


Dear old Daddy, rest his soul
My father has passed away and is now at peace.


Left my Mom a heavy load
My father left my mother with a lot of responsibility to manage on her own.


She tried so very hard to fill his shoes
My mother worked tirelessly to take over my father's role in the family.


Workin' hours without rest
My mother worked non-stop, without any breaks or rest periods.


Wanted me to have the best
Despite her struggles, my mother strived to give me the best life possible.


She tried to raise me right but I refused
Despite her best intentions, I rejected my mother's guidance and went down a negative path.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Merle Haggard

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

Jimmy Ray


on Carryin' Fire

I'm a co-writer on this song and the lyrics are not quite right here. Instead of the word high it should be higher. The last verse is A moth slowly circles the flickering candle, the fire is all it can see...

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