Never Let Me Down Raw Throat Raymond (Fire Cut)

[Start] [Intro – Warm Blues Guitar / Soft Foot Stomp / Harmonica Smile] Mmm. I don’t sing happy much. Happy usually don’t pay cash, and it don’t start fights. But I had a mama once. And that woman could make Sunday out of a busted Tuesday. [Verse 1] I seen liars wear silk Seen saints talk mean Seen good love turn sour over small routine Seen men leave children like coats on chairs Seen women love fools who weren’t really there But Mama? Mama was steady as a cast-iron pan Hot when she had to be soft when she can Never raised hell without makin’ it useful Never told a truth just to watch it bruise you [Turnaround – Spoken] She could cut you down and hand you a plate in the same breath. That’s talent. [Chorus – Warm Heavy Swing] Mama never let me down Not one time I can name She’d fuss, she’d pray, she’d laugh at shame Mama never let me down Even when the roof got loud She’d hum one line and move the whole damn cloud Only time she left me was when she had to go And everybody does that so I let that one go Mama never let me down No, she never let me down [Verse 2 – Blues-Rap Growl, Softer] She knew every cheap excuse before I got it dressed Knew when I was lyin’ by the way my shoulders pressed Knew I was hungry when I said I ate Knew I was hurtin’ when I called too late She kept peppermints in an old church purse Kept a little mercy for when days got worse Had a laugh like grease in a hot black skillet If sorrow walked in, she knew how to kill it Sometimes with speeches Couple times with shine Or just beans on the stove and “Baby, give it time” [Aside – Low] Give it time. Meanest good advice ever invented. Still works, unfortunately. [Chorus – Warm Heavy Swing] Mama never let me down Not one time I can name She’d fuss, she’d pray, she’d laugh at shame Mama never let me down Even when the roof got loud She’d hum one line and move the whole damn cloud Only time she left me was when she had to go And everybody does that so I let that one go Mama never let me down No, she never let me down [Verse 3] She loved me ugly She loved me clean Loved the man I was and the one I hadn’t seen Loved me broke Loved me wild Loved me grown like I was still her child She didn’t excuse me No, that weren’t her way She’d say, “Boy, you wrong,” then save me a plate Made me feel known without feelin’ small That’s a rare kind of shelter in a world this raw I been in bars where trust don’t last Past the first bad story or the second full glass But Mama’s love had old porch weight Sat right there and didn’t negotiate [Turnaround – Spoken] Some folks love you like a loan. Mama loved me like weather. Already there. [Bridge – Low / Sweet Confessional] I got tired bones and a road-scarred name Got a throat full of gravel and a pocket full of blame But somewhere in me where the dark don’t win There’s still her voice callin’ supper again Still her hand on my fevered head Still her housecoat blue by the foot of the bed Still that look when I came in late Like she saw the fool but loved the fate And if I got any good left under this skin She put it there once and it kept sinkin’ on in [Break – Guitar Warms / Harmonica Lifts] Mmm. Ain’t that somethin’? Whole world rotten and one woman still made biscuits. [Final Chorus – Full Band / Joyful Blues Lift] Mama never let me down Not through storm, not through shame She could turn bad luck into my full government name Mama never let me down She could make pain behave Put a song in the kitchen and a flower on a grave Only time she left me was when she had to go And everybody does that so I let that one go Mama never let me down No, she never let me down She’s gone from the room but not gone from the sound Every good thing in me still got Mama around [Outro – Harmonica Fading / Spoken, Smiling] So pour one light tonight. Not for sorrow. For the woman who made me better than I was qualified to be. And if heaven exists, she probably already told management how to run it cleaner. Poor heaven, they had no idea.... [End]