Papa Loved Mama Lyrics
Papa drove a truck nearly all his life
You know it drove mama crazy bein' a trucker's wife
The part she couldn't handle was the bein' alone
I guess she needed more to hold than just a telephone
Papa called Mama each and every night
Just to ask her how she was and if us kids were alright
Mama would wait for that call to come in
But when Daddy'd hang up she was gone again
[Chorus]
Mama was a looker, Lord, how she shined
Papa was a good 'ne, but the jealous kind
Papa loved Mama, Mama loved men
Mama's in the graveyard, Papa's in the pen
[Verse 2]
Well, it was bound to happen and one night it did
Papa came home and it was just us kids
He had a dozen roses and a bottle of wine
If he was lookin' to surprise us he was doin' fine
I heard him cry for Mama up and down the hall
Then I heard a bottle break against the bedroom wall
That old diesel engine made an eerie sound
When Papa fired it up and headed into town
Oh, the picture in the paper showed the scene real well
Papa's rig was buried in the local motel
The desk clerk said he saw it all real clear
He never hit the brakes and he was shiftin' gears
[Chorus]
Mama was a looker, Lord, how she shined
Papa was a good'n, but the jealous kind
Papa loved Mama, Mama loved men
Mama's in the graveyard, Papa's in the pen
About
“Papa Loved Mama” is a tragic love story between Papa and Mama, where jealousy and infidelity leads to murder.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
From the liner notes of The Hits:
This song is just total fun at a chaotic pace. Kim Williams and I were writing this song in the studio. We had just finished the Ropin' the Wind album, with the tenth cut being “Walking After Midnight.” We had one session left over with no songs whatsoever. I asked Allen if I could do something screwy by playing this “Papa Loved Mama” song. Kim Williams came in and we wrote the bridge right before we cut it. After we cut it, we knew that it had to make the album. “Walking After Midnight” then moved to The Chase, and “Papa Loved Mama” was placed on Ropin' the Wind. Kim Williams might be one of the most talented writers I have ever worked with simply because he can sneak so many things in on you as a listener and he does it with this big smile on his face. Be it as a co-writer or just a friend, I hope I see that smile for the rest of my life…good guy.
