I Love You, Mama Chords by Shirley Caesar

[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _ [D] _
_ [D#] _ [Em] _ _ _ [A] _ [Em] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ You know, so [Am] often [D] people ask me,
[G] _ _ Shirley, why is [Am] it that you sing about mother so much?
[E] _ _ [D] But you [C] know, my mama has [Em] _ been both mom [C] and dad for me.
_ _ [D] _ _ Maybe many of you [F#] don't know it, but my mother is a [G] _ semi-invalid.
[C] _ _
[D#] Today, I'd [Em] like to just say thanks, mom.
_ [D#] _ _ _ Thanks for sharing and caring about [G] me.
_ _ _ The many nights that you laid [C#] awake while I was out on the road singing.
[C] _ Many nights, [G] many mornings, rather you wouldn't even [Am] go to sleep
until you hear me put my kid in the door.
[D#m] _ _ [Em] [E] I want to say thanks for [C] the many mornings that you'd get up
[E] and you would fix us a lunch when so many [C] kids didn't have anything to eat.
[D] _ And I remember [F#] in my little old selfish way, I would [Bm] complain
because I had to take [C] biscuit with a piece of meat between the bread to [Em] school
and the children would [C] laugh at me. _
[Em] And I'd come home crying, saying,
mom, I don't want to take that to school anymore.
And [D] mom, I want to say thanks because I remember so [F#] vividly that morning
you [G] called me to the kitchen and you told me to [Dm] look down in the [D#] bag.
_ [Em] _ Listen, mama, there's nothing down in the bag but meat and bread.
[D#] _ And mama, I remember you took the meat and the bread [G] out
and you put it on the table and I said, mama, there's nothing down in the bag.
And you [C#] said, yes, it is.
_ That's what you told me.
[C] _ _ _ _ [G] She said, you take this meat and [Am] bread and you go to school
and whenever the children laugh [C] at it, you tell them that.
_ _ Every [D] morning when I get up, the first thing I do is I put my love [C] [D#m] in [E] that bag. _
_ _ [C] _ Thanks, mom.
[E] _ _
_ _ [C] When daddy died, I remember the relatives [D] came and they wanted [C] to take us all from you.
_ [G] And I remember you saying [D] _ with tears in your eyes,
I [E] know that nobody's going to give me a job.
[C] And I know that my check that I get each month [Em] is not going to be enough
_ [C] _ to take care of [D] my children, but some kind of way God's going to make a way.
[F#] And I remember you used to sing [G] the song all the time,
Courage my [Am] soul and let me [D#] turn it on.
_ [Em]
Though the night seems dark, it won't be very long.
Might be the [B] God, the morning light appear.
_ The storm is [G] passing over.
Hallelujah.
And mama, we can say the name that [C#] that storm passed over.
_ _ Mama, I want to say thank you for [C] _
denying yourself.
[Bm] There were times when you wanted a [Am] dress.
You bought us that dress.
There were [D#m] times when you needed [Em] shoes.
You [E] bought us [C] those shoes.
There were times [Em] when you wanted to go out.
_ [C] You stayed home.
[D] _
Thank you, mama.
_ [F#] Thank you for teaching me how to love.
[Bm] Teaching me about [G] Jesus.
[Am] Making me go to Sunday [Em] school when I didn't want to go.
_ _ For mama, today when I look back over my life, I can say that you've been a good mom.
_ _ [D] _
And mama, I want to thank you [F#] for all of those whippings I [G] got.
The times I'd [D] throw rocks and break [D#] out [Em] windows and break out street lights.
The time I'd go to the grocery [D#] stores and steal twin popsicles and ginger snaps.
And [G] I look you square in the eye and I'd lie to mama I didn't do it.
But you've been [C#] a good mom.
You knew I was lying.
_ I want to thank you for all of those [C] whippings I got.
_ _ [G] And then mama, _ [Am] I want to thank you for teaching me [C] honesty.
_ _ Teaching me [D] sharing.
_ _ Teaching me caring. _ _ _
[C] _ _ [Em] _ Mama, when I saw the other kids in the neighborhood, how you would take them in when they were hungry.
_ [C] Oh, you've been a good mama.
_ _ [D] _ I'd like to just sum [F#] up this little tribute to you _ [G] in four beautiful [C] words.
_ _ [Em] And I know I [D] [C] can't say thank you enough, but thank you.
[Am] _ [Em] With these four words, [C] _
_ I love you, [D] mama. _ _ _
I love you.
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _
[C] I love you, mama.
[Em] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ I [Em] love you, mama.
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _