In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Hey mama, it's me
Said you better wait child
Said you've been a long time running
Hey mama, answer me
Baby boy you'd better sit down
Can't listen when the sun's out
My only son this will be so hard to hear
C'mon mama what do you mean
I know you've been knocked down
I know it ain't all been easy
Nothing ever good really is
Why you gotta wait so long?
Why you gotta wait so long?
But she said, "Son let me reason with you
You think you carry such a weight
I know I never beat you boy
Better start acting like
This here's a race"
You ain't gone far enough to say
At least I've tried
You ain't worked hard enough to say
Well I've done mine
You ain't run far enough to say
My legs have failed
You ain't gone far enough
You ain't worked hard enough
You ain't run far enough to say
Ain't gonna get any better
You picked a bad time
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time (you picked a bad time)
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time (you picked a bad time)
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You ain't gone far enough to say
At least I've tried
You ain't worked hard enough to say
Well I've done mine
You ain't run far enough to say
My legs have failed
You ain't gone far enough
You ain't worked hard enough
You ain't run far enough to say
Ain't gonna get any better
Said you better wait child
Said you've been a long time running
Hey mama, answer me
Baby boy you'd better sit down
Can't listen when the sun's out
My only son this will be so hard to hear
C'mon mama what do you mean
I know you've been knocked down
I know it ain't all been easy
Nothing ever good really is
Why you gotta wait so long?
Why you gotta wait so long?
But she said, "Son let me reason with you
You think you carry such a weight
I know I never beat you boy
Better start acting like
This here's a race"
You ain't gone far enough to say
At least I've tried
You ain't worked hard enough to say
Well I've done mine
You ain't run far enough to say
My legs have failed
You ain't gone far enough
You ain't worked hard enough
You ain't run far enough to say
Ain't gonna get any better
You picked a bad time
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time (you picked a bad time)
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You picked a bad time (you picked a bad time)
You picked a bad time to listen to me
You ain't gone far enough to say
At least I've tried
You ain't worked hard enough to say
Well I've done mine
You ain't run far enough to say
My legs have failed
You ain't gone far enough
You ain't worked hard enough
You ain't run far enough to say
Ain't gonna get any better
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Hey Mama Lyrics as written by Nathaniel Rateliff
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Always tough in these “conversation” songs to be sure who is saying what.
I see a mother calling her son over to talk to her. She sees that he’s down and ready to give up on his dream. It’s a dream she’s told him to give up on in the past, but now she realizes just how much this means to him. So she gives him the “tough” talk: he thinks he’s tried all he can but she knows he can do more. She goes back on what she’s said before, telling him he has picked a bad time to finally agree with the negative things she’s said. He’s gone too far now to give up; he can give more.
In short - suck it up and keep going!
@prairie11 I think you got it right.