"If Momma Coulda Seen Me" lyrics

If my momma coulda seen me in this prison
She would cry, but she can't
She'd wanna know if I was learning my lesson
I would lie, but I ain't
She could never tell me different
Cause I listened with my mouth
So they sent me up the river and I'm never getting out
If my momma couda seen me in this prison
She would cry, but she can't

If my momma couda seen me in these chains
She would be fit to be tied
She was buried that may cause I was barely
Thirteen when she died
Well, I reckon she's in heaven and I know that I'm in hell
Nobody hears you praying in a solitary cell
If my momma coulda saw me in these chains
She'd be fit to be tied

Ah, well, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
Ain't nobody never causin' momma any grief
First time, never mind, third strike, calendar
We found that I'm a fool beyond a shadow of doubt

If momma coulda seen me in this prison
It'd break her poor heart
Took her dreams and damned if I didn't tear everyone apart
Now I get down on my knees nearly every single day
And I thank the lord that she never had to see me this way
If momma coulda seen me in this prison
It'd break her poor heart
Said, if my momma coulda seen me in this prison
It'd break her poor heart