Mother's Children Have A Hard Time by Blind Willie Johnson

From Folktunes

Recorded on December 3, 1927 in Dallas, Texas. It is the flip side to If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down. The title of this tune was a garbled translation of someone trying to decipher Johnson's singing, the title should have been "Motherless Children Have A Hard Time." Indeed, it is reputed that Johnson was blinded as a child by his stepmother in a fit of anger after she was discovered in bed with another man by Johnson's father, who then beat her.

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Lyrics

Well, well, well, ah
A motherless children have a hard time
Motherless children have a hard time, mother's dead
They'll not have anywhere to go, wanderin' around from door to door
Have a hard time

Nobody on earth can take a mother's place when, when mother is dead, Lord
Nobody on earth takes mother's place when, mother's dead
Nobody on earth takes mother's place,
when you were startin', paved the way
Nobody treats you like mother will when

Your wife or husband may be good to you, when mother is dead, Lord
They'll be good to you, mother's dead
A wife or a husband may be good to you,
but, better than nothing has proved untrue
Nobody treats you like mother will when, when mother is dead, Lord

Lord, Lord, Lord
Yeah, well, ah
Well, some people say that sister will do, when mother is dead
That sister will do when mother's dead
Some people say that sister will do,
but, as soon as she's married, she turn her back on you
Nobody treats you like mother will

And father will do the best he can, when mother is dead, Lord
Well, the best he can when mother is dead
Father will do the best he can,
so many things a father can't understand
Nobody treats you like mother will

A motherless children have a hard time, when mother is dead, Lord
Motherless children have a hard time, mother's dead
They'll not have anywhere to go,
Wanderin' around from door to door
Have a hard time

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