Make Me Wanna Holler

My mother used to whore herself And my father Would reap the benefits of her labor It was almost as if she was absent Absent from her own life I remember She would scrub the floors for the white folks Just to come home To cook and to clean For the man who broke her And I love to watch her dance to the tunes on The soul station, yeah Just to ease her mind But my mother She was vindictive in her own fashion So she passed down to me her traits Like that of her brown eyes and her dark hair She passed down to me Her sadness (Make me wanna holler) The sadness fills my heart (make me wanna holler) Make me wanna holler (make me wanna holler) Baby (make me wanna holler) My child will one day ask me What will I be? As a child I promised myself I'd never be Like my mother or my father I would ask myself "Did he feel so much pain That it would make him wanna hurt another?" But there was no excuse There was no excuse to make up for the pain That I knew my mother felt But somewhere my destiny came That I too became a slave, to my heart Wanting love so badly That I'd do anything No matter the shame (Make me wanna holler, hmm) I, love me (make me wanna holler) Tell me (make me wanna holler, hmm) So sorry (make me wanna holler) So sorry Why? I never got at the nerve To ask my father "why?" But my mother she would say She stayed for my brother and myself But I would have sold my soul Just to share in one day Of my mother's desired happiness (When night fell) Sometimes when night fell I'd close my eyes and I'd hide (Close your eyes) When they would yell and scream When my father would paint her With a dark face Of being belittled Disrespected and set aside His liquor, the salve For the unseen wounds I learned so much from him What did I learn? How to hurt all of those Who try to get too close Yeah, I (Make me wanna holler, hmm) Make me wanna holler Sometimes I get so... (make me wanna holler) I just don't understand, why? (Make me wanna holler) Tell me why (hmm, so sorry) So sorry for the pain (Make me wanna holler) So sorry I'm so sorry Just play for me Play for me She would close her eyes and cry He would close his heart and hide She would close her eyes and cry After all this time Nothing's changed (Make me wanna holler, hmm) Make me want to holler yes, I do (Make me wanna holler) Sell my soul just to see ya happy (so sorry) (Make me wanna holler, hmm) So sorry, so sorry, so sorry, yeah (Make me wanna holler) So sorry for the pain I always thought my mother Deserved so much more But I never knew how to fix that, yeah I drown myself in guilt I just don't know what to do, no Mama I love you