We knew growing up we weren't wealthy
Some of our friends made us feel poor
Daddy worked three jobs to pay our bills
We always had enough but little more
Mama raised three kids on a tight budget
Stretched what daddy made right down to that last dime
Somehow managed to save a few bucks every paycheck
So there were presents come Christmas time
While others got possessions, my Mama improvised
She made our clothes and fed our souls, taught us to use our minds
While our friends went on foreign flights, she read to us every night
So that our hearts, reached every, destination
Mama's creative love helped us fly
Mama's creative love, got us by
We couldn't get those store-bought romper stompers
Mama made us some from Chinese soup containers
Couldn't buy those fancy plastic army helmets
We'd substitute with Mama's old kitchen strainer
We colored wrapping paper tubes with crayons
They would serve as our low budget light sabers
In cities drawn on fabric with a marker
We held our matchbox car capers
We may not have had all the things
Our friends would brag about
But none of us had need to want
Thanks to Mama's loving inventions
While others got possessions, my Mama improvised
She made our clothes and fed our souls, taught us to use our minds
While our friends went on foreign flights, she read to us every night
So that our hearts, reached every, destination
Mama's creative love helped us fly
Mama's creative love, got us by