When You're Good to Mama

Ladies and gentlemen

The Keeper of the keys, the Countess of the clink

The Mistress of murderers row

Matron Mama Morton

Ask any of the chickies in my pen

They'll tell you I'm the biggest mutha hen

I love them all and all of them love me

Because the system works, the system called reciprocity

Got a little motto

Always sees me through

When you're good to Mama

Mama's good to you

There's a lot of favors

I'm prepared to do

You do one for Mama

She'll do one for you

They say that life is tit for tat

And that's the way I live

So, I deserve a lot of tat

For what I've got to give

Don't you know that this hand

Washes that one too?

When you're good to Mama

Mama's good to you

If you want my gravy

Pepper my raggoo

Spice it up for Mama

She'll get hot for you

When they pass that basket

Folks conribute too

You put in for Mama

She'll put out for you

The folks a top the ladder

Are the ones the world adores

So boost me up my ladder kid

And I'll boost you up your's

Let's all stroke together

Like the Princeton crew

When you're strokin' Mama

Mama's strokin' you

So what's the one conclusion?

I can bring this number to

When you're good to Mama

Mama's good to you