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Mama said there'll be days like this 00:07
There'll be days like this, mama said (mama said, mama said) 00:09
Mama said there'll be days like this 00:13
There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said) 00:16
I went walking the other day 00:20
And everything was going fine 00:23
I met a little boy named Billy Joe 00:27
And then almost lost my mind 00:30
Mama said there'll be days like this 00:34
There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said) 00:36
Mama said there'll be days like this 00:40
There'll be days like this, my mama said 00:43
My eyes were wide open 00:48
But all that I can see is 00:51
The chapel bells a-tollin' 00:55
For everyone but-a me 00:57
But I don't worry 'cause 00:59
Mama said there'll be days like this 01:01
There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said) 01:03
Mama said there'll be days like this 01:08
There'll be days like this, my mama said 01:10
And then she said someone will look at me 01:14
Like I'm looking at you, one day 01:18
And then I might find I don't want you any-a-way 01:22
So I don't worry 'cause 01:27
Mama said there'll be days like this 01:28
There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said) 01:31
Mama said there'll be days like this 01:35
There'll be days like this, my mama said 01:37
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) don't you worry 01:42
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) don't you worry, now 01:45
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) mama said there'll be days like this 01:49
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) there'll be days like this, mama said 01:55
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) mama said there'll be days like this 01:59
(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) there'll be-a days like.‥ 02:02
02:03

Mama Said

By
The Shirelles
Viewed
4,980,562
Learn this song

Lyrics:

[English]

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, mama said (mama said, mama said)

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said)

I went walking the other day

And everything was going fine

I met a little boy named Billy Joe

And then almost lost my mind

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said)

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said

My eyes were wide open

But all that I can see is

The chapel bells a-tollin'

For everyone but-a me

But I don't worry 'cause

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said)

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said

And then she said someone will look at me

Like I'm looking at you, one day

And then I might find I don't want you any-a-way

So I don't worry 'cause

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said (mama said, mama said)

Mama said there'll be days like this

There'll be days like this, my mama said

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) don't you worry

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) don't you worry, now

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) mama said there'll be days like this

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) there'll be days like this, mama said

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) mama said there'll be days like this

(Mama said, mama said, hey, hey) there'll be-a days like.‥

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary Meanings

mama

/ˈmɑː.mə/

A1
  • noun
  • - mother

days

/deɪz/

A1
  • noun
  • - plural of day, a period of 24 hours

walking

/ˈwɔː.kɪŋ/

A1
  • verb
  • - the action of moving at a regular and fairly slow pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn.

fine

/faɪn/

A2
  • adjective
  • - of high quality; good

boy

/bɔɪ/

A1
  • noun
  • - a male child or young man

mind

/maɪnd/

A2
  • noun
  • - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought

eyes

/aɪz/

A1
  • noun
  • - organs that detect light

wide

/waɪd/

A2
  • adjective
  • - of great or more than average width

open

/ˈoʊ.pən/

A2
  • adjective
  • - having no covering or barrier

chapel

/ˈtʃæp.əl/

B1
  • noun
  • - a small building for Christian worship, typically in a school, hospital, or prison

bells

/bɛlz/

A2
  • noun
  • - a hollow metallic device that makes a ringing sound when struck

worry

/ˈwɜː.ri/

A2
  • verb
  • - to feel or show anxiety and concern about actual or potential problems

someone

/ˈsʌm.wʌn/

A1
  • noun
  • - some person; somebody

look

/lʊk/

A1
  • verb
  • - to direct one's gaze towards someone or something or in a specified direction

find

/faɪnd/

A1
  • verb
  • - to discover or perceive

Grammar:

  • Mama said there'll be days like this

    ➔ Future tense with "will be"

    ➔ Uses "will be" to predict future occurrences. "There'll" is a contraction of "there will". This line express that difficult times are inevitable, using simple future tense.

  • I went walking the other day

    ➔ Simple Past tense

    "Went" is the past tense of "go", used to describe a completed action in the past. "The other day" specifies when the walking occurred.

  • And everything was going fine

    ➔ Past Continuous tense

    "Was going" is the past continuous form, indicating an action in progress at a specific time in the past. It implies a state that was happening.

  • But all that I can see is The chapel bells a-tollin'

    ➔ Present Simple with "can" (ability), Reduced relative clause (a-tollin')

    "Can see" indicates the ability to see. "A-tollin'" is an archaic or folksy form of "are tolling", representing a present participle acting as an adjective modifying "chapel bells". It's also grammatically, reduced relative clause.

  • For everyone but-a me

    ➔ Preposition "for" expressing purpose/recipient, informal contraction

    "For" indicates who the chapel bells are tolling *for*. "But-a me" is an informal and emphatic way of saying "except me".

  • And then she said someone will look at me

    ➔ Future tense with "will", indirect speech

    "Will look" indicates a future action. This sentence reports what "she" (Mama) said, using indirect speech. There isn't a change of tense usually found in reported speech as the original utterance is already in the future.

  • Like I'm looking at you, one day

    ➔ Present Continuous used for hypothetical/future situations, adverbial phrase "one day"

    "I'm looking" is present continuous, but here it's used to describe a hypothetical future situation, a feeling or attraction that might happen later. "One day" is an adverbial phrase indicating an unspecified time in the future.

  • And then I might find I don't want you any-a-way

    ➔ Modal verb "might" (possibility), negative present simple ("don't want"), informal adverbial phrase "any-a-way"

    "Might find" indicates a possibility, not a certainty. "Don't want" is the negative form of present simple, expressing a lack of desire. "Any-a-way" is a folksy way of saying "anyway" with added emphasis, indicating "regardless".