Mama, sweet mama Where are you going With all your babies And that ca**erole I'm going to the jailhouse In Camilla, Georgia To see a woman And ask for her parole Mama, sweet mama Why are you beaten Why are your babies Scattered on the ground The sheriff slapped me And then he struck me down He kept on kicking Till I blacked out This old Georgia town Knocked me from my feet I see a blue-eyed devil Looking down at me Mama, sweet mama Why did you do it
Why did you not move back Into the crowd Ella Mae was watching From the jailhouse window I had to show her I was proud This old Georgia town Knocked me from my feet I see a blue-eyed devil Looking down at me This old Georgia town Knocked me from my feet I see a blue-eyed devil Looking down at me Mama, sweet mama What's happened to you Your pregnant body Standing so tough My unborn baby Is no longer Now I'm a lawyer Is that enough Is that enough?