I was about to cross the street in Atlanta, Georgia the other day
That's my hometown
And a voice called out to me
I looked around and there stood a lady so pale, so worn
One of my old friend
I immediately recognized her
She pulled out some pictures and showed them to me
And as the tears filled her eyes she was hurt, I could plainly see
And these are the words she said to me
Look what they've done to my child
He never done nobody harm
I can almost hear his cry saying "Why, Mama, why"
My child, my only child
And as she went on to tell me
She said "Thirty days went by, I never heard a word"
We called, searched here and there
His voice could not be heard
I knew then that something was wrong
He never stayed away from home
You see, he was so very young
I cried day and night, walked the floor hoping he was still alive
Yet knowing how many had been found before, huh, without a breath of life
Soon at last there came a knock at the door
We found another that fit the description of your child
I got dressed and went down to verify the identity
And sure enough, sure enough it was my son
And as I stood there and looked at him with tears in my eyes
All I could say on that very day
Look what they've done to my son
He never done nobody wrong
I can almost hear his cry saying "Why, Mama, why"
My child, my only child
My child, my only child
Oh, my son, Lord, my only son
My child, my baby child