Verse 1: I’ve been around the world, you bet, but never went to school.
Hard knocks are all I seem to get, perhaps I’ve been a fool.
But still, some educated folks, supposed to be so swell
Would fail, if they were called upon a simple word to spell.
Now if you’d like to put me to a test,
There’s one dear name that I can spell the best:

Chorus 1: M is for the million things she gave me,
O means only that she’s growing old,
T is for the tears were shed to save me,
H is for her heart of purest gold,
E is for her eyes with love light shining,
R means right and right she’ll always be.
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

Verse 2: When I was but a baby, long before I learned to walk,
While lying in my cradle, I would try my best to talk.
It wasn’t long before I spoke, and all the neighbors heard,
My folks were very proud of me, for "mother" was the word.
Although I’ll never lay a claim to fame, I’m satisfied that I can spell the name:

Chorus 2: M is for the mercy she possesses,
O means that I owe her all I own,
T is for her tender sweet caresses,
H is for her hands that made a home,
E means everything she’s done to help me,
R means real and regular, you see,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.