Song Lyrics

Alright, hey hey hey

Some like them fat and some like them tall
Some like them short, skinny legs and all
I like them bold, I like them proud
And when they walk, you know they draw a crowd

See, you got to have a mother for me
Hah, hey hey

There was a time when I was all alone
I had a secret, thought I was gone
Somebody done me, and said, now I see
What you're doing to stay ahead of me
And I said, "But I told you, when I get one I use Sav
And when I want loving, a mother has to have
You see, alright, you got to have a mother for me, oh

You see, got to have a mother for me
When you walk all the girls talk
You see, hey, alright now, ha ha ha ha

Now if you tall and funny
Slim and dark
That's alright too
If you got that question mark
Lookie here, you can't have everything going
You got to have a balance
If you got a mother, baby
You know you can't take her home
You see, you got to have a mother for me, one more thing
Do the funky four corners, go on and do the horse
Show everybody where you at, and I know you gotta be boss
So when you stop doin' your little thing, stop in a small ring
Well get back, baby, James Brown is going to do his thing, popcorn
You see, you got to have a mother for me

Sometime, sometime I'm feeling low
Sometime I'm feeling low
But as long as you groove when you walk
And when you're fast, the fellas talk
You see, you got to have a mother for me hey hey hey, oh
Come in, hey hey hey hey
Unh, hey hey hey hey hey hey
Maceo, hey hey hey hey hey hey
Maceo, oh!

Alfred James Ellis, James Brown

The duration of You Got to Have a Mother for Me, Pt. 1 is 2:52 minutes and seconds.