Lyrics My Mama's House - Janis Ian

My Mama's House

In my mama’s house, the men were many
They stood in a line outside the door
When I was a kid, they gave me candy
And seashells from the ocean
They’d stolen from the shore
They came like princes to the wedding
They left like sailors on the hill
When I was younger, I was ready
To receive them in the luxury
Of my driftwood heart and still
I never wanted for affection
I never needed any more
All my fathers my reflection
Like the moon reflects the shore
Love came in a wave — it struck like an ocean
Like a tide it pulled me out to sea
My mama’s house is gone
But her devotion lingers on
In the back pages of my memory
Now I live my life in splendor
Like some duchess or a queen
But every morning, I remember
When the sea breeze strikes and gathers
What that woman meant to me
And I never wanted for affection
I never needed any more
All my fathers my reflection
Like the moon reflects the shore
Love came in a wave — it struck like an ocean
Like a tide it pulled me out to sea
My mama’s house is gone
But her devotion lingers on
In the back pages of my memory