Precious Memories (The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised

I can't sell my mama short on loving

Maybe that's why she let me go so far

Mama always stopped me short of stealing

Maybe that's why I had to steal that car

She told me not to smoke it and I did

And it took me far away

And I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

Well I pulled into Atlanta, stolen tags

And almost out of gas

I needed a little money

Lately I learned how to get it fast

The neon lights were calling

So I just had to get downtown

And I reached into the glove compartment

Another liquor store went down

And I cry, precious memories

Take me back to the good old days

I want to hear my mama singing

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

She tried to turn me on to Jesus

So I turned on to the devil's ways

Yeah, I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

And I cry, precious memories

Take me back to the good old days

I want to hear my mama singing

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

She tried to turn me on to Jesus

So I turned on to the devil's ways

Yes, I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

They put those handcuffs on me

How I tried to resist

But the agents pulled 'em tighter

'Til that metal bit my wrist

They took my belt and my bills

Pulled my fingerprints and a profile of my face

And I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

And I cry, precious memories

Take me back to the good old days

I want to hear my mama singing

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

She tried to turn me on to Jesus

So I turned on to the devil's ways

And I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

Yes, I turned out to be

The only hell my mama ever raised

Yeah, I turned out to be