My Mama's House - Janis Ian

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