Simpler Times

Lyrics

[Intro] Well, the thing is, I-I'd always work hard And try to, you know, keep a good income so I could support my family And at Christmastime, I had to spend extra to make sure that the children had a good holiday And 'cause they didn't understand, you know, what Christmas was all about [Verse 1] Christmastime Mama always came through in the clutch Felt bad, thinking back I didn't give you much For what you live through you deserve to have it all Used to take us to get pics with Santa at the mall Don't recall a single year with nothin' under the tree Christmas morning in our apartment, it was somethin' to see More important than the gifts yo, you kept us fair And the proof was in my waistline, enough said Back then I got almost any thing I liked GI Joе, Transformers, or a brand new bike Spoilеd me rotten on that day and my day of birth But what you did on holidays don't illustrate your worth It's what you did behind the scenes to keep the family afloat Tryna minimize the struggle when your actually broke So I wrote a little something just to honor your grace And the sacrifice you made to put a smile on my face [Chorus] Felt like simpler times to my simple mind But good and bad times are forever intertwined Felt like simpler times to my simple mind Mama always did the best she could to provide [Verse 2] As child I only cared about gifts, of course Focused on what you got me, never what you lost Learned later you lost your mom on Christmas day Before my time, but I'm sure you never were the same Wasn't gifted with her presence, but I heard she was strict Like most women in our fam, she didn't take no — He you are decades later still mourning the death Had many tearful Christmas mornings while all of us slept You're stronger than we know and that's sayin' the least Slavin' at your job, come home, and make us a feast Didn't know how hard you had it 'cause you kept it from me But your darkest days came to light inevitably Pullin' every string you could before you let us down Livin' proof that not every queen wears a crown You weren't without your flaws, but you mastered resilience This is just a little thank you on behalf of your children [Chorus] Felt like simpler times to my simple mind But good and bad times are forever intertwined Felt like simpler times to my simple mind Mama always did the best she could to provide [Bridge] Things aren't as simple as it was then Really thought it was but it wasn't Summer's done, Fall back, Winter's coming Hope we spring forward like it's nothing [Verse 3] This time of year we usually make the trip to spend it with you Leading the fam, but change of plans until these issues improve With the virus, already missed a visit or two We're just tryna keep you safe, this ain't just an excuse I take after you, tryna do whats best for the fam Makin' tough choices that the babies don't understand But it's easier for me, I see it now that I'm grown Sometimes you had help but mostly had to do it alone Then give Santa all the credit, that was so misleading You just wanted us to have something that we could believe in I feel you, I do the same with mine but with Kwanzaa But it's real heroes like yourself that deserve to be honored I love you, Mama [Chorus] Felt like simpler times to my simple mind But good and bad times are forever intertwined Felt like simpler times to my simple mind Mama always did the best she could to provide [Outro] It was always a struggle, but I always managed to keep enough food in the house And have a big dinner for y'all and stuff like that So, my mind wouldn't be so bogged down with memories of losing my mother But I always was sure depressed the early part of Christmas morning And I tried to get up early so I could get myself together So I'll be happy for y'all, and y'all could see a smile on my face I feel like if you believe in anything, you gon' trust in God Eventually, you know, and it's gon' help you through life And I always trusted in God, that it would make things possible in his own way and his own time