For Mama (from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo)

Lyrics

Mama dyes her hair blonde and calls herself a bombshell. Her partner bought her a plus-­size Marilyn Monroe white dress for Halloween. They both know they are here to be laughed at. The show does not come right out and say it, but there are subtitles on some of their speech, complete with condescending misspellings like sammich and maranaise. This house does not look like any other house on television. Extreme couponing is the unspoken sixth child in this family. She sits at the dinner table every night, and Mama mothers her fiercely. But Mama also raised a daughter with self­-confidence so loud that the whole country wanted to see how the trick worked. It had to be a trick, after all. No way were they happy, in their         not-­looking-­like-­television house. But Mama says: I don't want her to grow up like me. I don't want her to grow up like you, either. I want her to grow up like herself. I want her to be whatever she wants to be. And if all this gawking now means she can,         then good. I'll cut coupons for that. I'll invite everyone over for dinner and feed the whole country at the trough of our dignity for that. And if Mephistophiles is money, and fame, and all of America, Mama says, I'll smile for the camera. I'll sit here         as long as the demon tells me to.