Hello mama, hello mama it's me 
How you feeling mama? 
Hm-hmm, that's alright 
I've got something I want to talk to you about 
If you don't mind 
And I ain't mad, mama, no, no no no 
Wait a minute, listen mama 
Look what they done to my song, ma 
Look what they done to my song, ma 
The only thing I could do half right and now it's turning out all wrong, mama 
Look what they done to my song 
Now listen if you please 
Wish I could find a good book, I'd like to live in the thing now 
Wish I could find a good book, now, hey hey hey 
If I could find a real good book, you know I, 
I'd never have to come out and look 
At what they done to my song 
Look what they done to my brain, ma 
Look what they done to my brain 
Oh mama, it's a shame, you won't believe this, but it's true 
They picked it like a chicken bone and I'm-ah, just about to go insane mama 
Look what they done to my brain 
Now girls, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear that some French 
Ils ont change ma chanson, ma 
(ooh, not bad) 
Ils ont change ma chanson 
(uh-huh. Let me see here {franglish gibberish}) 
Ils ont change ma chanson 
(My French must be pretty bad, I better do this in English) 
Look what they done to my song, ma 
Look what they done to my song ma 
Put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down ma 
Look what they done to my song 

Maybe it's alright 
Maybe it's OK, I don't know 
But I tell ya 
If my tears were money, I'd be a millionaire today 
You know, the only thing I get to have right, now it's turning out all wrong, mama 
You can't believe what they've done to my song ma, that I wrote myself 
They put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down, mama 
Lord, if I could find a good book, 
I'd never have to come out and look at, uh 
What they trying to do to my brain 
It's a shame mama, you see they 
They done pick it like a chicken bone 
And I'm-ah just about to go insane 
I'm insane, insane, mama 
I'm going crazy, mama, that's what it is 
Lord knows I don't care what they done to my song 
No, I don't care about that, but see 
The main thing, mama 
What they trying to do to me 
You see, well they stole everything I had, mama 
And they made a million with it, and you know that hurts 
But oh, I'm gonna keep on working on the building, 
Just like you taught me, mama 
Whoah, yes I will, yes I will, yeah