In "Mother I," Bugzy Malone traces a life nearly lost to gang violence, prison, and despair, held together only by his mother's fierce, unconditional love. Her willingness to fight a much larger woman at her door, after pulling off her earrings, becomes the song's defining image of devotion. He prays not for his own survival but for hers, offering himself in exchange. The repeated contrast between untrustworthy others and a mother who loves until her last day frames love as the only certainty in a violent world.
Mother I Lyrics by Bugzy Malone
Love you to the day she’s gone
Love you to the day she’s gone
Love you to the day, love you to the day, love you to the day, love you to the day she’s gone
Yeah
The way I love you
You can’t really trust no one
The way your mother loves you
She loves you to the day she’s gone
Sat watching my life from the front row
Flash before my eyes, I was done for
Staring down the barrel of a snub nose
Nearly gave the devil what he asked for
Yeah yeah
Cuz they don’t really love you
You can’t really trust no one
The way your mother loves you
She loves you to the day she’s gone
Watch this
There’s a complicated part of my story I need to tell
Every member of my family’s been a resident in hell
I never spoke about the attempted murder sat in a cell
Every question, no comment, faces never ring a bell
I had my mother sitting with me in the interview hiding my phone
I could never understand she didn’t want to let me go
Smudging all my fingerprints
How was I supposed to know the policeman had intelligence?
Digging me a deeper hole
First time I seen regret in my mother’s eyes
I guess she blamed herself
Nearly swapped my freedom for a prison cell
God give me a second chance
All the other soldiers fell
Walking out the station, was she happy?
I just couldn’t tell
Bang bang, there’s murder taking place in my gang
My boy’s basically a hitman for a couple of grand
The judge hit him with a 33
Murder squad was digging deep
Had man cornered like a sheep dog with their flock of sheep
Still I’m on the road heavy
He said he would stab me up
Turned up with his guys
They’re trying to fuck me up
Called my uncle panicking
He said are you man enough?
Broken knuckle self-defense, taking my bandana off
Then the guy turned up at my mother’s house on Berry New Road
His mother driving
She was angry cuz of what she’d been told
While she’s banging on the door, I see my mother turn cold
She pulled her earrings out, ready to go
The guy’s mum must have been twice my mother’s size, but still she didn’t give a fuck
His mother ran away
My mum’s the first woman I loved
The boy didn’t get out the car
It’s him that started the crud
He’s lucky I didn’t start smashing it up
My boiling blood has got me on the edge every day
Plus marijuana had me crumbling my life away
To God I had to pray
Dear Lord, I just pray you keep my mother safe
Can you take the pain away?
I see it in her face
There’s an argument
I feel glass breaking in my heart again
For my mom I’d fight the world
On the pitch I play defense
I do life without parole
If they touch her cardigan, I set fire to the booth
I would have burnt down Parliament like Guy Fawkes
Bonfire night, we’d let them fly
32 shot repeater fireworks from every side
Gang life have me tired
You’re listening to a man that really nearly seen his mother die young
I used to cry
I had to pull myself together
Put a brave face on
I shot my JDZ media
That’s a bait song
I have 50 plants ready to drop
I’m still talking about the sworn off shorty like my city wasn’t hot
Rapping was my last chance
If the fire in the booth didn’t bang, I would’ve stopped shooting videos for fans and dogs around the up in Liverpool
I’m looking for bands
I need the boxes to multiply
I got bigger plans than that
I spoke to my cousin in Jamaica
Told him hold on
I was stacking money, but it was taking me so long
Felt the devil brush past my shoulder
I was broke
God, if you have to take me next, cool
But please don’t take my mom
Sat watching my life from the front row
Flash before my eyes, I was done for
Staring down the barrel of a snub nose
Nearly gave the devil what he asked for
Yeah yeah
Cuz they don’t really love you
You can’t really trust no one
The way your mother loves you
She loves you to the day she’s gone
Sat watching my life from the front row
Flash before my eyes, I was done for
Staring down the barrel of a snub nose
Nearly gave the devil what he asked for
Yeah yeah
Cuz they don’t really love you
You can’t really trust no one
The way your mother loves you
She loves you to the day she’s gone
Sat watching your life from the front row
Flash before her eyes, you were done for
Staring down the barrel of a snub nose
Nearly gave the devil what he asked for
Yeah
Cuz they don’t really love you
You can’t really trust no one
The way your mother loves you
She loves you to the day she’s gone
