MOTHER KNEW ME BEST, EVEN THEN

FRAN HANDMAN SHELDON GARTNER

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As a boy I was mod-est and

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mor - al and mild While oth - er boys were will - ful and wild the

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oth - er moth-ers wished I was their child As a boy gold-en ring-lets en -

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circ - led my head a bles-sed child the moth - ers all said Their
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Starting here, song must move

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wick-ed child-ren kicked me and ed But moth-er knew me best ev-en

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then She saw in-to the dark-ness of my soul When I read that e-vil nov-el with-out

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shame "Treas - ure Is - land" was to blame It led me to temp -

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ta-tion when I heard the sea a' call-ing it was call - ing out my name Though

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moth-er guessed my quest e ven then She some-how knew whatI had planned to

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do As I tried to board a freight-er un - a - ware She was wait-ing for me

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there not a word of ac cus - a tion as we spent the night to - geth-er in re-pent-ance and in

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prayer As years went by we were hap-py to-geth-er I
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found en - joy-ment in gain - ful em-ploy- ment I was proofread-ing cat - a -logs for
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shoes Then many a night we spent in sing-ing hav-ing such fun just
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me and my mum de - cid - ing which hymn we would choose And
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moth-er had a guest ev -'ry week On Sun-days when the pas tor came to

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dine Through ood and re and loc - usts he was there

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She served the meal withcare feel-ing sweet an tic - i - pat-ion while the three of us to

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geth er joined in harm-o - ny and prayer And there we were we were
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hap-py to-geth-er the pas-tor and moth-er laid hands on each oth-er while

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I was carv-ing up the roast As moth-er was pass-ing the pink grav - y boat the

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dev - il took hold I cut her throat thought she paused 'fore she gave up the

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ghost But moth-er could-n't rest e - ven then She had to

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tell me what was burd -en-ing her heart Be - fore my shame-ful deed caused her de

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mise I saw for - give-ness in her eyes as she croaked this sad con -

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fess-ion "Through - out our live to - geth er in de-vo-tion and in prayer I know I should have

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told you Each time you raised the knife your carv-ing was so slop - py this

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comes as no sur - prise" And with one - nal gasp from that tat-tered tor-tured throat dear

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moth-er found e - ter-nal rest in the grav-y boat And I shall nev-er rest nev-er

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more The gates of hell will o-pen wide for me And I shall nev-er rest nev-er

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more ne-ver more ne - ver more.

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