Genesis’ “Mama” Lyrics Meaning
Genesis‘ hit song “Mama” tells the tale of a young lad who is deeply in love or rather obsessed with a woman older than him. Said woman is apparently a working girl. And it is likely the young lad met her at a setting akin to a brothel. He is beyond obsessed with her and wants her so badly. However, she apparently has no interest in him whatsoever. He is aware of this and that hurts him greatly. But he isn’t giving up. He continues visiting her workplace to patronize her services and plead with her to “stay” with him.
According to Phil Collins, when he and his Genesis bandmates were writing this song, they thought a lot about brothels in Cuba. This is apparently the reason why the official music video for “Mama” is set in brothel-like environment with working girls moving up and down while the band plays.
Some say this is an anti-abortion song
Despite the explanation given above, many believe that the song is about abortion. According to this school of thought, the narrator speaks from the perspective of an unborn baby in its mother’s womb. The song begins with this fetus describing the atmosphere in the womb where it cannot wait to come out and see its mother.
The narrator then uses the heat and steam in the city to describe the pressures of life which are seemingly forcing its mother to make a decision to get rid of him. It could also be a reference to whatever abortive drug or procedure she may have taken which is worsening his state in her womb. The narrator pleads for help while reminding its mother of her care for it deep down inside.
In the subsequent lines, the lyrics get more emotional and tense as the narrator begs the mother to feel his heart and not take his life from him. He then describes how much pain he feels, once again speaking of the heat in the city; a reference to the fact that he is now outside the womb but at the wrong time. Like most women leave their aborted fetuses behind, the narrator asks his Mama not to leave him there.
“Mama” Facts
Writing: Phil Collins alongside Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford
Production: Hugh Padgham along with Genesis
Album: Genesis’ 1983 pop rock album also titled “Genesis”
Release: August of 1983
Was this a single from “Genesis”?
Yes. It was the first single to be released from the “Genesis” album. It was subsequently followed by these songs:
- “That’s All”
- “Home by the Sea“
- “Illegal Alien”
- “Taking It All Too Hard
Of all the singles from the “Genesis” album, “Mama” was the most commercially successful. Actually having reached position number 4 on the official UK Singles chart, it became the most successful Genesis song in Britain.
It was also very popular all over Europe, reaching the top 10 in these countries
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Norway
- Austria
- Ireland
It wasn’t as big in America as it was in Europe. For example, on America’s “Hot 100”, it only got to a peak of 73.
I must admit that when I first heard “Mama”, I thought it was a story about abortion told from the perspective of the fetus. I can see, though, how it could be about a man obsessed with a prostitute.
That. Is absolutely. Ridiculous. FFS !!!
Abortion …???! WTF 🤣🤣🤣 That has to be the most f-ed up interpretation of this song I’ve ever heard !! Absolutely ridiculous.
You might think it ridiculous (ffs) but it’s not an uncommon interpretation. The band’s manager had the same one when he first heard it.
That’s what I thought before coming here, abortion.
You guys thinking it’s about abortion never got laid with a latina girl lol
That’s absurd. This song is about a son’s love for his mother and thinking of her when times are hard. Anyone that’s seen Saving Private Ryan will understand this song.
At first I thought it was about a young man loosing his mother to some form of sickness, but I now have understanding, and I can truly understand what it’s meaning is. A young man trying to have a relationship with this older woman, who is a prostitute…. Understand it completely….
I actually thought it was a son lusting for his own mother as inc-st was prominent in ancient times, and thinking of the setting in that era. Inc-st especially in the royal kingdoms.
Does “Mama” mean “prostitute”?… WTF??? What a sick idea.
Well, sometimes the best choice for a musician is not to reveal what they were thinking when they wrote their song… Now I’m very disappointed…
This song is about going through a spiritual awakening, surviving the torture of it..only “womb men” bring life to this planet, women is god the black hole in the universe “yoni” the life force of birthing everything into existence..women didn’t come from Adam’s rib..research parthenogenesis its the mysteries of the Virgin Mary and the cults of this mysterious old way of reproducing. Men are female in the womb until a certain gestation date then there’s a mutation that happens and they become male if it is manifested that way..women have two X chromosomes men have XY chromosomes..they are missing a strand. The mitochondria only can be passed down from your mother…women lead men to their awakening with their life force Chi energy…women is GOD
“Genesis” means generation, creation, from Greek Génesis, the origin of something, when it is begun or starts to exist. This explains the philosophy behind this song… one of the most beautiful songs of all times, in my opinion. Thank you Genesis for this creation!
All these interpretations are pretty good. Mine was from the perspective of a serial killer.
That’s my theory too.
I thought it was about a son mourning the loss of his mother. And the cackling laugh the devil tormented him inside his own mind
is the song not about his wife (1st one) that divorced him…”Momma” to Nicholas? “But it’s getting so hard…” meaning it’s getting hard to go on in the marriage