To country stars, family is everything. After they make it big, artists oftentimes chose to honor the most important people in their lives by paying tribute to them through their music. More often than not, the person an artist wants to honor is their mama.
There is no shortage of country songs out there about moms, and each one has its own unique sentiment and message. Some tug at your heartstrings, while others have a bit of a humorous element to them. Either way, all of the country songs about moms show appreciation for everything they do for their children.
So this Mother’s Day, grab a box of tissues, sit down with your mom or mother figure, and listen to these ten unforgettable country songs about moms.
10. “In My Daughter’s Eyes” By Martina McBride
As a mother herself, Martina McBride knows all about the important role moms play in the lives of their children. McBride is the mother to three girls, and after her first daughter was born she cut back on her touring schedule so she could help her children have as normal of an upbringing as possible.
In 2003, McBride sang about the connection between mothers and their children in the touching song “In My Daughter’s Eyes.” Although the song is not about McBride’s mom in particular, it describes how children become who they are because of what they see in their moms.
The song also celebrates how much joy children can bring to their mothers even after they’ve grown up, as McBride sings, “Though she’ll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family. When I’m gone I hope you see how happy she made me.”
9. “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle” By Glen Campbell & Steve Wariner
In May 1987, Glen Campbell and Steve Wariner released a sweet duet about the power of a mother’s love. The song, called “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” tells the story of a baby boy who finds everything he needs through his mama.
As the boy grows up, his mom continues to teach him everything he needs to know until he heads out on his own. The message of the song is that a mother’s love can change the world, since she helps her children become caring members of society.
Campbell and Wariner praise moms for all of their hard work through the chorus, as they sing, “There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas. Creation’s most unique and precious pearls. And heaven help us always to remember, that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
8. “Mama, Don’t Forget To Pray For Me” By Diamond Rio
Country group Diamond Rio released “Mama Don’t Forget to Pray for Me” in 1991 as the third single off of their debut record. The song is told from the perspective of a man who is all grown up, but still calls his mother when he needs some guidance.
Calling his mom at night, the man reassures her that there’s nothing wrong. He simply got to missing home, which made him wish to hear his mother’s voice to comfort him. As he sings, “No I’m not sick, there’s nothin’ wrong, don’t wake up Dad. I just thought of you and home and got a little sad.”
The man ends his conversation by asking his mom to please keep him in her prayers. This song proves how mothers can always serve as a source of comfort to their children, no matter how old they are or how far away they may be.
7. “Somebody’s Hero” By Jamie O’Neal
When Jamie O’Neal gave birth to her daughter, her entire life changed. Her love for her daughter influenced the direction of her music, and she expressed her passion for writing and recording songs about family.
One such song was her 2005 hit “Somebody’s Hero,” which O’Neal co-wrote. On the CD cover for the single, O’Neal wrote about how having her daughter made her see the role of mothers in a whole new light:
“When you have a baby you start thinking about your own relationship with your mother, and when you were little, how much you looked up to her. Then you move to, ‘Gosh, my baby looks up to me so much. I don’t want to let her down. I want to be a hero to her.”
The song shows how children of any age admire and respect their mothers as heroes in their life, as O’Neal sings, “Her daughter’s starin’ at all the photographs of her mother, and she wishes she could be like that.”
6. “Angels” By Randy Travis
At first, Randy Travis‘ “Angels” doesn’t sound like a song about mothers. It opens with the story of a group of friends sitting around talking about 9/11 and how much tragedy there is in the world. The conversation leads some of the friends to wonder if there really are angels on Earth, when one guy speaks up and says he’s never seen one.
That’s when the narrator jumps in, and what he sings next are some of the most touching lyrics about mothers in all of country music:
“Are you telling me that you’ve never seen an angel? Never felt the presence of one standing by? No robe of white, no halo in sight. Well you missed the most obvious thing. Man, are you blind? Just look in your mothers eyes.“
Travis adds further to the emotional nature of the song with his passionate delivery of each word.
5. “Mama’s Song” By Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood‘s touching fourth single from her album “Play On,” was released at the perfect time in her life. Called “Mama’s Song,” the single made its debut months after Underwood married hockey player Mike Fisher.
Underwood helped co-write the song, in which the narrator speaks to her mother and tells her not to be worried as she leaves to start a new life with the man she loves. The narrator reassures her mother that she taught her how to be a good person, and that her husband is a good man who will take care of her.
The music video for the song is extra emotional, since Underwood’s mother, Carole, also appears in it along with Fisher. You won’t be able to hold back your tears as Underwood looks over at her mother with absolute adoration and sings, “Mama, don’t you worry about me. Don’t you worry about me.”
4. “Coat of Many Colors” By Dolly Parton
Few country songs capture the power of a mother’s love like Dolly Parton‘s classic hit, “Coat of Many Colors.” In fact, Parton’s song about a coat her mama stitched for her touched so many hearts that it inspired not one, but two television films!
Parton wrote the song about a patchwork coat that her mother sewed out of various scraps and pieces of fabric. The coat ended up being an assortment of colors, since it was made out of mismatched pieces.
While her mama sewed her new coat, Parton said she told her about the story of Joseph from the Bible. As Parton sings, “As she sewed, she told a story, from the Bible, she had read. About a coat of many colors Joseph wore and then she said, ‘Perhaps this coat will bring you good luck and happiness.‘”
“Coat of Many Colors” shows that mothers will always do whatever they can to brighten up the lives of their children. It’s clear from the song that Parton’s mama was a shining light in her life.
3. “Mama Tried” By Merle Haggard
Perhaps the most humorous song on this list, “Mama Tried” is based on Merle Haggard‘s own relationship with his mother. Haggard’s life changed forever when his father passed away while he was still a young child. The death of his father left a huge void in his life, a void that he filled with above average acts of rebellion.
Haggard’s mama tried as hard as she could to turn him away from the destructive path he was on, but despite her best efforts, he ended up in prison. Years later, Haggard used his life story as a source of inspiration for “Mama Tried,” which went on to become one of his signature songs.
In “Mama Tried,” Haggard sings of how his mother never did anything but love him, yet,”Her pleading I denied. That leaves only me to blame ’cause Mama tried.”
2. “The Baby” By Blake Shelton
This is one country song about moms that is guaranteed to get you every time. “The Baby” became one of the earliest hits of Blake Shelton‘s career after it claimed the top spot on the Billboard country charts.
Although Shelton didn’t write the song, a huge part of what made it so successful is his honest and heartfelt delivery of the lyrics. The narrator describes the way a mother views all of her children, and how she always had a fondness for him since he was the youngest. Since Shelton is also the baby in his family, his connection to the song’s story is strong.
The song follows the narrator from childhood to adult life, and how his mother always held him close to her heart, even when he did act up a little bit. As he grows older, their bond remains unbreakable, as he sings, “She said ‘I don’t care if you’re eighty, you’ll always be my baby.’”
1. “Mom” By Garth Brooks
No list of country songs about moms would be complete without this stunning song by Garth Brooks. What few people know is that Brooks actually wasn’t the first one to record the song. It was previously released by rock artist Bonnie Tyler in 2013 before Brooks released his version in 2014.
When Brooks performed the song on Good Morning America in November 2014 and later on Ellen, the entire music community couldn’t stop talking about it. The song takes the form of a conversation between God and a baby about to be born, as the baby expresses his fear about entering the world. God reassures him by telling him there is a special person waiting for him in the world, who will always keep him safe:
“Hush now baby don’t you cry, ’cause there’s someone down there waiting whose only goal in life is makin’ sure you’re always gonna be alright. A loving angel, tender, tough and strong. It’s almost time to go and meet your mom.“
Brooks has recorded many emotional songs over the years, but this is one that will always tug at your heartstrings, no matter how many times you listen to it.
We’d like to wish all of the country music-loving moms a happy Mother’s Day! Which one of these country songs about mothers reminds you of your own mom?