Make Me Wanna Holler Lyrics - Me'shell Ndegéocello

my mother used to whore herself 

and my father 

would reap the benefits of her labor 

it was almost as if she was absent 

absent from her own life 

i remember 

she would scrub the floors for the white folks 

just to come home 

to cook and to clean 

for the man who broke her 

and i Love to watch her dance to the tunes on 

the soul stations, yeah 

just to ease her mind 

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but my mother 

she was vindictive in her own fashion 

so she passed down to me her traits 

like that of her brown eyes and her dark hair 

she passed down to me 

her sadness 

make me wanna holler 

the sadness fills my heart 

make me wanna holler 

make me wanna holler 

make me wanna holler 

baby 

make me wanna holler 

Photos 

my child will one day ask me 

what will i be? 

as a child i promised myself 

i'd never be 

like my mother or my father 

i would ask myself, 

"did he feel so much pain 

that it would make him wanna hurt another?" 

but there was no excuse 

there was no excuse to make up for the pain 

that i knew my mother felt 

but somewhere my destiny came 

that i too became a slave, to my heart 

wanting Love so badly 

that i'd do anything 

no matter the shame 

make me wanna holler 

i... 

Love me 

make me wanna holler 

tell me 

make me wanna holler 

mmm, so sorry 

make me wanna holler 

so sorry 

why? 

i never got the nerve 

to ask my father "why?" 

but my mother 

she would say, 

she stayed for my brother and myself 

but i would have sold my soul 

just to share in one day 

of my mother's desired happiness 

when night fell 

sometimes when night fell 

i'd close my eyes 

and i'd hide 

close your eyes 

when they would yell and scream 

when my father would paint her 

with a dark face 

of being belittled, disrespected 

and set aside 

his liquor, the salve 

for the unseen wounds 

i learned so much from him 

what did i learn? 

how to hurt all of those 

who try to get too close 

make me wanna holler 

make me wanna holler 

sometimes i get so... 

make me wanna holler 

i just don't understand 

why? 

make me wanna holler 

tell me why 

mmm, so sorry 

so sorry for the pain 

make me wanna holler 

so sorry 

i'm so sorry 

just play for me 

play for me 

she would close her eyes and cry 

he would close his heart and hide 

she would close her eyes and cry 

after all this time 

nothing's changed 

make me wanna holler 

make me want to holler 

yes i do 

make me wanna holler 

sell my soul just to see ya happy 

so sorry for the pain 

make me wanna holler 

so sorry, so sorry, so sorry, yeah 

make me wanna holler 

so sorry for the pain 

i always thought my mother 

deserved so much more 

but i never knew how to fix that 

i drown myself in guilt 

i just don't know what to do 

no 

mama I Love you.