“Mama’s Boy” . . . surviving the bullies

When I was a kid, I never seemed to fit in.  I was a smart kid, good at sports, and especially good at music which was the spark for my passion.  Looking back, these positive qualities were the things that made me a target for bullying . . . my peers sought to tear me down to build themselves up.  They called me names, including “Mama’s Boy”, which probably hurt the most.

After many years, I realized that these kids were not generally bad kids, they were probably just acting on their nature.  But of course, they had no idea what sort of pain they could inflict on someone.  Since I was a songwriter, I had to write a song about my feelings about the bullying I endured and how I had survived it.

In the song “Mama’s Boy”, I recalled the experience of not fitting in and being called names, but also recalled being inspired by my mother to just let it pass and be myself no matter what the kids said.  I was proud to BE my “mama’s boy”, she gave me the encouragement and faith to make my life better in spite of them.  In the bridge of the song, I wrote “he thanks God for them (the bullies) and his mama’s love for leading him down this road”.  I realized that these challenges shape our lives and can make us stronger if we have a positive attitude about it.

About ten years ago, I played the song “Mama’s Boy” for a Nashville panel of so-called “song experts” made up of major publishers, songwriters, and other music industry insiders.  Would you believe that they made fun of me for thinking that some country male singer would actually record a song with the title “Mama’s Boy”?  Just like in my younger days, these Nashville “experts” made me feel like I did when I was being bullied.  They were doing the very thing to me that I wrote the song about!

Today, when bullying has become such a huge issue, just maybe our society needs a song like “Mama’s Boy” to inspire and encourage the young people who are being bullied.  So, to those Nashville “bullies” who were just acting on their nature, I say “shame on you” . . . but, I also thank them for molding me into who I am!

Here’s to the survivors . . . Randi

You can hear the song at this link:  Mama’s Boy

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