Lyrics
He stays up at night till way after dark
He stays awake late into the night
Feeding the dog that lives in our yard
He feeds a dog that resides in their yard
He'll put on my shoes and stumble around
He tries to imitate the speaker by wearing their shoes but struggles to walk properly
But together we can catch any outlaw in town
Together, they can confront any troublemaker in town
The boy tries to be just like me
The boy seeks to emulate the speaker's actions and traits
I'm all that he tries to be
The speaker is the role model for the boy
Watching cartoons on my knee
They enjoy watching cartoons together with the boy sitting on the speaker's knee
Mamma's little man and me
He is described as "mamma's little man" indicating a close relationship with his mother and the speaker
He wants to know how this and that goes
The boy is curious and eager to learn various things
He'll play all day on a mountain of clay
He spends his time playing in a pile of clay
And he'll fight with me to show that he's strong
He engages in playful fights to display his strength, but seeks comfort from his mother if hurt
But if he gets hurt it's mamma he wants
Despite being strong, he turns to his mother for comfort when injured
The boy tries to be just like me
The boy continues to emulate the speaker
I'm all that he tries to be
The speaker is the boy's primary role model
Watching cartoons on my knee
They still enjoy watching cartoons together
It's mamma's little man and me
Reiterates the strong bond between the boy, his mother, and the speaker
Some day I know he'll leave us alone
The speaker anticipates the boy growing up and leaving, which will be difficult for his mother
Break mamma's heart I'll try to be strong
The speaker will try to stay strong despite the emotional difficulty
But if I shed a tear I hope he won't see
Hoping to hide emotions from the boy if shedding tears
The big man is him and the boy is me
The speaker realizes that the boy is growing into a man, resembling the speaker himself
The boy tried to be just like me
The boy continued to imitate the speaker
He's all that I try to be
The speaker aims to be like the boy, recognizing the positive qualities within him
Now I'm watching cartoons on my knees
The situation has reversed, and now the speaker is in the position of the boy from before
And mamma's little man is me
The speaker identifies with the role of being "mamma's little man" due to a shift in circumstances
Let's go to bed mamma
Suggests a transition to bedtime, possibly indicating the end of a day or phase
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