when you're good to mama

and now ladies and gentlemen

the keeper of the keys

the countess of the clink

the mistress of murderers row

matron mama morton!

ask any of the chickies in my pen

they'll tell you i'm the biggest mutha. hen

i love them all and all of them love me -

because the system works;

the system called reciprocity!

got a little motto

always sees me through -

when you're good to mama

mama's good to you!

there's a lot of favors

i'm prepared to do

you do one for mama

she'll do one for you!

they say that life is tit for tat

and that's the way i live -

so

i deserve a lot of tat

for what i've got to give!

don't you know that this hand

washes that one too

when you're good to mama

mama's good to you!

if you want my gravy

pepper my ragu

spice it up for mama

she'll get hot for you!

when they pass that basket

folks contribute to -

you put in for mama

she'll put out for you!

the folks a top the ladder

are the ones the world adores -

so boost me up my ladder kid

and i'll boost you up yours!

let's all stroke together

like the princeton crew -

when you're strokin' mama

mama's strokin' you!

so what's the one conclusion

i can bring this number to?

when you're good to mama

mama's good to you!