If I were hanged on the highest hill, Mother o‘ mine, O mother o’ mine! I know whose love would follow me still, Mother o‘ mine, O mother o’ mine! If I were drowned in the deepest sea, Mother o‘ mine, O mother o’ mine! I know whose tears would come down to me, Mother o‘ mine, O mother o’ mine! If I were damned of body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o‘ mine, O mother o’ mine!
Given the violent potential fates of this poor soul, I suspect these lines are aimed more at men than women. Whatever the case, they always make me think of my mom. I knew without a doubt that no matter what happened, her “love would follow me still.” She was my mom, yes, but while she lived she was also a best friend.As Mother’s Day approached this spring, for no discernible reason my thoughts drifted to women and their mothers, specifically to daughters who were now themselves mothers. I knew what gifts my mom had bestowed on me, but what treasures, I wondered, had mothers passed along to their daughters, maternal gems of example and advice that they in turn would endeavor to hand on to their own children?
