Déjà vu: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys with "Oh Mam (Oh Mom)"

I couldn't find lyrics for this song, and I had hoped to see if the lyrics would echo anything of what I'm experiencing right now with my own mom. But, I couldn't find anything. I often think "Oh Mom" nowadays, but for different reasons than in the earlier stages of my life. I'm at the age where my mom is elderly, and experiencing all the fragility and uncertainties of a life of old age. She is forgetting more and more, particularly in the short term, her physical infirmities mean that she doesn't get out much, and she needs more and more supervision and care. So, at this point in my life my "Oh Mom" is a mix of empathy, exasperation, humor and some sadness. I have empathy that she cannot do the things she used to do, which is frustrating for her. I get exasperated with her, especially at the times she tries to do too much and gets herself tired, worn out, and perhaps into positions where she could be in danger. Humor comes at times we least expect it, when she can laugh a little about where she's at in life - laughing about forgetting something that she usually remembers, for instance. Sadness comes from comparing the mom I know now with the more vital, younger mom back a few years or longer. And, there is the wondering about how long she'll be with us - how many years? "Oh Mom..."

Oh Mam (Oh Mom) is performed by Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, a Cajun band from Southern Louisiana and our first repeater on this daily global song list. Founded in 1988, the band takes its inspiration from Cajun traditional legends Dewey Balfa, Belton Richard and Walter Mouton. However, the music of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys has grown into a style that is distinctly Cajun but also personal to them. They sing almost exclusively in Cajun French. They have been nominated twice for Grammys in the Best Traditional Folk Album category and have released 11 albums to date as well as one compilation album. Oh Mam (Oh Mom) can be found on their Best of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys CD of 2008.