G Am Am G Am Am G Am C Am
G Am Am G Am Am G Am C Am
G Am Am G Am Am G Am C Am
G Am Am G Am Am G Am C Am


[Chorus]
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
           C            G              D             Am*  Am*
'Cause you treat her so mean and she's only sweet sixteen.


[Verse 1]
Am                                 C  Am                         C Am
Now it was late last Friday evening,   when everything was still,
  Am                            C Am                      C Am
I heard somebody calling my name    outside my window sill,
Am                           C Am                         C Am
I got up and I looked outside    strainin' my eyes to see,
Am                                    C Am
And my heart went wild when I realized    just who was calling me,
  C
I hollered,


[Chorus]
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
           C            G              D             Am*  Am*
'Cause you treat her so mean and she's only sweet sixteen.


[Verse 2]
Am                                 C  Am
Now, her eyes were blazing up at me,
Am                          C  Am
Her hair was black as night,
Am                                 C  Am
And her naked skin shone like gold,
Am                          C  Am
Out in the pale moonlight,
Am
She took my hand and she pulled me down,
Am
Where the grass had grown up tall,
Am
The she moved her body all around,
Am
Just like a cannon ball.


[Chorus]
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
           C            G              D             Am*  Am*
'Cause you treat her so mean and she's only sweet sixteen.


[Bridge]
C                 G                  Am
Yonder comes your mama, girl, 'cross the field,
C             G                     Am
Runnin' and a-shakin' like an automobile,
C             G       F
Daddy's got a shotgun in his hand,
     D               E
They just don't understand.


[Instrumental]
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am*
Am*


[Verse 3]
Am                                       C  Am
Now, the first time I seen that sweet girl,
Am                                       C  Am
She was runnin' home from Sunday school,
Am                                               C  Am
And the next time I seen that sweet little girl,
Am                                  C  Am
Was when she broke her mama's rule,
Am                                              C  Am
But the last time I seen that sweet little girl,
Am                                    C  Am
She was filled with a strange desire,
Am                                               C  Am
Rollin' and tumblin' out on the cold wet ground,
Am                                        C  Am
Her skin burnin' up just like a cane fire,
    C         G      Am
She called my name a thousand ways,
    C          G         Am
The tears come streaming down her face,
    C         G      F
But just when I was 'bout to blow my stack,
     D
Her daddy came a-creepin' and a-crawlin' up behind,
       E
And he shot me in the back.


[Outro]
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am
Am*
Am*
Hey Mama,
Am*
Am*
Am*
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am
Hey, hey, hey,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
Am*                  Am*
Hey, mama, don't you treat your daughter mean,
           C            G              D             Am*  Am*
'Cause you treat her so mean and she's only sweet sixteen.
Am*
Am*
Am