1776 - Mama Look Sharp

1776 (1972) - Sherman Edwards Mama Look Sharp - A workman describes the final thoughts of a dying young man as his mother searches for his body
Lyrics:
Momma, hey momma
Come lookin' for me
I'm here in the meadow
By the red maple tree

Momma, hey momma
Look sharp, here I be
Hey, hey
Momma, look sharp

Them soldiers, they fired
Oh, ma, did we run
But then we turned 'round
And the battle begun

Then I went under
Oh, ma, am I done
Hey, hey
Momma, look sharp

My eyes are wide open
My face to the sky
Is that you I'm hearing
In the tall grass nearby

Momma, come find me
Before I do die
Hey, hey
Momma, look sharp

I'll close your eyes, my Billy
Them eyes that cannot see
And I'll bury you, my Billy
Beneath the maple tree

And never again
Will you whisper to me
Hey, hey
Oh, momma, look sharp

[pmartin]

I cry every time I hear it. Poignant and hauntingly beautiful. Thank you to every veteran & family who made the ultimate sacrifice.

[benwalls]

I think it is easy in this show to become caught up in the drama of the declaration and forget what was at stake for those men and boys that were actively in arms. this song and the dispatches of Washington serve a vital grounding purpose. without these outside voices the show would lose quite a bit of heart. this is the centerpiece, and I think this moment more than any other gives the show emotional depth.

[kidd_gallahad]

Has anyone here been in a combat environment? This tune is scary real as well as beautiful. Many men, when dying, or feel they are dying, call out for their mothers for help or yell how sorry they are to them.

[alondraperez-ramirez]

A very beautiful and underappreciated song.

[MelanieAnneAhern]

I love this because it trandscends just the Revolutionary War. It speaks truth and sorrow about all war and conflict over time and history.

[johnwhiting]

This is one of the most articulate and stunningly beautiful Broadway Musical songs written in the 1970s. The lyrics and soft melody breaks your heart. Great performance.

[johnbickett]

Some people wept when this was sung at our college’s production of “1776” in 1973. Feelings were that raw at the near end of the Vietnam Conflict. It probably got the most applause of all the songs.

[charlenereames]

I grew up watching this musical. My dad bought it when I was about 9 in Williamsburg, Virginia. While I also love Molasses to Rum, this is still my favorite song of the whole play. Why? I'm 22 now. Somewhere between 9 and 22. That's about how old Billy and his friends might have been. That hits home every single time I hear it

[michaelwalker]

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written for a musical. Ever.

[eagle]

When you hear of stories about American soldiers wounded and dying on the battle field crying out for their mother, this song is what it's about. I believe that they hear their mother looking for them just before they die.

[lynnpernezny]

I first heard this on Broadway in May 1969. 1776 had just won a bunch of Tony awards, all well deserved. But this song! It was what has stuck with me all these years.

[sethkimmel]

The dead on Lexington common; the first of the many that gave their lives for this country...G-D bless and rest their souls...heroes all...

[TheHManShow]

A total tear jerker! And such a way to end the first act which a lot of productions do

[arbitraryvegetarian]

Stephen Nathan is the actor/singer here. I turned on my TV today. Appropriately enough, "1776" was showing on TCM. I'd seen it before, but I forgot this song by a young courier who finally found his friend who had been shot in one of the early skirmishes of the Revolution. It hit me hard. It is simple, direct and heartfelt. It's another side of "Happy Fourth of July".

[sandraalbarado]

I had no idea this song was from a movie. A young girl sang it at a talent show back in the early 70s. I was maybe 6 years old and this song has haunted me ever since. Just popped into my head again and I googled the words. Because of the year I heard it, I assumed it was a comment on the Vietnam war. Oh the things you can find these days...

[TheNinjaInConverse]

This is one of my favorite songs to ever have been written. It makes me ache; it's beautiful and horrifying at the same time. The voice cracks, the use of the language, the addition of the leaders at the end, comforting the young soldier and accepting the responsibility for the death their actions *will* cause...!
I was lucky enough to hear it live when I was in high school- this song struck me in a way few other songs ever have.

[linnycrocus]

I love how breathy and desperate he sounds.

I wish Broadway had off beat and unique voices like this guy and Shelley Plimpton again. Everyone now sounds the same.

[velnias]

I've always loved this song from this movie/play. It is one of the lesser known and underappreciated songs in the production. It is very haunting and deep in emotions. It helps to remind you of the sadness and seriousness of what the men and boys doing the actual fighting had to face in order for this nation to gain its independence from Great Britain.

[robmack]

The greatest rendition of the tragic price paid too often on the battlefield, that I have ever heard.

[heids]

We watched 1776 in 5th grade history class to go along with our lessons, That was 40 years ago and this song still gives me chills