Mothers Little Helper


What a drag it is getting old.

"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day.

"Things are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day.

Doctor, please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old.

"Men just aren't the same today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy. You can tranquilise your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimise your plight.

Doctor,plese, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old.

Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running to the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way through your busy dying day. Ahhh the sweet smell of hypocrisy...jagger was a big dex abuser back in the day.

Hi D.B.

I believe that the drug referred to in Mother's Little Helper" is "Valium", as in a 5 milligram "little yellow pill".

Some websites claim it was the drug "Miltown". However, since the song makes reference to a "little" yellow pill, I would have to put my guess at "Valium" since "Miltown" is usually a 200 mg pill (or more), where as Valium is usually prescribed in 2-10 mg pills I believe.

Also the song's lyrics: "Mother needs something today to calm her down" and "They're so hard to satisfy. You can tranquilize your mind" point more toward Benzo's as the type of drug being referred to.

Below are some websites I found regarding the song.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/valium2.htm (Paragraph 5)

http://www.huxley.net/soma/meaning.html

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/stories/2006/1651446.htm

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:cpxfL18gjvMJ:library.ouhsc.edu/epub/theses/Ryder-Katherine-Ann.pdf+%22Mothers+Little+Helper%22,+%22Song+meani ng%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1 (Page 31)

Peace! :)

Dexxies are yellow too (er at least my dextrostats are). Jager said the song was a reaction to the hypocrisy of the british government making various drugs illegal and yet these "productive" drugs are still acceptable. its possible he just had a poor understanding of the drugs when writing the songs and then later became more uhm accustomed with it.

I think this song is quite an insight on being forced to be a stay-at-home mom in that point in history-no personal identity, so many women lost themselves to being what society expected them to be, trapped in a life that often had little hope of change. I am a child of this time-and saw it all over our neighborhood. Plus, mental illness such as depression, was a taboo subject and there were no effective meds to treat it. I get cold chills whenever I hear this song. Why do you think the Women's Liberation Movement occurred? Food for thought, not just being a pill about it!

The LYRICS....

What a drag it is getting old
Kids are different today,
I hear evry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though shes not really ill
Theres a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

Things are different today,
I hear evry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husbands just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

Men just arent the same today
I hear evry mother say
They just dont appreciate that you get tired
Theyre so hard to satisfy, you can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your plight

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

Lifes just much too hard today,
I hear evry mother say
The pusuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mothers little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day

Rolling Stones

Doctors in the 60's tended to give out vallum rather freely. It was an extremely cheap and plentiful medication.

Me :D

the dexedrine tabs are orange and my ex alcoholic grandmother used to abuse dexedrine back in the day and she said they were the same as the ones they have now (SKF E19)

I think the pills are vallium-from the description of their effect on mother. She is not stimulated-just sedated.

RADD

Jagger was referring to 5mg Valiums.-1965

Funnily enought when he recorded this track-1965, he was pounding down Amphetamine sulphate and Methylamphetamine Hcl tabs.

Among many other things no doubt-at least from his current appearance, the drugs did something to hime-you don't get that way for nothin!

I am so grateful we are (mostly) all in agreement. MLHs were valiums, hence "traquilize your mind".

Jagger et. al. were speed-pill poppers due to the Mod movement in the UK. Witness the hairstyles, clothing and shoes. Jaggar and others, like Roger Daltrey, were "Faces".

http://www.quadrophenia.net/

I was a serious Who-Fanatic back in my day ;).

"Diet pills" like 'Preludin' (Phenmetrazine) kick started the Beatles. Elvis was turned on to uppers-probably Dexedrine, during his army days. Johnny cash abused Dexedrine from 1958-1967. He later reported: (the first time i took it, i felt an electricity running thru my body, i was alive and felt invincible, amoung the many 1000's of pills i took subsuqently failed to recapture that feeling, no matter how hard i tried to make it so.

Among many other things no doubt-at least from his current appearance, the drugs did something to hime-you don't get that way for nothin! Jagger was always ugly in my opinion! LOL :D

But his money sure bought him some beautiful wives! :D

Who said money can't by happiness??? :)

Jagger was always ugly in my opinion! LOL :D

But his money sure bought him some beautiful wives! :D

Who said money can't by happiness??? :)If Mick looks bad, Keith looks MUCH worse :eek:.

Definitely! :) They all were pretty motley weren't they! :D

Charlie Watts always struck me as a big grasshopper behind a set of drums.

The Stone set the stage for rock attitude. It seems that every act coppied them some way.

^Agree about about the Keef Richards comment^-actually Mick looks pretty good for a 66yo-slim, boundless energy, no burn out there-must be all thoes young girls?.

After he was busted in the famous police raid of 1967 with a few Methylamphetamine Hcl tabs on him (for hay fever!), he henceforth decided to not allow himself to be put in that position again, and changed his ways.

After he was busted in the famous police raid of 1967 with a few Methylamphetamine Hcl tabs on him (for hay fever!), he henceforth decided to not allow himself to be put in that position again, and changed his ways. Yeah, he changed to coke! LOL :D

J/K :)

I like the stones. I saw them in concert in the 80's. (Steel Wheels Tour)