She's a great little housewife
   Though sometimes she talks like a fool
   But she helps at the store in the holiday rush
   And she picks up the kids after school
   And she puts down the phone when her husband comes home
   And she changes from mother to wife
   'Til she feels the words hanging between them
   And she hangs by her words to her life
  
   She says I swear I love my husband, I love my kids
   I wanted to be like my mother
   But if I hadn't done it as soon as I did
   Oh there might have been time to be me
   For myself, for myself
   There's so many things that she wishes
   She don't even know what she's missin'
   And that's how she knows that she missed
  
   She's a sweetheart, except when she's moody
   It's hard to get through to her then
   Depressed for a while when the youngest was born
   Oh but that happens now and again
   She might take a drink with the housework
   Or when Michael's kept late at the shop
   A Martini or two before dinner
   But she always knows when to stop
  
   She says I swear I love my husband and I love my kids
   You know I wanted to be like my mother
   But if I hadn't done it as soon as I did
   Oh there might have been time to be me
   For myself, for myself
   There's so many things that she wishes
   She don't even know what she's missin'
   And that's how she knows that she missed
  
   Oh they used to hold hands at the movies
   Now it's seldom if ever they go
   Once you've paid for the sitter and parkin' the car
   There's no money left for the show
   She was doing the dishes
   When a glass fell and broke on the tile
   And she cut her wrist (quite by mistake)
   It was real touch and go for a while
  
   She says Oh God I love my husband and I love my kids
   You know I wanted to be like my, my mother
   But if I hadn't done it as soon as I did
   Oh there might have been time to be me
   For myself, for myself
   There's so many things that she wishes
   She don't even know what she's missin'
   And that's how she knows that she missed