Oh, she's tender but she's tough
And still willing to love
If there's a man, man enough to be her manBut right now her hands are full
Fighting back the tears and the wolves
But she keeps smiling just as hard as she canShe's twenty-nine and holding
The world on her shoulders
They're all counting on mama
And she ain't about to let them downOh, there's no time to worry about turning thirty
When you're twenty-nine and holding
The world on your shouldersYes, the one who she once loved
Just didn't have the guts
To be a lover or father or much of a manYeah, he just had to have his space
So she put him in his place
Out in the road with his suitcase in his handAs she's twenty-nine and holding
The world on her shoulders
And they're all counting on mama
And she ain't about to let them downThere's no time to worry about turning thirty
When you're twenty-nine and holding
The world on your shouldersWell, it's the kids and it's the job
It's the kitchen and it's the mop
Hey, it's the life of a woman that's on her ownAnd Lord, I just gotta say
That we all ought to be ashamed
If our biggest trouble is just turning old and grayWhen you know she's twenty-nine and holding
The world on her shoulders
They're all counting on mama
And she ain't about to let them downOh, there's no time to worry about turning thirty
When you're twenty-nine and holding
The world on your shouldersShe's twenty-nine and holding
The world on her shoulders