 Lyrically, the song addresses the end of a marriage between Beyoncé's parents Tina Knowles and Mathew Knowles.The lyrics are written in a form of an "open letter" in which the singer praises her mother's courage for ending a dysfunctional marriage.At the beginning of the song, Beyoncé sings, "Mama, I understand your many sleepless nights / When you think about father / and how you tried to be the perfect wife...