[1][2] One of McCall's numerous recitations released during the 1970s, "Roses for Mama" differed from his usual novelty-style tales.
The narrator is travelling to Florida to vacation with an old friend when he makes a stop in a small town in Georgia.
During the stop, he calls his mother in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, to wish her a happy birthday and plans to wire her some roses.
The boy tells his story about living with his grandfather (grandmother in McCall's version) and that he had promised to purchase five roses (the number of his age) to celebrate his mother's birthday, but had only a dime to spend.
Later, as the narrator is driving out of town, he sees the boy at an old cemetery, kneeling by what turns out to be his mother's grave.