Shirley Caesar – No Charge

Lyrics: No Charge by Shirley Caesar

My sister’s little boy came in the kitchen one evening
While she was fixing supper
And he handed her a piece paper he had been writing on
And after wiping her hands on an apron
She took the letter in her hands and read it
And this is what it said:

For mowing the yard, five dollars
And for making up my own bed this week, one dollar
For going to the store, fifty cents
And playing with little brother while you went shopping, twenty five cents
Taking out the trash, one dollar
And for getting a good report card, five dollars
And for raking the yard, two dollars
Total owed, fourteen seventy five

Well she looked at him standing there expecting
And a thousand memories began to flash through her mind
So she picked up the pen and she turned the letter over
And this is what she wrote to that little boy:

For the 9 months I carried you growing inside of me, no charge
For the nights I sat up with you doctored you and prayed for you, no charge
For the time and tears and the costs through the years, there is no charge
When you add it all, up the real cost of my love is no charge

For the nights filled with dread and the worries ahead, no charge
For the advice and the knowledge and the costs of your college, no charge
For the toys, food, and clothes and for wiping your nose, there’s no charge my son
When you add it all the real cost of my love is no charge

After that Mom finished talking to that little boy
He looked up at her with grand big ol’ tears in his eyes
And he said, Mama, I sure do love you
And then he reached out and he got the letter and he turned it over
And he wrote in grand big words:
Paid in full

When you add it all the real cost of my love is no charge