No Charge (Album Version)

My little girl came into the kitchen this evenin',

While I was fixin' supper,

And she handed me a piece of paper she'd been writin' on,

And after wipin' my hands on my apron,

I read it - and this is what it said:

For mowin' the yard - five dollars,

And for makin' my own bed this week - one dollar,

And for goin' to the store - fifty cents,

An' playin' with little sister, while you went to the store - twenty-five cents,

Takin' out the trash - one dollar,

Gettin' a good report card - five dollars,

And for rakin' the yard - two dollars,

Total owed - fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents.

Well, I looked at her standin' there expectantly,

And a thousand mem'ries flashed through my mind,

So I picked up the pen, turnin' the paper over,

This is what I wrote:

For the nine months I carried you,

Growin' inside me - NO CHARGE,

For the nights I've sat up with you,

Doctored you, prayed for you - NO CHARGE,

For the toys, food and clothes.

And for wiping your nose, there's NO CHARGE,

When you add it all up.

The full cost of my love is NO CHARGE.

Well, when she finished readin',

She had great big old tears in her eyes,

And she looked up at me and said,

"Mama, I sure do love you."

Then she took the pen,

And in great big letters,

She wrote: "PAID IN FULL."

When you add it all up,

The cost of real love is - NO CHARGE