Melba Montgomery – No Charge lyrics

My little boy came into the kitchen this evenin' while I was fixin' supper,
And he handed me a piece of paper he'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;
An' goin' to the store: fifty cents;
An' watchin' little brother while you went shoppin': twenty-five cents;
For takin' out the trash: one dollar;
Gettin' a good report card: five dollars;
And rakin' the yard: two dollars;
Total owed: fourteen seventy-five.

Well, I looked at him standing there expectantly,
And a thousand mem'ries flashed through my mind.
So I picked up the pen, an', 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 time and the tears,
And the cost through the years, there's no charge;
When you add it all up,
The full cost of my love is no charge.

For the nights filled with dread,
And the worry ahead: no charge;
For advice and the knowledge
And the cost of your college: no charge;
For the toys, food and clothes and for wipin' your nose,
There's no charge, son
When you add it all up,
The full cost of my love, is: no charge.

Well, when he finished readin' he had great big ol' tears in his eyes,
And he looked up at me and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you."
Then he took the pen, and in great big letters.
He wrote: "PAID IN FULL."

When you add it all up,
The cost of real love is: no charge.