So I was wrong about the singer.

NO CHARGE
As recorded by Melba Montgomery
Writer: Harlan Howard

Recitation:

My little boy came up to me
In the kitchen this evening
While I was fixing supper
And he handed me a piece of paper
He'd been writing on
And after wiping my hands on my apron
I read it and this is what it said:

For mowing the yard - five dollars
For making my own bed this week - one dollar
Going to the store - fifty cents
Playing with little brother
While you went to the store - twenty-five cents
Taking out the trash - one dollar
Getting a good report card - five dollars
And for raking the yard - two dollars

Total owed - fourteen seventy-five

Well, I looked at him standing there expectantly
And a thousand memories flashed through my mind
And so I picked up the pen and turning the paper over
This is what I wrote:

For nine months I carried you
Growing 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
That you 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 worries ahead, NO CHARGE
For the advice and knowledge
And the cost of your college - 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

Recitation:
Well, when he finished reading
He had great big old tears in his eyes
And he looked up at me and said
"Mom, I sure do love you."
Then he took the pen
And in great big letters he wrote: "Paid In full"

Tag:
When you add it all up, the cost of real love is NO CHARGE


Roger in Baltimore