Mama Sings a Song

(Bill Anderson)

(God put a song in the heart of an angel)
(And softly she sang it to me.)

I get to thinking lots of times
About back when I was a lad
Of the old homeplace where I grew up
Of the days both good and bad.

My overalls were hand-me-downs
My shoes were full of holes
I used to walk four miles to school every day
Through the rain, the sleet and the cold.

I've seen the nights when my daddy would cry
For the things that his family would need
But all he ever got was a badland farm
And seven hungry mouths to feed.

And yet, and yet our homefire never flickered once
Cause when all these things went wrong
Mama took the hymn book down
And mama sang a song.

(What a friend we have in Jesus.)

I've been rocked to sleep many a night
To the tune of What a Friend
And come morning Rock of Ages
Would wake me gently once again.

And when daddy would reach up and he'd take the Bible down
And he'd read it, read it loud and long.
And I always felt that maybe our house was blessed
When daddy would say mama sing a song.

Sister left home first I guess and then Bob
And then Tommy and then Dan
By then dad's hair was turning white
And I had to be mama's little man.

But it seemed that as daddy's back grew weak
My mother's faith just grew strong
And those were the greatest days of all
When mama sang a song.

(Rock of ages cleft for me let me hide myself in Thee.)

I guess the house is still standing
I don't get to go back much anymore
No voice is left to fill those halls
And no steps to grace the floor.

For you see my mother sings in heaven now
Around God's golden throne
But I'll always believe that this world is a better place
Because one time my mama sang a song.

(Precious mem'ries flod my soul.)...