My sister's little boy came
Into the kitchen one evening
While she was fixing supper

And he handed her a piece
Of paper he'd been writing on
And after wiping her hands on an apron
She took it in her hands and
She 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

For 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 and expecting
And a thousand memories
Flashed through her mind

So she picked up the pen
And turned the paper over
And this is what she wrote

For the nine months I carried you
Growing inside me, no charge
For the nights I sat up with you
Doctored you, prayed for you
No charge

For the time and the tears and
The cost through the years
There is 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 advice and the knowledge
And the cost of your college
No charge

For the toys, food and clothes
And for wiping your nose
There's no charge, son
When you add it all up
The full cost of my love
Is no charge

Well, you know when I think about that
I think about the day that Jesus
Went out on Calvary and gave his life
As a ransom for me

When I think on the words
If any man be in Christ
He's a new creature

I like to think about the very
Minute that he shredded his blood
My debt was paid in full

And I want you to know today
When you add it all up
The full cost of real love
Is no charge

- Shirley Caesar