(Shall we gather at the river that flows by the throne
of God)
The church doors opened one Sunday in a little country
town
The people all were silent in the rain that misted
down
And an old gray-haired granddad his shoulders stooped
with pain
Was holdin' fast a little boy who kept cryin' in the
rain
And in the dim candlelight within a casket lay so
still
That soon would lie beneath the earth up at the top of
the hill
The little boy kept askin' in a low and plaintive tone
What's wrong with mommy grandpa won't she be comin'
home
It's awful lonesome grandpa since daddy went away
And mommy's all the reason why I'm happy every day
Wouldn't she feel better grandpa if I layed down by
her side
The old man turned and faced him and with these words
replied
Mother went a walkin' son away up in the sky
Along the brook that winds among the stars up there on
high
And down the valley where the sun goes home at night
to sleep
Mother went a walkin' son she wouldn't want us to weep
The boy didn't seem to understand just where his mom
had gone
He couldn't realize that now she wouldn't be comin'
home
He saw the rain on grandpa's face he didn't know he
cried
And of course he couldn't hear the words that grandpa
said inside
Mother went a walkin' son up yonder in the sky
And all that we can do down here son is bow our heads
and cry
She's gone to meet your daddy son and take him by the
hand
Yes mother went a walkin' son in God's great
meadowland