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