Oh what a wonderful happy day up there on the golden strand   When I can hear Jesus my Saviour say shake hands with mother again   She never closed her eyes at night till we were all in bed   On partly nights till we came home she often sat and read   We little thought about it then when we were young and gay   How much mama worried when we children were away   We only knew she never slept when we were out at night   And that she waited just to know that we come home all right   Why sometimes we stayed out till one two or three   And it seemed to us that mama heard the turning of the key   For always when we stepped inside she'd call and we'd reply   But we were all too young back then to understand just why   Until the last one had reuturned she always kept the light   For mama couldn't sleep until she kissed us all goodnight   She had to know that we were safe before she went to rest   She seemed to fear the world might harm the ones she loved the best   And once she said when you have grown to women and to men   Perhaps I'll sleep the whole night through I may be different then   And so it seemed that night or day we knew a mother's care   That always we got back home we'd find her waiting there   Then came the night when we were called together around her bed   The children all are with you now the kindly doctor said   And in her eyes there gleamed again the old time tender light   That told that she had been waiting just to know we were all right   She smiled the old familiar smile then prayed to God to keep   A safe from harm throughout the years and then she went to sleep   Shake hands with mother again