Lyrics
My sister's little boy came in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper
and he handed her a piece paper he had been writing on
and after wiping her hands on an apron
She took it in her hands and read it
and this is what it said:
For mowing the yard $5
And for making up my own bed this week $1
For going to the store $.50
And playing with little brother while you went shopping $.25
Taking out the trash $1
And for getting a good report card $5
And for raking the yard $2
Total owed $14.75
Well she looked at him standing there and expecting
And a thousand memories flashed through her mind
So she picked up pen and turned the paper over and this is what she wrote:
For the 9 months I carried you holding you inside me $ NO CHARGE
For the nights I sat up with doctored you and prayed for you $ NO CHARGE
For the time and tears and the costs 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 grey
And the worries ahead
For the advice and the knowledge
And the costs of your college
$ NO CHARGE
For the toys, school, and clothes
And for wiping your nose
There's NO CHARGE son
When you add it all 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 to 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 shedded 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
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“No Charge” begins as a domestic story about a child placing a price on completed chores. The mother answers with a list of sacrifices that cannot be reduced to a bill: carrying, nursing, praying for, teaching, clothing, and loving her child. Her repeated “no charge” turns the exchange into a reflection on love that gives without calculating repayment. The final movement then connects that maternal example with Christ’s death at Calvary and the cancellation of spiritual debt.
Second Corinthians 5:17 is quoted in substance when the lyric says that anyone in Christ is a new creation. Mark 10:45 also matches its description of Jesus giving his life as a ransom, while Colossians 2:13–14 describes the record of debt being canceled through Christ. Together, these passages clarify the song’s movement from an everyday lesson to the gospel. Its central contrast is between an itemized account and grace freely given, presenting sacrificial love as a gift whose true cost is borne by the giver rather than charged to the recipient.
Related Scripture
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 The song directly echoes Paul’s statement that anyone in Christ is a new creation.
- Mark 10:45 Jesus says that he came to give his life as a ransom for many.
- Colossians 2:13-14 Paul describes the record of debt being canceled through Christ.