Lyrics
Verse 1
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, hallelujah
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Verse 2
I'm gonna feast on milk and honey
Oh yes, I'm gonna feast on milk and honey one of these days, hallelujah
I'm gonna feast on milk and honey
Feast on milk and honey one of these days, one of these days
Verse 3
I'm gonna to tell God how you treat me
Yes, I'm gonna to tell God how you treat me one of these days, hallelujah
I'm gonna to tell God how you treat me
Tell God how you treat me one of these days, one of these days
Yes, hallelujah
Welcome table, one of these days
Verse 4
All God's children gonna sit together
Yes, all God's children gonna sit together one of these days, hallelujah
All God's children gonna sit together
All God's children gonna sit together, one of these days, one of these days
Verse 1 (Repeat)
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
Yes, I'm gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, hallelujah
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Yes, gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Welcome Table" draws on the tradition of the African American spiritual, imagining heaven as a shared feast where every believer finally sits together at God's table. Its repeated promise, "one of these days," gives the song a forward-looking patience, acknowledging present hardship while anchoring hope in a future certainty rather than immediate relief. The imagery of feasting on milk and honey recalls biblical pictures of promised abundance.
A quieter verse turns toward complaint, with the singer anticipating telling God directly how they have been treated, a note common to the spiritual tradition's honesty about suffering alongside faith. The song resolves that tension not through resolution on earth but through the shared table awaiting "all God's children," emphasizing unity among believers regardless of present circumstance.
Rooted in call-and-response tradition, the song's simple repeated lines suit congregational or communal singing. Its central image, a welcome table open to all God's children, reflects both the hope of heaven and the conviction that present suffering will one day be answered directly before God.
Related Scripture
- Revelation 19:9 Describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, echoed in the song's picture of a shared welcome table.
- Exodus 3:8 Describes a land flowing with milk and honey, the imagery echoed in the song's promise of feasting.