"And Carl Perkins wrote us another song, that tells about the reason for it all. It takes us back home and tells it like it was when I was a little bitty kid. We gathered around the piano, me and little brother would join in, and mama would sing tenor and daddy'd sing bass."

I remember when I was a lad
Times were hard and things were bad
But there's a silver lining behind every cloud
Just poor people, that's all we were
Trying to make a living out of black land dirt
We'd get together in a family circle singing loud

Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there
Singing seems to help a troubled soul
One of these days and it won't be long
I'll rejoin them in a song
I'm going to join the family circle at the throne

No, the circle won't be broken
By and by, Lord, by and by
Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there
In the sky, Lord, in the sky

Now I remember after work
Mama would call in all of us
You could hear us singing for a country mile
Now little brother has done gone on
But I'll rejoin him in a song
We'll be together again up yonder in a little while
Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there
Singing seems to help a troubled soul
One of these days and it won't be long
I'll rejoin them in a song
I'm going to join the family circle at the throne

No, the circle won't be broken
By and by, Lord, by and by
Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor
Me and little brother would join right in there
In the sky, Lord, in the sky