Adoration

I remember when I was only four,
Mother would bring me 'round to the store,
And just outside of the Church she'd stand,
And "Come in", she'd say, reaching down for my hand.
 
"Just for a minute"
 
And then when I started going to school,
She'd bring me down every day as a rule,
But first the steps to the Church we'd climb,
And she'd say: We'll go in, you've always got time,
 
"Just for a minute"
 
Then I got real big, I mean seven years old,
And I went by myself, but was always told:
When you're passing the church, don't forget to call,
And tell Our Lord about lessons and all,
 
"Just for a minute"
 
And now it's sort of a habit I've got,
In the evening, coming from Casey's lot,
Though it takes me out of my way a bit,
to slip into Church with my hat and my mit,
 
"Just for a minute"
 
But sometimes I see the other fellow
Standing around and I just go yellow.
I pass by the door, but a Voice from within
Seems to say, real sad: "So you wouldn't come in"
 
"Just for a minute"
 
There are things inside of me, bad and good,
That nobody knows and nobody could
Excepting Our Lord, and I like Him to know,
And He helps, when in for a visit I go,
 
"Just for a minute"
 
I know what happens when people die,
But I won't be scared, and I'll tell you why
When Our Lord is judging my soul, I feel
He'll remember the times I went in to kneel
 
"Just for a minute"

Author Unknown, first heard by Monsignor Wade at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco around 1939.