My child, my comfort, you're going away
Please be a good son
With tears and trembling
Your dear, faithful mother begs you
You're going away my one and only child
Across the distant seas
Arrive there safely and in good health
And don't forget your mother
Yes, go in health and with good fortune
And be sure to write a letter each week
To delight your mother's heart

A letter to your mother
Don't delay
Write soon, my beloved child,
And give her solace
Your mother will read your letter
And she will be comforted
You'll heal her pain and her aching heart
And revive her spirits

Eight years now, i've been alone
My child has wandered far away
His childish heart is hard as stone
I've not received a single letter
How can he still have courage?
How has life treated him?
He must be well of
And doesn't want me to know
I've sent a hundred letters
And he hasn't the slightest notion
How deep my grief is

In new york city, a wealthy home
Full of hearts without pity
There lives her child in luxury
With his happy family
A beautiful wife, two children
With radiant faces
And as he sits and beams with joy
He receives a letter
Your mother is dead! it has come to pass
In life you neglected her
This was her last wish
Say kaddish for your mother
Don't delay
Say it soon, my beloved child,
And give her solace
Your mother will hear your kadish
In her grave gladly
You'll heal her pain and her bitter heart
And revive her spirits