In the world's mighty
gallery of pictures
hangs scenes that
are painted from life.
There's pictures of love and of passion,
and there's pictures of
peace and of strife.
There hang pictures of
youth and of beauty
and of old age
and the blushing young bride.
But the saddest of all,
they don't hang on the wall.
They're just the pictures
from life's other side.
The first scene is that of a gambler
who had lost all of his money at play
And he draws his dead mother's ring
from his finger
that she wore long ago on
her wedding day
It's his last earthly treasure
but he stakes it
Then he bows his head
that in shame he might hide
But when they lifted his head
they found he was dead
That's just a picture from
life's other side
Now the last scene is that by the river
Of a heartbroken mother and babe
As the harbor light shines and they shiver
On an outcast who no one will save
Now yet she was once a true woman
She was somebody's darling in pride
But God help her she leaps
And there's no one to weep
That's just a picture from
life's other side
Just a picture from life's other side
someone has fell by the way
a life that's gone out with the tide
that might have been happy someday
there's a poor old mother
at home watching and waiting alone.
Just longing to hear from
a loved one so dear,
just a picture from life's other side.