Jacob was a dirt poor farm boy Raised at the fork in the road in a clapboard house And Rachel was a land baron's daughter Born with a silver spoon in her mouth Her daddy said he wouldn't stand For Rachel to waste her life with a common man He tried hard to keep them apart But you can't draw lines in a young girl's heart
So late one night by the harvest moon Jacob climbed a ladder up to Rachel's room He knew his place, it was right beside her Step by step up to her world Head over heels for a brown-eyed girl And gettin' caught didn't seem to matter 'Cause heaven was waitin' at the top of Jacob's ladder
It'll be five years September Since her daddy found the ladder and a note on her windowsill He swore he'd never forgive them But nothin' melts a heart like a grandchild will Now she climbs up on his knee Says, \"Grandpa tell a story, the one about me\" He thinks back and his eyes shine Says, \"Listen child, once upon a time\"
Late one night by the harvest moon Your daddy climbed a ladder to your mama's room He knew his place, it was right beside her Step by step up to her world Head over heels for my little girl And here you are, that's all that matters 'Cause heaven was waitin' at the top of Jacob's ladder
Oh, an angel was waitin' at the top of Jacob's ladder.