[Verse 1]
Preacher gave it to him when he was eight
That Sunday morning, he got saved in that little church
Granddaddy totted it to Bible school
I bet back then it looked brand new not a faded word

[Chorus]
Now the cover's torn and the leather's worn
On that Old King James

[Verse 2]
He took it with him overseas
England, France and Germany
Right there in the middle of hell
Said he read it every night, he swore that it'd saved his life
His only hope when there was no hope left
Was in that Old King James
Passed it down to Mama on the day he died
Sat there for the longest time just gathering the dust
But when life would take a sharp turn every now and then
And she would just start missing him, I'd see her pick it up

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
You'll find on every other page yellow lines or tear drop stains
Every chapter of that good book
Been through cancer, war and crazy kids, all the stupid things I did
I may never know the toll I took on her and that Old King James
[Bridge]
Yeah I'm the one who's got it now
She said read it when you're feeling down and I said, "Yes Ma'am"

[Chorus]