Preacher gave it to him when he was 8
That sunday morning he got saved in that little church
Granddaddy toted it to bible school
I bet back then it looked brand new, not a faded word
Now the cover's torn, and the leather's worn
On that old king james

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 saved his life
His only hope when there was no hope left
Was in that old king james

He 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
Now the cover's torn, and the leather's worn
On that old king james

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

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
Now the cover's torn and the leather's worn
On that old king james