D Bm G A

D                            Bm
Preacher gave it to him when he was eight,
                    F#m                         G
That Sunday morning he got saved in that little church
D                      Bm 
Grandaddy totted it to Bible school
                   F#m
I bet back then it looked brand new,
            G             Em
not a faded word, now the cover's torn
        G                      D
and the leather's worn on that Old King James

   Bm
He took it with him overseas
F#m
England, France and Germany
G                            D
Right there in the middle of hell
Bm
Said he read it every night
   F#m
He swore that it saved his life
    Em                               A
His only hope when there was no hope left
            G   A    D
Was in that Old King James

D Bm G

D                              Bm
Passed it down to Momma on the day he died
                  F#m                             G
Sat there for the longest time just gathering the dust
         D                                  Bm                                     
But when life would take a sharp turn every now and then
                         F#m                              G
And she would just start missing him, I'd see her pick it up
        Em
Now the cover's torn
        G                      D
and the leather's worn on that Old King James

       Bm 
You'll find on every other page
F#m
Yellow lines or tear drop stains
G                          D
Every chapter of that good book
             Bm
Been through cancer, war and crazy kids
F#m
All the stupid things I did
Em                          A
I may never know the toll I took on her
         G   A    D
And that Old King James

D Bm G D A Bm F#m G D A

D                      Bm
Yeah I'm the one who's got it now
                             F#m
She said read it when you're feeling down
                    G
And I said, "Yes Ma'am"
        Em
Now the cover's torn
        G                      D
And the leather's worn on that Old King James