One of Scotty McCreery’s Earliest Songs Tells a Moving Story About a Family Bible

Scotty McCreery has spent much of his career weaving his Christian faith into his music, but one of his earliest songs offers a particularly personal story. Featured on his 2011 debut album, Clear As Day, “That Old King James” follows a family Bible as it is passed from one generation to the next.

The song is easy to overlook among McCreery’s better-known hits, including “Five More Minutes” and “Damn Strait.” Yet “That Old King James” remains one of the quieter gems in his catalog.

Written by Phillip White and Mark Nesler, the song appears as the 12th and final track on Clear As Day. Its story centers on a Bible that has become a cherished family heirloom.

A Bible Passed Down Through Generations

The narrator explains that his grandfather received the Bible when he was just eight years old. He held onto it for years, eventually taking it with him when he went overseas to fight during World War II.

Each night, the Bible was there with him as he read its pages.

Later in life, the grandfather passed the Bible on to his daughter, the narrator’s mother. She also turned to it during difficult periods, marking passages that spoke to her and leaving behind the traces of her tears.

By the end of the song, the Bible has reached the narrator. After being carried through decades of family history, its physical condition reflects everything it has endured.

“Now the cover’s torn, and the leather’s worn…on that Old King James.”

McCreery’s own Christian faith gives the song an especially fitting voice. His performance brings the story of the well-loved Bible and the family members who relied on it to life.

McCreery Has Continued to Make Faith Part of His Music

“That Old King James” was only one of several times McCreery has incorporated faith into his music.

The year after releasing Clear As Day, McCreery put out his first Christmas album in 2012. The record included his versions of faith-centered holiday songs such as “Mary, Did You Know?” and “O Holy Night.”

Nearly a decade later, in 2021, he shared a short acoustic performance of the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross.” The video reached thousands of listeners around the world.

In 2024, McCreery returned to spiritual themes with “Red Letter Blueprint,” a track included on his sixth studio album, Rise & Fall.

At the time, McCreery explained how central his faith had been throughout his life.

“My faith is everything to me. It’s held me up during my lows, and it’s been with me when I celebrate my highs,” McCreery shared.

He added that Rise & Fall was shaped by the ups and downs he had experienced over the years, which inspired him to write and sing about the thing that sustained him through them.

“Why Me Lord” Reflects on 15 Years of Music

McCreery most recently brought another song about faith into his catalog with his version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me Lord,” featured on his retrospective album 15.

The project looks back on McCreery’s 15 years in music, a career that began when he won Season 10 of American Idol in 2011.

“Why Me Lord” centers on a narrator who wonders why he deserves the pleasures he has experienced and the kindness God has shown him throughout his life.

Those words resonated with McCreery as he reflected on his own journey. According to a press release for 15, the song “sums up how he feels about the last 15 years.”

From “That Old King James” to “Red Letter Blueprint” and “Why Me Lord,” faith has remained a recurring part of McCreery’s music throughout his career.