About The Song
“Family Bible” is a song performed by Willie Nelson, released in 1971 as the title track on his album Yesterday’s Wine on RCA Records, with a re-recorded version released in 1980 on the album Family Bible on Columbia Records. Written by Nelson in 1957 under the pseudonym Walt Breeland, the song was first recorded by Claude Gray, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1960. Nelson’s 1980 version, a gospel-infused ballad, peaked at No. 10 on the same chart on April 19, 1980, and charted for 12 weeks. The 3:10 track reflects on family and faith, with lyrics like: “There’s a family Bible on the table / Each page is torn and hard to read.”
The 1980 version was recorded in 1979 at Pedernales Recording Studio in Austin, Texas, produced by Willie Nelson and Chips Moman. The session featured The Family band, with Mickey Raphael on harmonica, Jody Payne on guitar, and Bobbie Nelson on piano, alongside a choir arranged by Moman. The arrangement includes a gentle piano lead, Raphael’s harmonica, and a choral backing, enhancing the song’s spiritual tone. The album Family Bible, a collection of gospel and traditional songs, reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 500,000 copies by 1982, earning gold certification from the RIAA. The track was released as the album’s lead single in February 1980.
The song originated when Nelson sold the rights for $50 in 1957 to pay rent, leading to Gray’s hit recording. Nelson reclaimed it for Yesterday’s Wine in 1971, but the 1980 re-recording gained wider recognition. Nelson chose it as the centerpiece for the 1980 album, aligning with its theme of spiritual reflection. In a 1980 interview with Country Music magazine, Nelson said: “It’s a song about home and faith—things that stay with you.” The track gained exposure through its use in the 1980 television special Willie Nelson: Gospel Hour, aired on TNN, featuring a live performance.
Covers of the song include Gray’s 1960 hit and a 1971 version by George Jones on With Love. Nelson’s 1980 take inspired later renditions, including a 1985 recording by The Statler Brothers on Today and a 1999 version by Randy Travis on A Man Ain’t Made of Stone, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1980 Austin City Limits episode was released on the 2006 album Live at Austin City Limits. The song appeared in the 1986 film Sweet Dreams, used in a church scene, and in a 2016 episode of Heartland, featured during a family gathering.
Nelson included “Family Bible” in his live sets, notably at the 1980 Fourth of July Picnic in Austin, Texas, where he performed it with a choir. A 1993 duet with Dolly Parton was recorded for the album The Essential Willie Nelson, released in 2003. The song was featured at Farm Aid 1986, Nelson’s benefit concert for farmers, and included in a 2018 documentary, Willie Nelson: Gospel Roots, aired on PBS, exploring his spiritual influences. The track remains a recurring piece in Nelson’s performances, often paired with other gospel songs.
Video
Lyric
There’s a family Bible on the table
Each page is torn and hard to read
But the family Bible on the table
Will ever be my key to memoriesAt the end of day when work was over
And every task was put aside
Around the family Bible we would gather
And we’d sing our songs of praiseI can see us sittin’ and a-talkin’
My mother and my daddy and my sister, too
The open Bible between our hearts
And the family gathered in that holy lightThere’s a family Bible on the table
Each page is torn and hard to read
But the family Bible on the table
Will ever be my key to memoriesThat family Bible I can still see
As the family gathered every night
And that family Bible I’ll remember
Though the pages have been torn by time