“Family Bible” was written by Willie Nelson in the late 1950s, inspired by memories of his grandmother singing hymns and reading scripture after supper. Short of money, Nelson sold the song outright; when it was first published it credited Paul Buskirk, Walter Breeland, and Claude Gray rather than Nelson.
The song is a memory of a childhood home and its faith. The singer recalls the family gathered around the lamplight, the worn Bible on the table, and a mother’s voice singing “Rock of Ages,” and finds in that picture a comfort he carries through life.
Claude Gray had a country hit with it in 1960, and the song helped establish Nelson as a songwriter even before his name was on it. It has since been widely recorded, including in bluegrass.
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