A Bible and a Belt

they were both made of leather

both black and frayed and worn

I was brought up to respect them
since the day that I was born

one came here from England
it's been handed down for years

the other one was ordered from
a catalog at Sears

One my mamma read to me till I was well into my teens

and I thought all the other one was for
was to hold up daddy's jeans

till' I told a lie and learned it had another purpose too

Out behind the shed my daddy said
this'll hurt me more than you

Cause one had my daddy's name on it
and the other said King James

With love it taught us lessons
but we feared them both the same

One led us to Heaven and the other left a welt

Those were the days when kids were raised with a Bible and a belt

I remember when I was twelve
I stole a dime store comic book

How mamma read where the scripture said to take back what I took

When I refused my daddy grabbed my arm and said c'mon

I needed more he knew than just Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

We'll sometimes it made me cry
Sometimes it made me fightin' mad

I'd wish I'd have been raised without them
like some other children had

But now I'm grown with kids of my own
and I know just how they felt

Ya know it seems to me
what the world still needs
is a bible and a belt

Cause one had my daddy's name on it
The other said King James

With love it taught us lessons
but we feared them both the same

One led us to Heaven
and the other hurt like he'll

Those were the days when kids were raised with a bible and a belt

A bible
and a belt