In it, Standley plays a revivalist preacher who gives a (possibly inebriated) take on the children's tale Little Bo Peep, claiming his interpretation is in the Bible: "It's in the book!"
The number (featuring Heidt's orchestra) continues in that vein, with Standley praising "Grandma's Lye Soap", while the audience cheers.
"It's in the Book" was released by the small Magnolia label as a single in the fall of 1952, then picked up by Capitol Records.
The routine (which, at over six minutes long, had to be split over both sides of the record) shocked industry observers as it hit the Billboard charts in October and raced all the way to the number-one spot for the week ending November 22, 1952.
The recording can be heard in the background in the final scene of the 1971 film, The Last Picture Show.