With Roger and Lauren Talley dividing the lead vocals in between passages that feature, with the addition of Debra Talley, the trio’s rich harmonies, “The Debt” loses no time in diving into its somber subject, as Roger sings:

I watched as the soldiers laid the cross on His back that day
I followed the blood-stained footprints He left as they led Him away

And after a matching couplet from Lauren, the song swells into the first of its three majestic choruses:

I can’t turn away from His suffering
I can’t turn away from His price
I witnessed each moment of torment
He endured on the day that He died
I imagine the way He was wounded
I’ll picture it all for I know
Everything Jesus went through on the cross
Was a horrible debt that I owed

The ultimate significance of “The Debt” can be found in its variations across the choruses, as each “I can’t” of the first gives way to an “I won’t” in the second, and into a crescendo of positive affirmations — "I thank him,” “I’ll remember,” “I’ll imagine” and “I’ll picture” — that lead to the closing passage:

Everything Jesus went through on the cross
Was a horrible debt that I owed
For everything Jesus went through on the cross
My life is the debt that I owe
He paid the debt I owe

Says Roger Talley, “‘The Debt’ is a musical version of the story of the crucifixion. It is a dramatic rendition of Jesus dying on the cross in a horrible manner to pay our sin debt. Gerald Crabb wrote it and suggested we record it. It became a #1 song for The Talleys.”

Listen to "The Debt" HERE.

About The Talleys
The Talleys began in 1984 and enjoyed many years of success, including a Dove® Award and numerous Singing News Fan Awards. Following a three-year hiatus, the Talleys began performing together in 1996 with the current lineup of Roger, wife Debra and daughter Lauren, and today the Talleys remain a mainstay of Christian music. The Talleys have enjoyed eleven number one songs, and have received numerous Singing News Fan Awards and Dove Award nominations. They are frequently recognized for their appearances on the Gaither Homecoming video series and concert tour, as well as In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley and John Hagee Ministries. They have appeared on RFD-TV's "The Music City Show," and have toured overseas to Norway, Northern Ireland, Italy and South Africa.