Rex Trulove
When Carole King wrote the song You’ve Got A Friend in the very early 1970’s, it is quite likely that she never realized that the song has great spiritual meaning for Christians. The song made it to the Billboard #1 song position. The embed is the rendition by James Taylor and it is one of my favorite renditions. I’m not sure that James Taylor realized the Christian connection, either, but it is there in the words. Carole King said in an interview that she didn’t specifically write the song for James Taylor, but she was quite happy that he sang it.
People who are my age probably remember hearing this song, either as sung by Carole King or James Taylor or both.
Here are the words, so you can see how spiritual the words are, as if they were being sung by Jesus:
When you’re down and troubled and you need a helping handAnd nothing, whoa, nothing is going rightClose your eyes and think of me and soon I will be thereTo brighten up even your darkest nightsYou just call out my name, and you know wherever I amI’ll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you againWinter, spring, summer, or fallAll you got to do is call and I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeahYou’ve got a friendIf the sky… above you should turn dark and full of cloudsAnd that old north wind should begin to blowKeep your head together and call my name out loud nowSoon I’ll be knocking upon your doorYou just call out my name, and you know wherever I amI’ll come running, oh yes I will, see you againWinter, spring, summer, or fall, yeahAll you got to do is call and I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeahHey, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend?People can be so coldThey’ll hurt you and desert youWell, they’ll take your soul if you let themOh yeah, but don’t you let themYou just call out my name, and you know where ever I amI’ll come running to see you againOh baby, don’t you know aboutWinter, spring, summer, or fallHey now, all you have to do is call, Lord, I’ll be there, yeah, yeahYou’ve got a friend. You’ve got a friend, yeahAin’t it good to know you’ve got a friendAin’t it good to know you’ve got a friendOh, yeah, yeah, you’ve got a friend
Be truthful, did you ever realize that the song was so spiritual, assuming that you’ve heard it before? All I can say is that God knows what he’s doing when he gives someone inspiration.
I’m not sure of James Taylor’s spirituality. In his song “Fire and Rain” written around the same time, he sings “Look down upon me Jesus” but, in concert, he usually replaced Jesus with Buddha.
It’s quite possible that he bowed down to pressure. A number of churches and pastors have done similar things as if they were playing to an audience rather than teaching the word of God.
It is a wonderful song. I think many people don’t get the spiritual meaning though.
I think you are right about that. I played and sang the song many times without really thinking about the words. It wasn’t until I actually paid attention to the words that I understood the spiritual connection, though.
I like the one where they sing it together.
It is sort of surprising, how many renditions there are of that song.
This has always been a very uplifting song for me.
I have always felt it to be uplifting, too.
I absolutely love this song. Thanks for reminding me.
It has been a long-time favorite of mine as well and it is one of those I used to often play on the guitar.
i lost a friend on the song rhymes
Yes, it does. I recently lost a friend I’ve known since I was eight. However, the song isn’t about despair, it is about love and hope.
I love this version of this song. I’ve always admired James Taylor.
Have you ever thought about the connection between the words of the song and Jesus?