First Line of Hymn is as follows: "I found a friend, when life seemed not worth living..."

[Guest]

My wife and I work together each week to develop the hymn service for our small church near Gettysburg, PA. We are also the piano and organ players, so this is a joyful ministry that we have shared for about 20 years. Each week we scour our hymn book and chorus book collections for the "perfect" songs that relate to the message. This past Sunday we needed the old hymn that used the opening phrase "I found a friend, when life seemed not worth living, I found a friend, so tender and forgiving..." I believe that it was written by a former secular musician who was miraculously saved after a dreadful car accident. I also think that it was sung by George Beverly Shea at every Billy Graham rally. I had it on an old audio tape, but could not find the tape and could not find the lyrics. I know the hymn music by heart, and could have played it by memory at church, but I needed those elusive lyrics. Any help that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

We are very grateful to have found your web page, and we will try to stay in touch with you, as we obviously share a great joy for the old hymns, as well as for the Savior who has given us "New Life in Christ, so Abundant and Free"

God bless you always.

Loren and Louise Lustig
Pennsylvania

[clulus]

Well, greetings to the Lustigs, but seeing as you were guests (and it's been two years), it's not likely that you ever will see my reply to your post.

The lyrics are on the Internet in at least one spot.... Google Books. If you type into Google "How Sweet the Sound I Found a Friend" the first result should be the Google Books' display of George Beverly Shea's book about his favorite hymns (How Sweet the Sound) and the page that it shows you (Pg 114) should be the lyrics of the hymn you asked about.

The story of this hymn's origins is a great testimony. Look at the last three pages of this archived sermon on the Internet:
http://www.cornerstonebibch.org/html/Se ... ders02.pdf

Also, pastor David Jeremiah just used Barclay Allen's story in a sermon broadcast on radio:
Worship In Times of Trouble | March 26, 2011
http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio ... spx?id=386
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"I Found a Friend"
Words: Roc Hillman (b. 1911)
Music: Barclay Allen (1918-1966)
Copyright 1953 by Merit Music Co., Hollywood, CA; Cinephonic Music Co. Ltd. 17 Berners St., London. Copyright renewed 1981. All rights reserved.

Son: Dr. Ronald B. Allen, -- author of the book 'Lord of Song' (Multnomah Press, 1985) (See Pgs. 157-174 about his father.)

Barclay Allen headlined with the Freddy Martin Band in the 1940's. A dazzling pianist, he started his own band in '48; in '49 he had a paralyzing car accident. At the request of the 30-year-old Barclay's mother, a Rev. Norman Hammer launched an intensive conversion effort on the nearing-death young man. The angry young musician's heart was reached by the Lord. Barclay slowly regained the use of his arms and hands and regained limited playing ability on the piano.

In 1953, Barclay Allen composed the music and a friend Roc Hillman supplied the lyrics for the hymn "I Found a Friend," sometimes sung by George Beverly Shea at Billy Graham rallies. Shea met the composer's son, theology scholar Dr. Ronald Barclay Allen, at such a rally.