When I’m sad and hea­vy la­den,
Burdened with the weight of sin,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need;
To the blood­stained cross He points me,
And He gives me peace with­in,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need.

Refrain

O, He is the best of friends,
For His good­ness ne­ver ends,
And His love will ev­ery hu­man thought ex­ceed;
Let me love Him more and more,
’Till I stand on glo­ry’s shore;
O, Je­sus is the ve­ry friend I need.

When I’m strug­gling with temp­ta­tion,
When my strength shall al­most fail,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need;
For His arm will bring de­liv­er­ance,
And His grace will still pre­vail,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need.

Refrain

When I drink the cup of sor­row,
When I tread the path of grief,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need;
In His Word is con­so­la­tion,
In His pre­sence sweet re­lief,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need.

Refrain

When I reach the si­lent ri­ver,
When I wait be­side the tide,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need;
He will bear me o’er the bil­lows
To the ra­di­ant morn­ing side,
Jesus is the ve­ry friend I need.

Refrain