When Two Friends Walk Together

When two friends walk together,
When two friends walk together,
When two friends walk together and one falls,
The other helps him up.

But when someone walks alone,
When someone walks alone,
When someone walks alone and he falls down,
There’s no one to help him up.

If a rope has several strands,
If a rope has several strands,
If a rope has several strands and one strand breaks,
The others will hold fast.

When I’m walking with the Lord,
When I’m walking with the Lord,
When I’m walking with the Lord I need not fear.
He will not let me fall down,
He will not let me fall down,
He won’t let me fall down.

About This Song:

I always associate this song with my father. The week he died, he fell in my parents’ bathroom and wasn’t able to get up. My mother couldn’t lift him.

She called me and I rushed over from work, but he was too heavy for me as well. So we called the paramedics, who had no problem putting him on a stretcher and transporting him to the hospital.

The song–like many of mine–is based on Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.

9 Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(NIV)

At first glance, that Scripture doesn’t sound “religious.” Those verses express truths that don’t appear to have anything to do with faith or God.

Yet the Scriptures–and consequently my song–have always seemed Christian. Even before I added a new final stanza a few years ago (twenty-seven years after first writing the song), using an idea not based on Ecclesiastes.

As a whole, I think the lyrics describe the ultimate in Christian unity and fellowship: when a Christian helps to lift a fallen brother or sister; when a church as the body of Christ cannot be broken by the failure of one weak member.

So it’s not surprising that I view the second stanza as a sad reminder of the hopelessness of people who aren’t part of a church fellowship and have no one to depend on. Therefore it’s ultimately a call to be on the lookout for the fallen who may not even be part of the church fellowship–and to be willing to help.

Willingly. Without counting the cost.

You may listen to an audio recording of this song here. It predates the addition of the fourth stanza listed above. A free lead sheet is available here.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

Links you might be interested in:

About Roger E. Bruner

Seventy-five-year-old Roger E. Bruner is the author and publisher of twenty Christian novels and the writer of more than two hundred Christian songs and choruses, a handful of musical dramas, and a number of shorter works. He sings, plays guitar and bass, and records his original songs in his home studio. He is active in his church's nursing home ministry He also plays bass guitar on the church raise team. Married for seventeen years to Kathleen, he has one grown daughter. Kathleen has two. Roger enjoys reading, moderate exercise, photography and book cover design (he's done all of his own except for Rosa No-Name), playing Snood, making walking sticks, and complaining about the state of the nation while continuing to pray for it.

View all posts by Roger E. Bruner →