The Lily of the Valley

"The Lily Of The Valley"
("I've Found A Friend In Jesus")
Page from 1904 hymnal.
Song
Written	1881
Form	Christian hymn
Composer	William S. Hays Arr. Ira D. Sankey
Lyricist	William C. Fry
Language	English

"The Lily Of The Valley" ("I've Found A Friend In Jesus") is a Christian hymn written by William Charles Fry (1837–1882) in London for the Salvation Army.^[1] Ira D. Sankey arranged the words to the music of "The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane" composed by Will Hays. The opening verse and chorus:

I've found a friend in Jesus,— He's ev'rything to me;

He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul!

The "Lily of the Valley," in Him alone I see,—

All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole:

In sorrow He's my comfort, in trouble He's my stay;

He tells me ev'ry care on Him to Roll;

(chorus)

He's the "Lily of the Valley," the Bright and Morning Star;

He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

"The Lily Of The Valley" is a gospel standard and appears in almost all Protestant hymnals.

References

1. Sankey, My Life and the story of the Gospel Hymns, p. 387: "Mr. Fry is one of the leaders of the Salvation Army in London. In addition to writing the words, he also set the hymn to music, and later arranged it to slower time and published it in Gospel Hymns."

Bibliography

• Sankey, Ira D. My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns and of Sacred Songs and Solos. Philadelphia: The Sunday School times Company (1906).