Three Friends Have I
Bob Nolan
Original copyright: December 5, 1972
I have a friend and he’s called the Wind
Soft is his voice and I follow him
Far to the west and return. You see,
I know the Wind and the Wind knows me.
I have a friend and he’s called the Sun.
Warm is his touch and for everyone.
Bright is the light of his constancy.
I know the Sun and the Sun knows me.
I have a friend and he’s called the Sea,
Born to the shores of eternity.
I’ve heard him call and he calls to me.
I know the Sea and the Sea knows me.
For God is the Wind and the Sun and Sea.
Each owns a part of the heart of me.
Somehow I knew it was meant to be
And I found them all, or did they find me?
Three friends have I and we are all one ~
Wind, Sea, and Sun and we’ve only begun.
Someday, my love, they will call to thee,
Come you to them and you’ll come to me.
For God is the Wind and the Sun and the Sea.
Each owns a part of the heart of me.
Somehow I knew it was meant to be.
I found them all or did they find me?
ABOUT THIS SONG
Notice that Bob has used the masculine pronoun in reference to the wind, the sun and the sea. This song is a good illustration of his personal philosophy - God is Nature and Nature is God. Traditionally, we refer to Nature as being feminine. Not Bob Nolan. "Since God is masculine, it must follow that Nature is masculine, too."
This was not the philosophy of an aged man who "studied the philosophers". The conviction was already well-entrenched while he was still in his twenties. Perhaps even earlier. As early as March 1936, he refers to the sun ("Travelin' with the Sun") and the moon ("Watching the Moon Roll By" as "he". A quick perusal of his lyrics referring to the elements will consistently turn up the masculine pronoun.
The melody is typically Nolan, moving up the chromatic scale. The lyric - or poem - came first. The melody was added only to make a poem into a song. The song was registered for copyright on December 5, 1972. We have found no commerical sheet music.