Lyrics Page
Use A Friend
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Sep 26, 2026 updated
Joy In The Morning album
Verified editorial review
Song Meaning
Tauren Wells spends the first verse noticing details a distant friend would miss — "I talked to your mother, she said you were leaving town" — and responds not with advice but with presence: "give me the keys, I'm drivin'... we can shut off both our phones." The offer is time, not a solution.
The chorus lowers every barrier to reaching out: "don't even need to say my name, I'm there... don't even need a reason to call me." History backs the promise up rather than just asserting it — "we been ride-or-die since sixteen, I was half alive, didn't quit me" describes a friendship tested over years, not a new one making big claims.
Proverbs' description of a friend who loves at all times, and Jesus' own definition of the greatest love — laying down one's life for a friend — both stand behind a chorus built entirely on unconditional availability. Paired with Paul's instruction to bear one another's burdens, the song reads less like a love song and more like a picture of what steady, no-conditions loyalty actually looks like in practice.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
I talked to your mother
She said you were leaving town
Guess that means you're runnin'
Can I talk you into slowin' down?
Give me the keys, I'm drivin'
We can shut off both our phones
Find a seat and dive in
Yeah, we can just start over
So, don't you worry
Where time is goin'
You don't gotta keep your composure
You can let out
The weight your holdin'
'Cause I'm right here
I swear
You never have to wonder if I care
Don't even need to say my name, I'm there
Whenever you could use a friend (Use a friend)
You know you could use me
I'll be somethin' to believe in
Yeah, you'll see
Don't even need a reason to call me
Whenever you could use a friend (Use a friend)
You know you could use me, aye-yeah, yeah
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo, yeah-oh)
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo)
We been ride-or-die since sixteen
I was half alive, didn't quit me
And now I see the tables turned
I'ma give the love you earned
So, don't you worry
Where time is goin'
You don't gotta keep your composure
You can let out
The weight your holdin'
'Cause I'm right here
(Oh) I swear
Ya never have to wonder if I care
Don't even need to say my name, I'm there
Whenever you could use a friend
You know you could use me
I'll be somethin' to believe in
Yeah, you'll see
Don't even need a reason to call me
Whenever you could use a friend (Use a friend)
You know you could use me, aye-yeah, yeah
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo) You could use me
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo)
(Yeah) I see you reachin'
You needed peace, you're fallin' to pieces
Feel like your driftin' to sea
Don't wanna seize, you never got friends and you needed
And I hit your phone
Said you feel like you should hit the road
Oh, you gotta go, you gotta go
You wanna ride solo, but don't feel lonely, all alone
(Yeah) 'Cause I did that, I won't sit back
And your wall's up like get back, but I'm right here
And I'll kick back, I know you know
Real ones, you miss that
Love's hard, that's big facts
And it might hurt but I'll risk that
I swear
Ya never have to wonder if I care (I care)
Don't even need to say my name, I'm there (I'm there)
Whenever you could use a friend (Use a friend)
You know you could use me (You know you could use me)
'Cause I'll be somethin' to believe in (Ooh)
Yeah, you'll see
Don't even need a reason to call me (Don't even need a reason)
Whenever you could use a friend (Oh)
You know you could use me, aye-yeah, yeah
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo, ooh)
You could use me
(Ooh-woo, ooh-woo)
You know you could use me, aye-yeah, yeah