What do you think How to Save a Life means?

The Fray: How to Save a Life Meaning

Album cover for How to Save a Life album cover

Song Released: 2006


How to Save a Life Lyrics

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear...

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  1. anonymous
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     Sep 12th 2017 !⃝

    I think its about someone who needs help and its not too late to solve their problems with the help of good and trusting friends.

  2. Xcalibur
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     Aug 18th 2017 !⃝

    I've come back back on and off to looping this song for a decade now.

    I've always interpreted the lyrics as:
    Two lovers. They have been together for at least a year now. Song is speaking to a younger, innocent girl who has her shit together. She's confronting her (functioning addict) older boyfriend. He kept his addiction a secret from her, she just found out.

    He loves her back. Deep down he knows if he breaks her heart he will be lost forever.

    His addictions take control though. Her heart breaks. She feels guilty she could have done something to save him.

    The song is her reflection years after she's moved on.

  3. anonymous
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     Jul 2nd 2017 !⃝

    hi I'm 13 and my friend died this year too. she was only 12. I think the song is about suicide. we could have listen to the problems of the person/s we loved. but when we recognized that it was really serious it was too late. and we think it was/is our fault. too late... :-(

  4. anonymous
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     May 25th 2017 !⃝

    Hi guys I think this song is about how a boy had a suicidal friend and didn't do anything about it until iit was to late. I struggled with suicide for a while I flt like it was the only way to stop everything, but its not. My friends out there who are struggling with suicide don't do it please I beg you. I love you. The world excepts you so except yourself. I love am of you out there. If any off you can guess my name you will be happy to hear it

  5. anonymous
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     Apr 9th 2017 !⃝

    In my opinion this song is about a person who lost his friend who committed suicide, and he is trying to figure out were he went wrong and by his friend did it. I have had experience with a friend and cousin and myself who has thought about suicide. Luckily I was ablke to get help and my cousin was to. If you are having thoughts get help as soon as possible. You are north it. The world loves you, people love you, I love all of you. The world excepted you so except yourself.

  6. anonymous
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     Apr 5th 2017 !⃝

    actually the song is based on a story with the lead singer Isaac Slade. He was a mentor at a camp for troubled teens and he was paired with a boy who had a lot of problems. Well the boy i think died in a car accident with this song playing. Long story short it doesn't matter what the song is really based on. What matters is how people connect with it. i first thought it was about suicide but then i found it was something else. i know what its like to lose someone. I used to cry every time i heard this song. But yeah this song is all based on how you feel you can connect.

  7. anonymous
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     Mar 16th 2017 !⃝

    If you want a good interpretation look here. My Dad went to high school with him so I have seen the lead singer, Isaac and know about his character a little bit. Your probably thinking that's irrelevant but it is not because then you know what their lyrics might be saying based on their character. This song is about the death of something or suicide. Mostly the death of something. This is briefly explained in the lyrics of this song. Such a pretty song but a dark meaning. Like I said before a know his character a little bit and when I first met him he was kind and caring. I also noticed he had all black on. Might of just been the day though.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  8. anonymous
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     Jan 10th 2017 !⃝

    this song isnt about loss or suicide. its about something with the lead singer Isaac Slade. he used to work at a camp for troubled teens and he got paired with a 17 year old boy who had alot of issues. Later on the boy got into a car crash and died. Isaac wrote this song and they played it at the boys funeral. This song has a deeper meaning than most. Isaac Actually got close to this kid. He wrote the song because he didn't know how to save a life hense the lyrics " I would have stayed up with you all night had i known, How to save a life" this song has a deep enough meaning to cut you from the inside. I Lost my grandmother and i wanted to sing this song at her memorial. but the memorial was about remembering your loved ones. not excepting that they are gone. This song means alot. My cousins uncle died and this song would fit perfectly into the funeral.

  9. anonymous
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     Jul 23rd 2016 !⃝

    It's most likely about someone who couldn't recognise the signs of their friend needing help, until it was too late. It's a somewhat depressing song, but is very powerful. Sorry for the long interpretation. *virtual hug* Stay strong!

  10. anonymous
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     Feb 27th 2016 !⃝

    Suicide

  11. anonymous
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     Jun 22nd 2015 !⃝

    I think it's about suicide, like most people here think. I thought for a while about killing myself, and I finally worked up enough courage to talk to my twin sister, and she helped talk to my parents, and they helped me get help. I'm now seeing a therapist, my life is awesome, and I'm so glad I had people there for me. I don't regret ever feeling that way, because you don't control how you feel, only how you handle those feelings.

    Sorry that was pretty long for an interpretation...

  12. anonymous
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     Oct 12th 2014 !⃝

    I listen to this song every single day and it's as if it were written for me. Though I've known of it for years a few months ago I came in from work and found my husband of 19 years not breathing. Myself and our 17 year old daughter did all we could til 911 arrived. We got him breathing again,but lost him 14 hours later. This song is powerful,beautiful and just amazing. For me it is most definately about ones struggle within themslelf and for the ones that love them deeply losing themselves to try and save them. I did this and I failed. Idk if ill ever be able to forgive myself or him even,but I do know this song somehow makes me feel not so alone. The what ifs are the hardest for me. God I miss him. R.I.P Bryan 4/9/14

  13. anonymous
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     Oct 4th 2014 !⃝

    As I just finished reading The Death Cure by James Dashner I listened to this song and in my opinion this song perfectly represents Newt and Thomas's relationship. Perfectly. (i don't want to spoil so I won't say anymore here but if you have read TDC you will know what I'm talking about)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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     May 6th 2014 !⃝

    I had an epiphany that "How to save a life" was about a guy who "lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness". He missed all the signs that his friend needed help otherwise he would have "stayed up with you all night". But now this song is meant to be a guideline to know when someone needs help and what they will do because he has learned from his oblivious mistakes and wants to help the ones he can. This song is about "how to save a life"

  15. anonymous
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     Mar 24th 2014 !⃝

    Its about a friend of a suicide victim, in my opinion. The singer wants to know 'where did I go wrong' or in other words, where did I mess up in our friendship. 'I lost a friend' is the friend commiting suicide. ' along in the bitterness' means it happened somewhere in the friends period of depression before they killed themselves. 'and I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known, how to save a life' is the singer saying they would have done many things, including talking to their friend out of suicide through the night, if they had known how to save them.

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