How to Save a Life

Song Meaning of How To Save A Life by The Fray, and what it is about

The song is a lament from someone who is unable to support a buddy who is having problems.

Lead singer Isaac Slade claims that his experiences as a mentor at a camp for troubled youths had an impact on the song's composition and meaning: he was connected with a young person who was a musician. He was just 17 years old and had all these issues. And there was no guide available on how to save him. Slade says the song is about everyone who wanted to get in touch with the boy but couldn't.

This is the first song by the band to become widely known outside of the US. "How to Save a Life" reached the top five charts in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and Spain.

Song lyrics of How To Save A Life by The Fray

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 and blame

You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best

'Cause after all, you do know best

Try to slip past his defense

Without granting innocence

Lay down a list of what is wrong

The things you've told him all along

And pray to God He hears you

And I pray to God He hears you, and

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice

You lower yours and grant him one last choice

Drive until you lose the road

Or break with the ones you've followed

He will do one of two things

He will admit to everything

Or he'll say he's just not the same

And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

How to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

How to save a life