How to Save a Life
The Fray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The Fray's 2005 hit "How To Save a Life" is a song about trying to save a friend from self-destructive behavior or suicide. The song follows a conversation between two friends, one of whom is struggling with personal issues. The singer of the song makes an effort to help the friend, but ultimately fails.
The first verse sets the scene for the conversation, with the friend smiling politely but not really hearing what's being said. The second verse describes the conversation itself, with the singer laying out what the friend needs to do to get help, and then pleading with them to listen. The song ends with the singer reflecting on their failure to save their friend and wondering where they went wrong.
The lyrics are powerful and emotional, and the song's catchy melody and chord progression make it a classic. It's a song that can resonate with anyone who has tried to help a friend in need and felt helpless.
Line by Line Meaning
Step one, you say we need to talk
You express the need to have a conversation with him
He walks, you say sit down, it's just a talk
He begins to leave, but you imply that it's not a big deal
He smiles politely back at you
He fakes a smile to acknowledge your presence
You stare politely right on through
You look at him, but there is no connection
Some sort of window to your right
There is a physical barrier between you and him
As he goes left, and you stay right
He goes his own way, and you go yours
Between the lines of fear and blame
There are unspoken emotions of fear and blame at play
You begin to wonder why you came
You question the purpose and value of the conversation
Where did I go wrong?
You question your own actions or decisions
I lost a friend
You lost his friendship
Somewhere along in the bitterness
The relationship turned sour or negative
And I would have stayed up with you all night
You were willing to go to great lengths for the friendship
Had I known how to save a life
If only you knew what to do or say to fix things
Let him know that you know best
You assert your authority or knowledge over him
'Cause after all, you do know best
You are confident in your opinions or suggestions
Try to slip past his defense
You attempt to get through to him despite his reluctance
Without granting innocence
You do not want to excuse or overlook any wrongdoing
Lay down a list of what is wrong
You point out the issues or problems with the friendship or situation
The things you've told him all along
You bring up the same concerns you've mentioned before
And pray to God he hears you
You hope that he will listen and understand your perspective
As he begins to raise his voice
He becomes more emotional or defensive
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
You stay calm and let him make a decision
Drive until you lose the road
He can choose to keep going until he's lost his way
Or break with the ones you've followed
He can choose to break away from past influences or relationships
He will do one of two things
His decision will fall into one of two categories
He will admit to everything
He will take responsibility for any mistakes or issues
Or he'll say he's just not the same
He will claim that he has changed or grown apart
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Regardless of his choice, you will question the value of the conversation
How to save a life
The overarching theme of the song is about trying to repair a broken friendship
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Isaac Slade, Joseph King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@Dagenspear
PLEASE, you, and EVERYONE, if you haven't already, embrace the One True Only God YHWH Jehovah, Only One Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son and Lord and Savior of our souls and the Only One Holy Spirit. God is good. God is love. Jesus is Lord! Jesus IS coming. Your soul depends on it!
I have seen God act in my life. He saved my soul, changed my heart, changed my mind, helped people through me, took care of people in my life, people I hurt before I found God. God is the only reason I was able to reconcile with my dad before he died.
God worked through Jesus Christ to save our souls. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Be baptized in The Holy Spirit, and if He wills, water as well. Repent of your sins, accept God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into your heart, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe on Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father Jehovah God but through Him.
Not long after I got saved I prayed to God for help understanding the Holy Bible, and that same day someone knocked on my door asking me if I wanted to understand the Bible. I have had times where I was thinking about Holy Bible quotes and have stumbled across them flipping through The Holy Bible at random the same/next day. God is here for you if you let Him guide you.
The Holy Bible says, "love thy enemy", "turn the other cheek", "If your enemy is hungry, feed him", "if he is thirsty, give him a drink", "pray for those who persecute you", "do not repay evil for evil".
LORD willing, all humans may commit sin of almost every kind (gay, straight), and that's wrong, and all humans sin, as God tells us through the The Holy Bible, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." The Holy Bible also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.", "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." and, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
@NickTheVoicesGuy
As someone who struggles with depression on a basis, this song made me realize that you really don’t have no idea what kind of impact you have in someone else’s life. So, reach out… you’re not alone as you think you are. Thank you and god bless…
@angelagupta9369
You are not alone. 😢 I also have this silent disease. I hate it. Have to struggle with it every day. Take care. Be safe. God bless you 🙏
@MikeTheSeeker1961
🙏💖🫂
@joshpatemusic
Omg, thank you. I struggle with depression and anxiety!
@NickTheVoicesGuy
@@joshpatemusic depression, adhd, high functioning autism, separation anxiety, And insomnia.
@joshpatemusic
@@NickTheVoicesGuy I have all those except functioning autism
@bd56
I lost my cat to inoperable cancer. I had him for 11 years and 7 moves. The night before I had him put down, I sat up all night with him. Having moved so many times, there were many times he was my only friend. This song really hits me thinking of him.
@AbbyKelley-xu5ry
I’m so sorry that happened to you. Rip💔🕊️
@loridemars3919
Same but mine was a Service dog 🐕🦺 black Labrador he was 12 and ended with an aggressive cancer and moved just as much. Literally first night in our new place after a divorce and he started having trouble breathing. It was his only night here alive, now I have his cremains it was 2 years ago April 29th and I miss him every day😢
Best dog ever, he went everywhere with me he flew, took a cruise, went on vacations, moved 17 hours from home, hospital stays, Drs, everywhere.
@teresagarrisonbieritz6459
@@loridemars3919
I'm so sorry for the loss of your loyal service dog! They're like an
appendage of you, so it is a very deep loss!!
~RIP Always Service Dog~
Hugs💗