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What does the song "How to Save a Life" by Fray mean?

• I'm doing something for school and just wanted to know what the lyrics mean... "How To Save A Life" 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 And 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 pray to God, he hears you 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 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

• Answer:

  Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray, was a mentor at a camp for troubled teens. One of the teens he was paired up with was addicted to drugs and alcohol and his whole life was basically falling apart. No one knew how to save this kid's life, and most of the people who did try to help this kid became his enemy, rather than a supportive friend ("I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness"). All the kid really wanted was someone to support him, but he never got that. The song is about Isaac's approach to this kid, and what he would have wanted if he was in this kid's shoes.