What does the song how to save a life mean?

Question

Some of my peeps say it means to like when his gf like tryed to kill him or somethin...?

Answer 1

Isaac (lead singer) has said that he wrote this song about a teenaged boy that he tried to help who had a drug addiction. I've never heard him say what the outcome was -- if the boy was okay or not. But that's what it's about.

Answer 2

According to lead singer and songwriter Isaac Slade, the song was composed and influenced by his experience while working as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens:

“ One of the kids I was paired up with was a musician. Here I was, a protected suburbanite, and he was just 17 and had all these problems. And no one could write a manual on how to save him. ”

Slade claims that the song is about all of the people that tried to reach out to the boy but were unsuccessful. As Slade says in an interview, his friends and family approached him by saying, "Quit [the problem behavior] or I won't talk to you again," but all he needed was some support.

The verses of the song describe an attempt by an adult to confront a troubled teen. In the chorus, the singer laments that he himself was unable to save a friend because he did not know how.

While this was the original intent of the song, the band has opened the song to interpretation. They created a website[1] where fans were welcome to submit music videos they had made for the song. This arose from the response that Slade got from the song:

“ I got a lot of e-mails about it (...) One kid died in a car accident, and I guess it had been the last song he downloaded from his computer. They played it at his funeral, and some of his friends got Save a life tattooed on their arms. The response has been overwhelming.[

Answer 3

I think the lead singer lost his best friend. He sings:

"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 "

I believe this song is about how helpless you feel when you lose someone, especially when it is a suicide. We all wish there was something we could have said or done to convince someone we love that there life is worth living. I did read something about this somewhere, but it was a while back.

Answer 4

he's making a music some dating ending and he's telling you the thank you to save it. He even sings on the subject of the thoughts that we experience whilst we are in the situation. I had to hearken to it. :) The music is incredible. you may get extra solutions in case you positioned up it in the Rock and pa area.

Answer 5

I understood it as a good friend of his was suffering and he ended up taking his own life. The singer is reflecting and wishing he could have done something to prevent it.

Answer 6

To be honest, the guy's voice is so bad and muffled it turns me off to the song.

I think it's a moment where the singer said something to offend his ex and she goes off content with the new guy and no longer buddies with the singer.

Answer 7

i think it maybe has to do with suicide. i get the impression that the singer feels guilty for not having been threre for his friend and his friend eventually committed suicide, when he says: "i could've stayed up with you all night if i had know how to save a life" tells you that much

Answer 8

i think it means that its basically saying that someone is crying out for help and so you sit down and talk it over with them so they dont feel all alone and that noone cares.
thats what i think it means anyways i could be wrong.

Answer 9

I thinks it when one of his friends died in a car crash or something.

Answer 10

i dont know but i love that song