nowinsituation

Artist: The Fray
Album: How To Save A Life
Year: 2005

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 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'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

DetachMe9

Yes.....but what does it mean for you?

After being married to my AH for 10 years, I would've never guessed that the last thing I could do to help "save his life" would be to leave. It just sucks.

carolineb

Nice....but I was hoping for something a little more 'meaty' than a song!!

Okay....I take it back (a little). I just read the words and it's very nice and appropriate to my situation.
Love the song....never knew the words. Thanks.

Miss Pink

Bittersweet inspiration: The song How to Save a Life was influenced by Slade's experience 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. ... I got a lot of e-mail 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."

Otis7

I've gotten teary eyed to this song many a drive home after a rough night. I feel as though I have saved his life before, physically. Kept him from jumping out of my car, wrestled him from bad situations, kept him from getting the **** beat out of him...in the long run it means nothing though...

itiswhatitis...

hi guys,

there is a foundation started by the parents of the boy killed in the car accident www.howtosavealifecampaign.com - they are an incredible family and the band the fray has been behind the campaign as well - the father contacted me when i was going through some things with my son - they basically want parents to take a stand and do the right thing when it comes to underage drinking and turning the other cheek - remarkable when really good things come from such a tragedy...

have a good day all...

s

itiswhatitis...

just wanted to add that when slade asked the boy at camp (a camp for troubled teens who had been recovering from drug and alcohol abuse) what would have made him stop sooner the boy said he "*thinks* just having a friend be there to listen and be a friend* would have helped - he felt like he either had using friends or friends who wanted to *change* him - but just someone to be a friend would have been huge...

in that show on addiction - on hbo - one of the doctors said that kids who had parents who were tough but continually showed unconditional love and *listened - just listened* to their kids had the best results in treatment - from personal experience dealing with a kid is so different than dealing with a spouse - so different...

just wanted to throw that out there..

peace,
s

nowinsituation

Wow -- lots of background here I did not know. I am a couple of generations past being familiar with the latest music; but my daughter burned this song onto a cd that we listen to in the car quite a bit. It just seemed to say exactly what I have been feeling lately -- and it usually has quite an emotional impact on me when I hear it. What I was thinking last night though, is I really need to shift my focus away from what I can and cannot do (how can I save his life? -- why couldn't I save his life?). I think I am still stuck at Step 1 -- I haven't really admitted that I am powerless.

loverof1

I just wanted to say that this song means so much to me. I have found the meaning of songs to be very important to me as of late. Sometimes the songs allow me to shed the tears I need so badly to let out. Great song.

BohemiMamaof3

You know, I've heard this song in passing - like on the Muzak at work, but I never gave a close listen. I listened to it on my playlist today after reading this thread. Very moving. Thanks for posting it.