You called me after midnight
Must have been three years since we last spoke
I slowly tried to bring back
The image of your face from the memories so old

I tried so hard to follow
But didn't catch a half of what had gone wrong
Said "I don't know what I can save you from"
I don't know what I can save you from

I asked you to come over
And within half an hour
You were at my door

I had never really known you
But I realized that the one you were before
Had changed into somebody for whom
I wouldn't mind to put the kettle on

Still I don't know what I can save you from
I don't know what I can save you from

I don't know what I can save you from
I don't know what I can save you from
I don't know what I can save you from
I don't know what I can save you from


Lyrics submitted by BlackEyedAngels

I Don't Know What I Can Save You From Lyrics as written by Erlend Otre Oeye Eirik Glambek Boe

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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I Don't Know What I Can Save You From song meanings
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24 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    i think it means this girl, ex friend, ex girlfriend calls him randomly, prolly had a sour end to their relationship so they just stopped talking, anyway she comes over, totally different person but not in a bad way...... but he doesn't know what he can do to help her problem. like he's just the ex boyfriend, what is she expecting from him? to make everything better? after all these years of not speaking? yeah...no. that's what i got out of it though. love it.

    sux4uuon August 26, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the guitar solo in the middle is so beautiful....these boys really have it down. his past came back, she's changed, and he likes her.

    Empirer85on August 13, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    it could be about friendship, past lover, girlfriend, past family member

    ..somebody that at one point you knew, after years of not talking or seeing each other, they call you out of the blue reaching out to you

    he's willing to listen to you and be there, which shows that he does care.. but he questions what value his input would do, considering it's been years and he wasn't so sure he even knew back then

    xpsychicheartsxon March 05, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    To me, it's about someone who he has known in the past, probably someone he had feelings for and someone who he may have loved, but the timing wasn't right.

    Years passed by, and then he gets a random call from her, she's possibly drunk and down. She wants to see him, and whether right or wrong, those feelings fome rushing back to him.

    He wants to help her, he wants to love her, but he doesn't know how. He doesn't know what to say to reconcile the past. He wants to save her, but from what, and at what emotional cost to himself?

    HappyChildon September 19, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    To me this song is about the singer becoming numb to his past feelings for this person. She never felt the same way for him in the past and now all of a sudden she's back out of the blue asking for his help. He's basically asking I couldn't help you back then so what do I have to offer you now?

    igotserv3don November 19, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i agree with the other posts... i think this song is about knowing someone, understanding them in a way that you were not capable of when you were involved in a romantic relationship with them. so he gets a call from an old lover. it brings up feelings for him. it's like he's trying to shape in his mind again, what she looks like, her subtleties, but more than that... he's trying to recall what he loved about her, and maybe what he misunderstood. suddenly he has an urge to ask her over, and within an half an hour, she's there again. it's like two people, apart for so long, and in some way subconsciously, they are still silently communicating, both trying to connect and understand the other for who they are... and all it takes is one call to make it a reality again. he realizes how she's evolved, which makes it easier for him to see how much he still feels for her. he thinks, 'hey, maybe its possible after all for us'. yet, he is also haunted by the fact that he feels that she seems to need him, to complete her. 'i don't know what i can save you from'. he feels he needs to save her, from what, he doesn't know. he feels incapable of this. two people, reconnecting and realizing how much they still have for each other... but can it really work??? it is such a bitter-sweet song, it gets me every time.

    amyofmeon March 17, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    my ex g/f talked to me one day. I relate to this song. This is what I played the entirety of the conversation.

    Blackmofasa9on March 09, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is really a beautiful song - I'm not exactly sure what it's about, friendship? Well, anyway, I like it!

    riotgrl04on July 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One of Royksopp's best remix.Catchy.The kinda song to make an ordinary girl impressed about your musical taste.

    acidbabeon April 09, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Love the off-beat guitar riff over the chords. kept on playing this song over and over when i got the album. this is the sort of music i make and im so glad to find people that like it.

    benfoldsfanon May 12, 2003   Link

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