I've always thought this song was about someone who blames themselves for their loved one's suicide.
"Step one, you say, "We need to talk"/He walks, you say, "Sit down, it's just a talk""
Have you ever tried talking to someone about their health when they're obviously mentally ill? They don't want to talk about it. They just want to curl up in themselves, and whenever you confront them about their well-being, they try to walk away.
"Let him know that you know best/'cuz after all, you do know best"
They try to convince their loved one to get help, get better, etc. To me, this line always sounded a little sarcastic. Maybe they didn't know what was best, maybe their advice actually made their friend even more depressed, or, if they weren't already, suicidal.
"And I would have stayed up with you all night/had I known how to save a life"
If they had only known what their friend had been attempting, they would have stayed up and talked them out of it, or at least tried to. Instead, they either didn't know what was happening, or didn't know how to deal with it and let their friend slip away.
"As he begins to raise his voice/You lower yours and grant him one last choice"
The loved one gets angry and defensive, and an argument ensues. The two choices they give him--"driving until he loses the road" or "breaking the ones he's followed"--may have been taken wrong and the loved one was driven to suicide.
This is just is my take on it, it's probably actually about drug use. But with my past, this is how I've always interpreted the song. Suicide has always been an unfortunate factor in my life, and this is all I can think about when I hear this song. It makes me cry every time. c':
I really agree with this. The first time I heard this, I immediately thought of someone trying to talk someone else out of suicide, I'm glad someone else thought the same way that I did
I really agree with this. The first time I heard this, I immediately thought of someone trying to talk someone else out of suicide, I'm glad someone else thought the same way that I did
@KeenaChan I agree with what you said, that is the feeling that I get from it. I have been a fan of this song for years and only as I got older did I fully understand what was going on.
@KeenaChan I agree with what you said, that is the feeling that I get from it. I have been a fan of this song for years and only as I got older did I fully understand what was going on.
@KeenaChan I just heard this song for the thousandth time yet for some reason it made me sick to my stomache.....for the first time ever the words shot straight to the bone and I broke down in tears about my best friends suicide. It has been 5 years and I spent most of those years drowning out the guilt with alcohol. I have been sober for a year now and still haven't been able to face it. I came to this site to see if anyone else has related to this song in the same way or if I'm just...
@KeenaChan I just heard this song for the thousandth time yet for some reason it made me sick to my stomache.....for the first time ever the words shot straight to the bone and I broke down in tears about my best friends suicide. It has been 5 years and I spent most of those years drowning out the guilt with alcohol. I have been sober for a year now and still haven't been able to face it. I came to this site to see if anyone else has related to this song in the same way or if I'm just completely crazy..........anyway, you explained the song perfectly.
@KeenaChan I've always thought the same about this song. I, fortunately, have never known anyone suicidal, but if I did, or ever do, I hope this song gives me the courage to do the right thing.
@KeenaChan I've always thought the same about this song. I, fortunately, have never known anyone suicidal, but if I did, or ever do, I hope this song gives me the courage to do the right thing.
@KeenaChan I've heard this song a lot, of course, everybody has, but I always misheard the lyric as "But I know how to save a life." I thought that the singer's intervention was effective, even though he and his former friend are more distant because of it.
@KeenaChan I've heard this song a lot, of course, everybody has, but I always misheard the lyric as "But I know how to save a life." I thought that the singer's intervention was effective, even though he and his former friend are more distant because of it.
Today I heard the song again, for the first time since my mentally ill best friend committed suicide. I'd tried to intervene in different ways, even talked him out of it in the past. This time I realized what the actual lyric was, and like everyone else, it hit me. Whether it's the intended meaning or not, to someone who's been there, it's wrenching.
@KeenaChan
I think the suicide angle could be true. I have experienced both suicidal depression and had a sibling succeed in killing himself. Oddly enough in a family of five children all but one turned out incredibly introverted, and three well two now, suffer chronic depression. And yes, we all would have “stayed up all night “ to “save a life”
@KeenaChan
I think the suicide angle could be true. I have experienced both suicidal depression and had a sibling succeed in killing himself. Oddly enough in a family of five children all but one turned out incredibly introverted, and three well two now, suffer chronic depression. And yes, we all would have “stayed up all night “ to “save a life”
I've always thought this song was about someone who blames themselves for their loved one's suicide.
"Step one, you say, "We need to talk"/He walks, you say, "Sit down, it's just a talk"" Have you ever tried talking to someone about their health when they're obviously mentally ill? They don't want to talk about it. They just want to curl up in themselves, and whenever you confront them about their well-being, they try to walk away.
"Let him know that you know best/'cuz after all, you do know best" They try to convince their loved one to get help, get better, etc. To me, this line always sounded a little sarcastic. Maybe they didn't know what was best, maybe their advice actually made their friend even more depressed, or, if they weren't already, suicidal.
"And I would have stayed up with you all night/had I known how to save a life" If they had only known what their friend had been attempting, they would have stayed up and talked them out of it, or at least tried to. Instead, they either didn't know what was happening, or didn't know how to deal with it and let their friend slip away.
"As he begins to raise his voice/You lower yours and grant him one last choice" The loved one gets angry and defensive, and an argument ensues. The two choices they give him--"driving until he loses the road" or "breaking the ones he's followed"--may have been taken wrong and the loved one was driven to suicide.
This is just is my take on it, it's probably actually about drug use. But with my past, this is how I've always interpreted the song. Suicide has always been an unfortunate factor in my life, and this is all I can think about when I hear this song. It makes me cry every time. c':
I really agree with this. The first time I heard this, I immediately thought of someone trying to talk someone else out of suicide, I'm glad someone else thought the same way that I did
I really agree with this. The first time I heard this, I immediately thought of someone trying to talk someone else out of suicide, I'm glad someone else thought the same way that I did
@KeenaChan I agree with what you said, that is the feeling that I get from it. I have been a fan of this song for years and only as I got older did I fully understand what was going on.
@KeenaChan I agree with what you said, that is the feeling that I get from it. I have been a fan of this song for years and only as I got older did I fully understand what was going on.
@KeenaChan I just heard this song for the thousandth time yet for some reason it made me sick to my stomache.....for the first time ever the words shot straight to the bone and I broke down in tears about my best friends suicide. It has been 5 years and I spent most of those years drowning out the guilt with alcohol. I have been sober for a year now and still haven't been able to face it. I came to this site to see if anyone else has related to this song in the same way or if I'm just...
@KeenaChan I just heard this song for the thousandth time yet for some reason it made me sick to my stomache.....for the first time ever the words shot straight to the bone and I broke down in tears about my best friends suicide. It has been 5 years and I spent most of those years drowning out the guilt with alcohol. I have been sober for a year now and still haven't been able to face it. I came to this site to see if anyone else has related to this song in the same way or if I'm just completely crazy..........anyway, you explained the song perfectly.
@KeenaChan I've always thought the same about this song. I, fortunately, have never known anyone suicidal, but if I did, or ever do, I hope this song gives me the courage to do the right thing.
@KeenaChan I've always thought the same about this song. I, fortunately, have never known anyone suicidal, but if I did, or ever do, I hope this song gives me the courage to do the right thing.
@KeenaChan I agree, except I'd probably say it doesn't necessarily have to be a lover (it could just as easily be a friend too).
@KeenaChan I agree, except I'd probably say it doesn't necessarily have to be a lover (it could just as easily be a friend too).
@KeenaChan I've heard this song a lot, of course, everybody has, but I always misheard the lyric as "But I know how to save a life." I thought that the singer's intervention was effective, even though he and his former friend are more distant because of it.
@KeenaChan I've heard this song a lot, of course, everybody has, but I always misheard the lyric as "But I know how to save a life." I thought that the singer's intervention was effective, even though he and his former friend are more distant because of it.
Today I heard the song again, for the first time since my mentally ill best friend committed suicide. I'd tried to intervene in different ways, even talked him out of it in the past. This time I realized what the actual lyric was, and like everyone else, it hit me. Whether it's the intended meaning or not, to someone who's been there, it's wrenching.
@KeenaChan I think the suicide angle could be true. I have experienced both suicidal depression and had a sibling succeed in killing himself. Oddly enough in a family of five children all but one turned out incredibly introverted, and three well two now, suffer chronic depression. And yes, we all would have “stayed up all night “ to “save a life”
@KeenaChan I think the suicide angle could be true. I have experienced both suicidal depression and had a sibling succeed in killing himself. Oddly enough in a family of five children all but one turned out incredibly introverted, and three well two now, suffer chronic depression. And yes, we all would have “stayed up all night “ to “save a life”