Analyzing The Song 'How To Save A Life' By The Fray

“How To Save a Life” “How to Save a Life” by The Fray is a song that tells a story about someone going through something hard. The main theme of the song is that even when times are tough and you feel like your losing someone that you should still keep moving on and not let that haunt you. Others around you can give you advice and lead you in the right direction. The writer was trying to describe an experience that hey went through where they really needed someone to understand them, especially when he said “and I pray to god he hears you”. The main chorus, “I lost a friend”, can mean a variety of things. It doesn’t have to mean that she lost a friend, but she lost something that previously meant a lot to her.
Several literary devices throughout
the song also support the main idea. First, The Fray writes a metaphor, “between the lines of fear and blame/you begin to wonder why you came”. These two lines are part of the story the author tells. The girl in the story isn’t positive if she should be afraid, or if she should blame herself for what has happened to her. Next, the line “I lost a friend/somewhere along in the bitterness” is a metaphor describing that someone lost something important to them when they weren’t in their best mental state. Lastly, imagery occurs in the lyric “some sort of window to your right”. This displays imagery because it explains a window, which shows the girl in the story may have different thoughts while looking out the window. Overall, the song includes multiple literary devices that all help deliver the same theme; when you go through tough experiences you should allow the comfort of others.