Question: where did i go wrong how to save a life

title: How to Save a Life
text: 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 , the boy 's friends and family approached him by saying , `` Quit taking drugs and cutting yourself or I wo n't talk to you again , '' but all he needed was some support . The boy was losing friends and going through depression . He lost his best friend and could not deal with it . 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 .