Fallen Angel

This is just how I perceive the lyrics. It isnt necessarily accurate, but it is what I believe this song is truly about. But here we go:

"Late at night I could hear the crying I hear it all, trying to fall asleep When all the love around you is dying"

The first lines are fairly straightforward. The narrator and someone can hear someone he cares about crying at night when he's trying to sleep. This relationship could be familial, platonic, or romantic, but it is someone he lives with. This crying person's life and relationships are deteriorating, for whatever reason.

"How do you stay so strong? How did you hide it all for so long? How can I take the pain away? How can I save,"

This implies that despite this person's life being destroyed, the narrator is curious as to how he or she remains composed and even apparently happy. The narrator (or perhaps everyone else) were not aware that this person was suffering. The narrator expresses the desire to help this person deal with the pain, but he is unsure how. This line is the climb of the song - meaning the stanza that leads into the chorus.

"A fallen angel, in the dark Never thought you'd fall so far Fallen angel, close your eyes I won't let you fall tonight Fallen angel"

Fallen angel is not literal. The term "fallen angel" is simply used as a figurative way to describe a good person that has fallen on hard times and into depression. The narrator did not expect this person to let themselves go so thoroughly. He requests that this person just close their eyes, perhaps to sleep, and insists that he won't let them "fall" tonight. I believe "to fall" would mean to commit suicide. At this point the tense shifts from thinking about the person (a la the first stanza) and wondering to himself idly (the second stanza) to actually shifting into action. It continues to more directly address the fallen angel/suicidal friend in the next stanza, as well.

"You do it all for my own protection You make me feel like I'll be okay Still I have so many questions"

It seems the questions from the second stanza that leads into the chorus are answered. The fallen angel stayed strong for the narrator's sake, to protect and shield him: to give him the illusion of security. To further imply that this stanza exists specifically to answer the questions from the climb, the last line's "Still I have so many questions" implies that SOME questions have been answered, but the narrator has more.

I will skip to the bridge, because the climb and chorus stay the same.

"I was right beside you When you went to hell and back again I was right beside you When you went to hell and back again And I, I couldn't save, a fallen angel"

In a bridge, the song changes lyrically and musically. The narrator says he was present when the fallen angel's was falling apart (re: going to Hell) and returning to normal (but even if the fallen angel's life returned to normal, the depression still apparently lingers). The narrator's life may also have went through this drastic change, which would explain their strong connection. He also says he couldn't save his friend/lover/family member. Notice the tense shifts to past tense in this stanza, unlike the others which are direct and in present tense, as if it's too late to save them. I don't think to "save" them means simply to save them from depression or regret or suicidal thoughts anymore. I think this implies that the fallen angel still committed suicide, despite the narrator's devotion. The narrator could not save the fallen angel.

Final thoughts: This is the most beautiful and thought-provoking song I've heard from Three Days Grace in a long time. It's one or my favorite songs right now. I'm sorry about how some of this interpretation was tedious and at other times it changed into a grandiloquent lecture on the anatomy of a song. I hope this helps you understand.