I'm pretty sure that this song is about intervening in someones life to save them, most likely from a drug problem. The crash and paramedic are only metaphors. The song to me sounds like the singer is telling a story of being helped through an addiction at first, then the end seems to switch roles.
The first verse is about the crash, in my theory an overdose, and that someone is there to save him.
"my world goes black before i feel an angel lift me up"
The second verse is the addicts relfection on his choices, how his live has been saved, and how much he owes to "the paramediic"
This is where the bridge is in the song, and the role reversal takes place, whether it is one person with two stories, or one story told from both sides.
In the third verse, either the story has restarted with the singer now singing the role of "the paramedic" or now the addict from the first two verses has reversed his life and sees problems like his own in a friend. His dialog and advice with the friend is the beginning of the verse. "look around and you'll see that at times it feels like no one really cares/ it gets me down but i'm still gonna try to do what's right."
Then the second part of the verse is what the narrator is saying to himself. "i know that there's/ a difference between sleight of hand, and giving everything you have."The narrator realizes that he won't be able to save this person by simply talking, but that he must take action if there is save this person. This is an incredibly emotional part of the song. When I listen to it, and put myself in the role of saying these things, I feel like this is exactly what it's like when you know you have to help someone when they can't help themself, especially in the line "there's a line drawn in the sand, i'm working up the will to cross it"and then "I hope I will never let you down..."
Then there is another crash, but the way he sings, it sounds that this time he isn't involved in the wreck, but there to help the victim when it happens. "they've given me a second chance, the artist in the ambulance/ can we pick you off the ground, more than flashing lights and sound"
This is the meaning that makes the most sense to me, but this song is intrepretable in a wide variety of ways.No matter how you see the song as a metaphor, the lyrics are amazing. They can be translated to so many situations without becoming generic and vague... that is incredible songwriting.
I'm pretty sure that this song is about intervening in someones life to save them, most likely from a drug problem. The crash and paramedic are only metaphors. The song to me sounds like the singer is telling a story of being helped through an addiction at first, then the end seems to switch roles.
The first verse is about the crash, in my theory an overdose, and that someone is there to save him. "my world goes black before i feel an angel lift me up"
The second verse is the addicts relfection on his choices, how his live has been saved, and how much he owes to "the paramediic"
This is where the bridge is in the song, and the role reversal takes place, whether it is one person with two stories, or one story told from both sides.
In the third verse, either the story has restarted with the singer now singing the role of "the paramedic" or now the addict from the first two verses has reversed his life and sees problems like his own in a friend. His dialog and advice with the friend is the beginning of the verse. "look around and you'll see that at times it feels like no one really cares/ it gets me down but i'm still gonna try to do what's right."
Then the second part of the verse is what the narrator is saying to himself. "i know that there's/ a difference between sleight of hand, and giving everything you have."The narrator realizes that he won't be able to save this person by simply talking, but that he must take action if there is save this person. This is an incredibly emotional part of the song. When I listen to it, and put myself in the role of saying these things, I feel like this is exactly what it's like when you know you have to help someone when they can't help themself, especially in the line "there's a line drawn in the sand, i'm working up the will to cross it"and then "I hope I will never let you down..."
Then there is another crash, but the way he sings, it sounds that this time he isn't involved in the wreck, but there to help the victim when it happens. "they've given me a second chance, the artist in the ambulance/ can we pick you off the ground, more than flashing lights and sound"
This is the meaning that makes the most sense to me, but this song is intrepretable in a wide variety of ways.No matter how you see the song as a metaphor, the lyrics are amazing. They can be translated to so many situations without becoming generic and vague... that is incredible songwriting.