[Intro]
G  D/F#  G  D/F#
 
[Verse 1]
G                    D/F#
Step one you say we need to talk
    Em7              D/F#             G
He walks you say sit down it’s just a talk
             D/F#           Em7
He smiles politely back at you
             D/F#             G
You stare politely right on through
               D/F#          Em7
Some sort of window to your right
             D/F#             G
As he goes left and you stay right
              D/F#             Em7
Between the lines of fear and blame
                  D/F#
And you begin to wonder why you came
 
[Chorus]
C               D                Em
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D                Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G*    D/F#*
Had I known how to save a life
 
[Instrumental]
G   D/F#   Em7   D/F#
 
[Verse 2]
G                 D/F#
Let him know that you know best
       Em7          D/F#
Cause after all you do know best
G                  D/F#
  Try to slip past his defense
Em7              D/F#
Without granting innocence
G             D/F#             Em7
   Lay down a list of what is wrong
             D/F#
The things you’ve told him all along
G              D/F#
Pray to God he hears you
      Em7            D/F#
And I pray to God he hears you
 
[Chorus]
    C               D                Em
And where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D                Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G     D/F#    G
Had I known how to save a life
 
[Instrumental]
G   D/F#   Em7   D/F#
 
[Verse 3]
    G            D/F#
As he begins to raise his voice
    Em7             D/F#                 G
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
                 D/F#
Drive until you lose the road
    Em7                        D/F#
Or break with the ones you’ve followed
G             D/F#
   He will do one of two things
Em7              D/F#
He will admit to everything
G                      D/F#
Or he’ll say he’s just not the same
     Em7            D/F#
And you’ll begin to wonder why you came
 
[Chorus]
C               D                Em
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D                Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G     D/F#
Had I known how to save a life
 
C               D                Em
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D                Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G     D/F#    G
Had I known how to save a life
 
[Interlude]
D/F#   Em7   D/F#          G 
             How to save a life 
D/F#   Em7   D/F#
             How to save a life
 
[Chorus]
C                D                Em
 Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D               Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G     D/F#
Had I known how to save a life
 
C               D                Em
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
            G             D/F#
Somewhere along in the bitterness
    C                   D               Em
And I would have stayed up with you all night
             G*    D/F#*  G
Had I known how to save a life
 
[Outro] 
G   D/F#   Em7   D/F#          G
                 How to save a life
D/F#   Em7   D/F#          G
             How to save a life

D/F#   Em7   D/F#   G*
 

Piano riff that happens periodically throughout the song:

e|----------------------|
B|-3-3-3-3----1-0-------|
G|---------2------0-----|
D|----------------------|
A|----------------------|
E|----------------------|