The Meaning Behind Jelly Roll’s Song of Addiction and Recovery “Save Me”

Somebody save me, me from myself / I’ve spent so long living in Hell sings Jelly Roll on the heartrending “Save Me,” calling out for help from whoever, or whatever, can save him. Originally released as a single on Jelly Roll’s 2020 album, Self Medicated, “Save Me” is a story about the undoing of addiction and finding a way out.

Somebody save me, me from myself
I’ve spent so long living in Hell
They say my lifestyle is bad for my health
It’s the only thing that seems to help

All of this drinkin’ and smokin’ is hopeless
But feel like it’s all that I need
Somethin’ inside of me’s broken
I hold on to anything that sets me free

Further in, the meaning behind lyrics moves around feelings of defeat, desperation, self-loathe, and hopelessness often associated with addiction.

What if the night sky was missin’ the moon?
There were no shootin’ stars to use wishin’ on you
And all of my sorrows, I’d just wash them down
It’s the only peace, I’ve ever found

All of this drinkin’ and smokin’ is hopeless
But feel like it’s all that I need
Somethin’ inside of me’s broken
I hold on to anything that sets me free

I’m a lost cause
Baby, don’t waste your time on me
I’m so damaged beyond repair
Life has shattered my hopes and my dreams

2020 Video

When it was first released in 2020, Jelly Roll accompanied the single, which he co-wrote with David Ray Stevens, with a stripped-back video of him belting out the stirring lyrics in the studio with his band.

“This one is a little bit of a curveball for me,” wrote Jelly Roll in his descriptor of the video. “I don’t usually do these stripped-down acoustic videos, but writing this song made me feel something and I felt y’all needed some insight into the more vulnerable side of the music business.”

“Save Me” with Lainey Wilson

Following the success of his first country No. 1 single, “Son Of A Sinner,” from the 2021 album, Ballads of the Broken, “Save Me” took on new form when Jelly Roll rereleased it on his seventh release, and debut country album, Whitsitt Chapel, as a duet with Lainey Wilson in 2023.

The two first performed the song together at the 58th annual ACM Awards and again on the season 21 finale of American Idol.

Along with “Save Me” and hit single “Need a Favor,” Whitsitt Chapel remains a success for Jelly Roll, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and topping the country and rock album charts. The 13-track album bends genres around a country core and is a collection of songs, Jelly Roll said is for “real people with real problems.”

“This album is about growth and gratitude happening in my life,” Jelly Roll told American Songwriter in 2023. “I wanted to create a project that felt hopeful. I believe the worst feeling a person can have is feeling hopeless or worthless. Therapeutic music. Real music for real people with real problems.”

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Check out Jelly Roll’s rundown of five other tracks off ‘Whitsitt Chapel’ HERE.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images