Wounded Rhymes

This week, we were asked to pick a song and defend it as poetry. I chose I Know Places from Lykke Li's Wounded Rhymes album.  When I first heard this song, I felt like it had come at the perfect time. It was a perfect reiteration of how I was feeling, so I couldn't help but interpret it in a way that directly related to what I was going through.
When I first heard it, I thought of a friend of mine. I, for the first time, was experiencing what it was like to be there for someone when they really needed it most.  I soon realized that watching a loved one suffer and feel so alone and helpless was something I couldn't quite put in words, but knew that, although I may not have known at the time how I was going to help him, I knew why I wanted to and why I could. For me, this song represents that feeling, without being too specific, for a variety of relationships.
I think the speaker is speaking directly to a certain individual in their life that feels alone and clearly needs a great deal of comfort. The lines "Where the highs won't bring you down babe/ No, the highs won't hurt you there babe" personifies the highs and speaks to the "you" and reassures them that regardless of what has happened, the "high" that can be achieved alone in that place with the speaker is something that can not fail "you". This "high" she continues to refer to, in my opinion, is the power of love and understanding that is far more powerful and infallible than any drug. The speaker goes on to say "Don't ask me when, but ask me why/ Don't ask me how, but ask me where/ There is a road, There is a way/ There is a place, There is a place". This symbolizes the speaker's commitment to finding a way to help heal the subject of the song, even though it may be unclear at that moment exactly how they are going to do it and how long it will take. Rather, she emphasizes the fact that there is a why and a where: Why- Because she can love them Where- Alone, where the speaker can protect the subject from further harm and show them the love they need. The "places" the speaker knows of is representative of the speaker's idea of a safe haven where he or she plans to save the person from their pain. The speaker goes on to connect this "place" to home, which is arguably one of the most comforting places an individual can go in a time of healing. The home aspect makes it appear welcoming and safe, even though the "I know places" line hints that this place of healing is not home, but is away.
In the final stanzas, the speaker reassures the subject that they can look to him or her for dependability, support and understanding. The speaker says, "Now won't you lay and wait/ Wait on me," which contributes to the purpose of the song: that in difficult times, the speaker will find a way to help the subject heal.