Paris Jackson's diving into the meaning behind one of her new songs ... detailing a traumatic situation she's turned into art after getting sober ... and it involves drugs, an overdose, quick thinking and a happy ending.

Michael Jackson's daughter appeared on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast in an episode published Wednesday ... and she explained her new track "Sirens" is probably her most emotional -- because it's based on her friend overdosing on her drugs.

Paris explains she had to keep her pal alive until paramedics arrived ... and they later told her if she hadn't acted as quickly as she did, he would either be brain dead or worse.

She says she had some experience with performing first-aid measures ... but it's still hard to know how she was going to act in the moment -- because fight-or-flight response can make people act in strange ways.

Paris also notes that -- despite the intensity of the moment -- she didn't get sober until more than a year after it all went down ... saying a person can't embrace sobriety until they're truly ready.

As for "Sirens" ... Paris says she wrote it in 2021 or 2022 -- and finally took it off the shelf when she realized it fit the vibe of her current album.