She Always Takes It Black

My understanding is that it's about someone feeling selfless love for a significant other, but that love is not reciprocated and he (the author) finally realizes this.

Dreaming up this golden grain But I'm falling from this shack Talking sweet to the queen Wishing I was riding with the jacks

Each pair of lines is set up as sort of opposites, I think it's illustrating the radical difference between the illusory aspect of "blind" love and reality, where you can think you're "talking sweet to the queen" but really you're just not that important (to her) and you're "riding with the jacks". He's realizing this about this relatinoship.

Walking proud and lonesome now Oh I'm yearning for the pack

I think this refers to the relationship ending and now he's thinking over the whole thing. He puts on a act of being proud and totally fine, but he's really lonely inside and still loves this significant other.

But I'd never say "I love you," dear Just to hear you say it back

He's illustrating the selfless love he had for this person, it wasn't dependent on getting anything back from them. (To me, the "but" at the beginning hints to perhaps that this significant other would be the type of person to do this, but not him.)

I've heard the road to every truth It's just a cul-de-sac

In reflecting over this past relationship, he's questioning what he used to believe in and now isn't so sure. (A cul-de-sac is a circle, so he's saying truth is a matter of perspective, and it always leads back to who you are. Perhaps, he's saying he was so sure of the "truth" of this past relationship, but now he realizes it was just his perspective and hers was radically different)

There's ladies and the lions there But you know it's just an act

Ladies and Lions could refer to the classic archetype of the hero (lion/strong/savior type) and the damsel in distress. Along similar lines to the previous lines, he could be saying he doesn't believe in those "fairy tale" type of relationships anymore. It's "just an act"

You search the world for the milk of the pearl She always takes it black But you'll love her till it all goes dark You'll love her even after that

What an absolutely beautiful line. It's a metaphor for how he gave so much to her, he 'searched the world' for something beautiful for her, but she "always takes it black," (the metaphor continued--she doesn't take milk, very clever wordplay.) Meaning, she's not interested in what he gave to her, how much he sacrificed.

Then he ends by reiterating the selfless love he still feels for this person, even after she didn't reciprocate any of his love and the relatinoship ended. So powerful. I think he ends with the last stanza in second person because he's saying that this is a very universal thing, he's recognizing this happens to many people.