I don't believe that these lyrics were meant to be interpreted literally - i.e. a man getting mugged. Yes, he did have a history of abuse, but I really think this song is about addiction and mental illness. Speaking from personal experience, I can relate to this song in regards to bipolar disorder. "Grabbing onto whatever's around for the soaring high or the crushing down" - that is literally what it feels like sometimes, never being able to control how you feel at any given moment. "Looking for the man who attacked me while everybody was laughing at me" - paranoia, probably induced by drugs. "Looking for somebody's arms to wave away past harms" - this probably refers to the fact that he can't seem to escape his unpleasant past, including abuse. There was a rumor that he was on experimental psych meds for bipolar, including lithium (also suggested in the line in The White Lady Loves You More - "need a metal man just to pick up your feet"), but I'm not sure if that's factual. This is just my interpretation.
I don't believe that these lyrics were meant to be interpreted literally - i.e. a man getting mugged. Yes, he did have a history of abuse, but I really think this song is about addiction and mental illness. Speaking from personal experience, I can relate to this song in regards to bipolar disorder. "Grabbing onto whatever's around for the soaring high or the crushing down" - that is literally what it feels like sometimes, never being able to control how you feel at any given moment. "Looking for the man who attacked me while everybody was laughing at me" - paranoia, probably induced by drugs. "Looking for somebody's arms to wave away past harms" - this probably refers to the fact that he can't seem to escape his unpleasant past, including abuse. There was a rumor that he was on experimental psych meds for bipolar, including lithium (also suggested in the line in The White Lady Loves You More - "need a metal man just to pick up your feet"), but I'm not sure if that's factual. This is just my interpretation.