Maybe I'll be wrong here, so I'm up for correction for sure.
Jason Isbell has been public with the fact that he was an alcoholic who fell in love and got clean. He's since gotten married. He may be here referencing Stockholm syndrome where captives defend, sympathize with, and sometimes even fall in love with their captors. Even to the point of willingly staying hostage. All this could metaphorically capture the bondage of addiction. Addicts too fall in love with and defend their addictions irrationally, becoming willing hostages to them. I think this is captured here in lines like:
"Lock me up tight in these shackles I wear, tied up the keys in the folds of your hair" and "Ships in the harbor and birds on the bluff, don't move an inch when their anchor goes up"
Love can profoundly inspire and conquer all though, as noted when Jason sings "the difference with me is I used to not care" and "the difference with me is I'm falling in love." Here I think he's bravely admitting that he's found a poignant reason to desire to live free of bondage to addiction. Though addicts certainly have a strong attachment to what imprisons them, true worthwhile praiseworthy love (as opposed to irrational attachment to what's hurting us) is ultimately stronger, and there is certainly hope! It doesn't even have to be love for a significant other like it was for Jason. It could be love for yourself or God or your family..whatever.
Maybe I'll be wrong here, so I'm up for correction for sure.
Jason Isbell has been public with the fact that he was an alcoholic who fell in love and got clean. He's since gotten married. He may be here referencing Stockholm syndrome where captives defend, sympathize with, and sometimes even fall in love with their captors. Even to the point of willingly staying hostage. All this could metaphorically capture the bondage of addiction. Addicts too fall in love with and defend their addictions irrationally, becoming willing hostages to them. I think this is captured here in lines like:
"Lock me up tight in these shackles I wear, tied up the keys in the folds of your hair" and "Ships in the harbor and birds on the bluff, don't move an inch when their anchor goes up"
Love can profoundly inspire and conquer all though, as noted when Jason sings "the difference with me is I used to not care" and "the difference with me is I'm falling in love." Here I think he's bravely admitting that he's found a poignant reason to desire to live free of bondage to addiction. Though addicts certainly have a strong attachment to what imprisons them, true worthwhile praiseworthy love (as opposed to irrational attachment to what's hurting us) is ultimately stronger, and there is certainly hope! It doesn't even have to be love for a significant other like it was for Jason. It could be love for yourself or God or your family..whatever.
To me, this is a powerful song.