RE: Stacks

This song, in my humble opinion, clearly reflects the catharsis of Justin's time in the cabin as he recovered from the anguish which led him there.

It's already been described quite well what the first few few verses mean, and no need to go into that again. I believe that the lines: "This is pouring rain, this is paralyzed" are indicative of that EXACT moment of both feeling the anguish that has led you to low places and also is the gateway to moving forward.

Much of the remainder is the use of gambling (some here have used poker though I don't think there's a need to be that specific) as a metaphor for hitting rock bottom. I used poker for a period of time to support myself, and it was an incredibly stressful process, so perhaps the chorus either a) appears more clear to me, or b) or is shaded based off of those experiences, but here would be my version of it:

Stacks = Your chips for any form of gambling. In this sense, it represents your lifeblood and energy you have to commit. Rack = This is the part that I don't think the thread has very clearly dealt (no pun intended) with to this point. When you go to a casino and have a lot of money to put into your night, you often receive a "rack" of chips to make it easier to carry them around. I would interpret the notion of a "rack" in Justin's song to mean that absolutely everything's been invested into this game (both with love and his previous bands).

So when I look at the chorus, if your "rack" ends up being your "stack" it implies that you've lost absolutely everything except the carrying vessel. It's in that sense that Justin felt stripped of everything he had to offer except his physical body. That's his "load" or burden.

I again think that the previous comments agree with my interpretation that the "black crow" is in some ways a metaphor for death or at least the apparition of it. In gambler's parlance, the notion of ending up after a long night where everything was lost and you now find yourself out on the curb, staring at the sun, without even the key to your car re-enforces the notion of having lost everything. Justin's clearly in a low place, but then the final verses are very telling....

"This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away"

This addresses several previous comments and fits in with Justin's theme of gambling. He's not experiencing (nor can any of us) experience a full catharsis. We are never free to completely leave the past behind and start anew. We'll always carry some of that baggage and there's always the chance of relapse. Addicts are addicts for a reason. Even a reformed or recovering one can easily experience relapse if exposed to the same situation. However, that realization that we've hit bottom and are vulnerable to relapse at least permits someone to potentially move forward. I think this also touches on the quote from Justin that "klaheth" quotes in the post above. Sometimes the worst things at least let us realize why they're bad and permit us to move forward. They're neither "good" nor "bad" in the sense that they're still a part of us, but at least we know it now.

A gamblers metaphor is so perfect for his experience....he knows his hurt and sorrow will always be with him, but at least now he recognizes that fact. Great song!