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A lot of the lyrics on Thirteenth Step feel like they come from a place of judgement and cynicism at an addict's recovery. I get it's a concept album, and this is Maynard's take on the issue as he experiences it. But the more I listen to it the more I realise I don't relate to it at all. So I feel like I'm saying goodbye to an album that I used to enjoy musically.

Im goong to break from the consensu here a bit- I think everyone's missing a big piece of this album, and its right there in the title.

The 13th step refers to a long time AA member targetting new commers, exploiting their vulnerability for sex.

The album is the first person narrative of one of these sociopathic users (of heroin, but of women he picks up from NA, too) from their POV, to their victim, 'you'

'The package' is them, disillusioned with the NA program, going to a meeting to find a victim.

'Weak and powerless' is really just establishing the main character is still an addict, and usin, Their someone who is currently succumbing to the addiction.

'The noose' is them tearing down the partner. Cynical about their newfound hope, and initial successes with the program, and turning it into a chain theyll inevitably get dragged down with

Apparently they won out, as in 'blue,' the narrator is describing them relapsing together, and nodding off to watching them nod out, OD and die. 'Vanishing' is them getting over their loss, and moving on, like the smoke from the binge cleaning from the air (and the smoke having been an allusion to the smoke before fire- her nodding off being the warning sign of the fire, the OD he chose to ignore)

I think theres kind of a fork i the narative here here, or maybe weve skipped all the way onto the next relationship, but in this cycle, shes still alive, and in 'a stranger' and were in the gaslighting/ victim blaming stage of a temporary breakup, blaming her for their failing at sobriety.

In 'the outsider' hes now responding to his partner's suicidalness, coldly pushing her away, litterally telling her shes being a drama queen and if shes going to do it, do it elsewhere.

In 'The nurse who loved me' shes now in a mental hospital. She's drugged up, laying on the carpet (post suicide attempt?) And hes flirting with the nurse trying to take her home and hoping hw might score some drugs off her.

'Pet' has her now out of the hospital, release back into his care, and now completely broken and dependent on him, isolated from everyone else.

I think gravity can be read a couple ways- us he finally trying to break the cycle, and his own addiction?

Is tail in hand a reference to him 'chasing the dragon' and finally having caught it- ODing himself (surrendering to gravity and the unknown) and calling out to someone to save him?

What's notable is the lack of 'You' in this song. Every other song has referred to the girl in the second person, as 'you', and shes seemingly absent.