The third verse is him breaking out (the singing is the pills perspective). Listen to all the phrases and keywords he uses in the third verse. Listen to it in this perspective and frame of mind and tell me it's not about his pill problem.
Once you look at it in the perspective of him breaking away from his pills (notice the voice change and back to singing near the end). The first few bars where he's singing the third verse is still the pills. He doesn't come back in till "It was almost a homicide" <-- that's when Em comes in.
Or I might be crazy. Just let me know if you see it too.
Example: the 'long bus ride' line could be taken literally. He's in for a long tour bus ride so he pops some pills.
Vomited cried.
Took my life you woulda (pills will kill him eventually, he knows it)
The dates come back into his singing voice (the pill's perspective) so "leaving on the first of May" could be when he started rehab (I dunno the exact dates, if anyone does, let me know)
---- So that's my theory.
I gotta go to work right now but when I get home I'll edit this OP with the full verse breakdown for my theory.
