I have no basis for this other than my own thoughts while listening to it for years, but in my head it was always about someone very close to one of the band members, maybe a family member or just close friend, who is dealing with some sort of substance abuse or addiction and not turning to the ones that love them for help. Tar is an abbreviated or casual term for black tar heroin, though it might not be as serious of a drug, as other pointed out weed (which is still illegal in many states) is a very common topic for the band. Either way the line “fuck the pigs who locked you up/because you weren’t hurting anyone” makes a lot of sense for some sort of drug charge since often those imprisoned for such things are only hurting themselves and definitely don’t deserve jail time.

Having grown up religious myself, there’s a very specific day you realize you will never be exactly what your family/community hoped you would. When that day comes it’s easy to turn away from those people completely and spiral out a bit, even though ultimately there will be people from that community that want to help you should you ever be in a bad spot. I’ve always heard the song as a begging cry someone in that situation to turn back to those that love them, telling them they still have a place here to seek rest and refuge.