“Cul-de-Sac” describes the painful crumbling of a friendship. Dan Campbell here lays out the reasons why he has decided to break things off with a childhood friend he grew up with, something that is never easy to do.
A cul-de-sac is another word for a dead end : Campbell has tried everything to salvage the friendship, but he has run out of options.

To make matters more difficult, the friendship seemingly fractured over Campbell’s friend’s drug use. “Cul-de-Sac” comes at a time when Campbell, who abstains from substances, had pretty much separated from straight edge ethos, which has often been called anti-addict. The conflict between trying to shed off his ingrained prejudice and his very real inability to keep going with the friendship adds an extra layer to the song.