Medicine by Daughter Lyrics Meaning – A Deep Dive Into the Aching Soul of a Haunting Ballad
Lyrics
And start again
You’ve got a second chance
You could go home
Escape it all
It’s just irrelevant
It’s just medicine
It’s just medicine
You could still be
What you want to
What you said you were
When I met you
You’ve got a warm heart
You’ve got a beautiful brain
But it’s disintegrating
From all the medicine
From all the medicine
From all the medicine
Medicine
You could still be
What you want to be
What you said you were
When you met me
You could still be
What you want to
What you said you were
When I met you
When you met me
When I met you
You
You
You
You
You
You
You
In an era where fast-paced pop dominates the airwaves, Daughter’s ‘Medicine’ emerges as a haunting whisper, gripping listeners with its raw emotive power. It’s a song that doesn’t just skim the surface of its subject but plunges deep into the tumultuous waters of the human experience. The indie folk band, known for their cinematic soundscapes, delivers a track that is as much an introspective journey as it is a vivid portrayal of struggle and hope.
The achingly beautiful lyrics, composed by lead vocalist Elena Tonra, unveil a tapestry of pain, redemption, and self-realization. It’s a track that resonates with anyone who has grappled with the concept of self-identity amidst life’s chaos. As we peel back the layers of ‘Medicine,’ we find a poignant narrative that touches on addiction, mental health, and the transformative power of self-compassion.
The Struggle for Redemption: ‘Pick it up, pick it all up’
Tonra’s gentle imperative to ‘Pick it up, pick it all up’ is a siren call for regeneration, a powerful invocation meant to stir the fallen. It’s about taking the scattered pieces of oneself and undertaking the arduous task of reassembly, offering a glimmer of hope in the possibility of a second chance. These opening lines set a tone of resilience, urging the listener to rise above the turmoil that life often presents.
But this call to action is also a sober reflection on the cyclical nature of recovery. There’s an inherent acknowledgment of the difficulty of escaping a situation that feels all-consuming, suggesting that renewal is not a single event but a continuous struggle. The concept of home is positioned as a safe haven, yet it’s hinted that the solace it offers might be nothing more than an illusion; an ‘irrelevant’ escape from the inevitable.
An Ode to the Lost Self: ‘You could still be what you want to’
As these poignant lyrics unfold, ‘Medicine’ morphs into an anthem for the lost self. Tonra’s lyrics reach out to the essence of who we were before the world told us who we should be. It’s a heartrending reminder of the aspirations we once cradled before they were eroded by life’s relentless grind and the ‘medicine’ we consume to cope.
The elegiac repetition of ‘You could still be what you want to’ is a haunting echo, serving as both comfort and confrontation. It offers a thread of identity that survives amidst the chaos, a lifeline thrown to the listener to remind them that the core of who they are remains, despite how much they may have changed or what they’ve endured.
The Duality of ‘Medicine’ – Relief and Decay
There’s a profound duality at the heart of ‘Medicine,’ where the titular substance symbolizes both the remedy and the poison. Tonra poetically reveals the contradiction in seeking solace in something that offers relief, yet simultaneously causes destruction. The ‘beautiful brain’ is celebrated for its warmth and intellect but is wistfully observed in a state of disintegration.
Layered within these lines is a subtle critique of society’s quick-fix mentality when it comes to mental health. The song deftly captures the internal conflict between the need for healing and the damaging side effects of the very ‘medicine’ we turn to. It holds a mirror up to the fine line between treatment and dependency, questioning the costs of numbing the pain.
A Resounding Refrain: The Power of Repetition
Tonra’s deliberate use of lyrical repetition throughout ‘Medicine’ serves as an emotional anchor. Each reiteration of ‘You could still be what you want to’ acts like a ritualistic chant, reinforcing the message of self-belief and the potential for redemption. This repetition carves the song’s central theme deep into the consciousness of the listener, leaving an indelible mark.
The technique reaches its peak with the word ‘You’, repeated seven times towards the song’s conclusion. This singular pronoun acts as a magnifying glass, focusing entirely on the subject of the song – perhaps the listener, or even Tonra themselves – as if stripping away all distractions to concentrate on the raw reality of individual identity and struggle.
Unearthing ‘Medicine’s’ Hidden Meanings: The Personal as Universal
Beyond the lyrics of decay and redemption, ‘Medicine’ harbors deeper, hidden layers that suggest a universality in personal struggle. The song’s quiet intensity belies the presence of an intimate conversation between self and soul, a dialogue that transcends the personal to strike a chord with anyone battling their inner demons.
It’s a multifaceted narrative that could be seen as addressing themes of addiction, the pressures of societal expectations, or the stigmatization of mental illness. In its cryptic simplicity, ‘Medicine’ manages to encapsulate the human condition in its four-minute runtime, serving as a mirror to the complex inner workings of the listener’s own mind.
