The Medicine Will by Brad Paisley
This track came out as part of an EP Brad Paisley dropped on 29 September 2023 titled Son of the Mountains: The First Four Tracks. Paisley has described this piece as it ‘might be the best song he’s ever written’ or, in the very least, ‘as important as anything he’s ever written’. And he went on to further elaborate that sentiment being based on how the lyrics relate to ‘where he’s from’, which happens to be the mountainous state of West Virginia, a place that he’s very respectful of, as its mountains represent freedom.
Interpretation of the Lyrics
That said, whereas mountains are referenced in the lyrics, that’s not what this song is about, nor does it forthrightly focus on West Virginia. The wording of this piece is a lot more intricate or complicated than the overwhelming majority of country songs we’ve come across.
According to Billboard, what Brad is speaking to is the concept of corporate greed. Concerning the “good, God-fearing people” of places like West Virginia, they are also depicted as a simple lot, one willing to come up through honest, hard work, even that as arduous and dangerous as mining. But still there are those external entities who are out to exploit them, even to the death. And such is the general-thesis sentiment of this track.
Of further interest though is that Paisley uses “medicine” as a metaphor for the means by which they do so, i.e. the powers that be exploiting the little man to death. Or it may be that he’s referencing “medicine” literally. That particular motif is what makes this song more complicated than it would be otherwise.
For instance, it very much reads as if he is specifically alluding to the medical establishment, as if they are intentionally selling these naïve folk snake oil products, concurrently generating significant profit for themselves, once again at the expense of the people’s very lives. And the singer also indicates that “the undertaker” is working alongside “the drugstore” in this scheme.
So going a bit out on a limb, it may be that the sentiments expressed were influenced by the neverending drama revolving around COVID-19 vaccinations. As time progresses, it is becoming more widely known and accepted, including by the scientific community, that said vaccines were or are in fact dangerous to the health of many of its recipients. Meanwhile, when the pandemic was in full effect, both the medical establishment and governments alike were highly espousing – some may even say forcing us, the little man – to take those shots. So perhaps it is that reality which The Medicine Will is intended to point to. Or maybe Brad is criticizing the medical establishment in general for in fact being profit-oriented, which in the case of this song is manifested by the likes of physicians and pharmacists selling medicines which do more harm than good.
