Released: 2016
With an intoxicating blend of desperate love and destructive addiction, Brent Faiyaz brings us “Poison,” a song that bares the depths of a toxic relationship. In every verse, Faiyaz paints an intimate picture of a love that, while damaging, appears tragically irresistible to him. We’re led through the highs and lows of this tumultuous relationship, underlining the paradoxical sense of pleasure and pain it brings.
Faiyaz lays down his vulnerability in the first few lines, “Know you ride it right/I might just die tonight/But you know I’m still coming through, baby”. These words expose a striking contradiction: he’s fully aware of the risks involved in this relationship—“I might just die tonight”—yet he can’t help but remain drawn to it. He acknowledges this further with “And you know it tastes so sweet/I think I need your abuse, baby.” The usage of “abuse” here isn’t necessarily physical, but a yield of relentless emotional turmoil.
Our man gets even realer, confessing his scars in the lines, “I see you in my sleep/I’m scarred beyond belief.” It’s pretty clear that this relationship is not just a fling—it has etched a deep mark in his psyche. However, he follows that with a powerful confession: “Ain’t nothing you can’t make me do, baby.” There’s a level of surrender and desperation here that’s quite revealing.
Perhaps one of the most poignant lines in the song is the chorus, “Girl, you do damage to me/You know I love it, yeah, I love you.” Faiyaz is seemingly accepting the paradox of his situation: this love is damaging, yet he loves the damage—it’s his “poison.”
Then Faiyaz hits us with a raw confession of his role in the relationship, “Girl, you know I play my role/When I’m inside that With my hands around your throat/ I know you like that.” This verse signifies a deep level of intimacy and even power dynamics at play. The imagery here is sensual, dramatic, hinting at the pleasure he takes in this toxic push and pull.
By the end of the song, it’s clear that Brent Faiyaz’s take on love, as depicted in “Poison”, is a far cry from the fairytale romances we often hear about. This is a love steeped in emotional torment, making it the most potent kind of “poison.” Yet, for Faiyaz, it’s clear he wouldn’t have it any other way.
