In 1998, following a falling-out of her professional and personal relationship with Tricky, Topley-Bird began pursuing a solo career; however, it was not until 2003 that she released her debut solo album, Quixotic, on Independiente Records. (Tricky appears on one track, Ragga, as producer and guest vocalist.) Upon its release, Quixotic received rave reviews from critics, and was a finalist for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Need One, Anything, I Still Feel and Soul Food were released as singles in the UK. In Brazil, the song Lullaby was used in the campaign for the juice powder Clight. The song Sandpaper Kisses is featured on the soundtrack of the video game Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the United States).
The album finally saw a release, of sorts, in the United States in July 2004 when the Palme Pictures label released a "re-designed and re-sequenced" version with a new title (Anything), a trimmed-down tracklisting and all-new cover art.
In 2004, Martina appeared on Into the Sun, a track from Diplo's album Florida. A year later, she made a guest appearance (alongside Roots Manuva) on the Gorillaz track All Alone, on the album Demon Days.
Martina released her second studio album, The Blue God, in May 2008, followed by a collaborative project with Massive Attack, the album "Heligoland" which was released in 2010. She also appeared on the Splitting the Atom EP featured on the track Psyche (Flash Treatment) (released October 2009).
In 2010, she released her third album, Some Place Simple, followed by a collaboration with Mark Lanegan and Warpaint in 2013.
Poison
Martina Topley-Bird Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It feels like poison
Still the memory of you
It feels like poison
It kills like poison
Why you do the things you do?
It feels like poison
It feels like poison
If not for you
No love in front of me
Nobody told you
It's not how it's supposed to be
Make a wish and blow it out
Love will begin again
I don't want to be a clown
The whole town is laughing
Behind my back, you're supposed to be a friend
If not for you
No love in front of me
Nobody told you
It's not how it's supposed to be
It’s not how it’s supposed to be
It’s not how it’s supposed to be
It’s not how it’s supposed to be
It’s not how it’s supposed to be
It feels like poison
Why you do the things you do?
It feels like poison
Why you do the things you do?
It feels like poison
Why you do the things you do?
It feels like poison
The lyrics to Martina Topley-Bird's song Poison speak about a toxic relationship that is hard to let go of. The memory of the person feels like poison, and even though the singer knows that the love they have for this person is killing them, they still can't help feeling the way they do. The singer questions why the person does the things they do, as their actions make the relationship feel like poison. Despite everything, the singer can only love this person, and it feels like poison.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of societal expectations in relationships. The singer laments that if not for this person, there would be no love in front of them, suggesting that they feel like they need to be in a relationship to appease societal norms. However, the singer acknowledges that this isn't how it's supposed to be, and that they shouldn't be with someone who is toxic and makes them feel like poison. The lyrics end with the singer questioning again why the person does the things they do, as it feels like poison.
Overall, the lyrics to Poison speak about the difficulties of leaving a toxic relationship and how even though it's killing the singer, they still can't help feeling the love they do for this person. It's a poignant reminder of how hard it can be to walk away from someone even though you know it's the best thing for you.
Line by Line Meaning
Just the memory of you
Even just remembering you brings painful feelings
It feels like poison
The emotional pain is so strong it's like poison
Still the memory of you
Even after time has passed, remembering you still hurts
It kills like poison
The pain is so intense it feels like it could be deadly, like poison
Why you do the things you do?
Questioning the motives behind someone's hurtful actions
I can only love you
Despite the pain, I only know how to love you
If not for you
Without you, there would be no reason to love or feel this pain
No love in front of me
Without you, there is no hope for future love
Nobody told you
No one taught you how to love properly
It's not how it's supposed to be
This pain and unhealthy love is not what love is supposed to be
Make a wish and blow it out
Trying to find hope and new beginnings through superstition
Love will begin again
There is hope that new love will come
I don't want to be a clown
I don't want to seem foolish or naive for loving you
The whole town is laughing
Feeling embarrassed or ashamed of the situation, like everyone is making fun of it
Behind my back, you're supposed to be a friend
Feeling betrayed by someone who was supposed to be a friend
Contributed by Elizabeth L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.