“Poison” — Alice Cooper

You’ve only got to turn on the TV, listen to the radio or go online for a few moments these days to find plenty of poison in the air as different factions — political, religious, environmental — argue that their opponents are despicable people, unworthy of the public’s trust.

That’s bad enough for humanity, but what’s much worse for most of us isn’t the poison spread by other people. It’s the poison we tell ourselves…about ourselves.

This is a well I’ve drunk from very deeply over the years, but I’m not unusual in that.

Many of us think we’re not good-looking enough, or not talented enough, or not smart enough. We tell ourselves that’s why nobody loves us or cares about us.

Toxic though public discourse is at the moment, it’s nothing like as toxic as the things we tell ourselves to undermine our own self-confidence and self-belief.

The Alice Cooper song “Poison” isn’t about that, however, nor is it about the daily experience of watching politicians hurl insults at one another. It’s about love gone wrong (albeit I don’t think Alice Cooper’s definition of romance is quite the same as mine, but whatever floats your boat…).

But what about the love you need to have for yourself?

Alice Cooper’s song might not be about that directly, but it could be…

Your cruel device
Your blood, like ice
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill