2025 Competition Lyrics Entry:

POISON AND MEDICINE by Rachel Faro

Lyrics

A LITTLE WHITE POWDER
A PUFF OF SMOKE
COULD CERTAINLY STRING YOU
TO A REAL SHORT ROPE
AN OUNCE OF PROMISES
A POUND OF HOPE
A LITTLE SUGAR GOING DOWN YOUR THROAT

Chorus:
POISON AND MEDICINE
WALKING THE RAZOR’S EDGE
POISON AND MEDICINE
THIN LINE OF LIFE AND DEATH
A LITTLE BIT CAN BE TOO MUCH
A WHOLE LOT IS NOT ENOUGH
POISON AND MEDICINE, POISON AND MEDICINE

Bridge:
HOW HIGH DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FLY?
TO THE MOON AND THE STARS AND YOU’RE ONE WITH ALL
HOW LOW DO YOU THINK YOU’LL GO
WHEN THE FEELING FADES AND YOU START TO FALL

A CRIMSON FLOWER
A LITTLE PILL
GOT THE POWER
TO CURE OR TO KILL
YOU SEND FOR THE DOCTOR
BUT YOU’RE NOT ILL
AND YOU’RE NEVER GONNA FEEL right
TILL YOU PAY THE BILL

Chorus:
POISON AND MEDICINE etc.

Author

Bio

Rachel Faro is a Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, record producer and label owner. Early in her career she performed in the Los Angeles cast of Hair and was signed to RCA, releasing two albums of which one “Refugees”, recently reissued by Sony, remains relevant to this day. A third album ,“Windsong” was produced independently and released on Blue Flame Records in Germany and in the USA on her own label Ashé Records. Rachel has always had an interest in global sounds and her albums include elements of Irish, Indian, Bulgarian, and Native American music within classic folk pop formats. One of a handful of women record producers, she has produced over thirty albums of world music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Zimbabwe; folk/blues albums by Odetta, Satan & Adam, Chris Chandler and Paul Millns (from Pentangle) and Latin jazz albums by Sammy Figueroa, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Vocal Sampling and Ernan Lopez-Nussa. Most recently she has begun producing live concerts at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach, presenting artists such as Al Di Meola, Robben Ford, Laufey, Samara Joy, Paquito D’Rivera and many more. Her music remains imbused with her studies of Tibetan Buddhism and secular spirituality: whether she is writing, performing, producing or presenting she has a strong belief in the power of music to heal and unify in a troubled world.

Co-author(s)

Lyrics Competition Results

Emotional Impact:
13/ 20
Technical Skill:
12/ 20
Memorability:
13/ 20
Storytelling:
11/ 20
Imagery:
14/ 20
Total Score:
63/ 100
Commended

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