addiction

Song Lyric Sunday: Magical Medication.

Good morning it’s Sunday March 30, 2025 – and our wonderful host Jim Adams has prompted us to find a Song that mentions doctor, cure, heal, treat or drugs.

Now Jim always describes this week’s prompt in detail so I shall leave it to you to read his post for that.

I have chosen The Drugs Don’t Work by The Verve. I absolutely love this song and I believe it is a very candid song about how after a while drugs ( prescription or other) do not work …your body gets used to them …all they do is make you worse. .. I know from personal experience this is true. I was once addicted to prescription drugs Tramadol and Gabapentin after breaking my back the second time…I went through withdrawal. The drs just wanted to keep me on the them for the rest of my life but I didn’t want to be a Zombie! So with the help of a friendly chemist and a supportive and patient family I went through withdrawal..a long , painful, mentally scary process…I made it and will not take opiod painkillers anymore.

I will not go into what withdrawal was like here but I have documented it here on my blog.

So this song means a lot to me.

The Drugs Don’t Work” is a song by English rock band the Verve. The song was written by Richard Ashcroft and is featured on their third studio album, Urban Hymns. It was released on 1 September 1997 as the second single from the album, debuting at number one on the UK singles chart. The beginning of the video shows the band walking down the street, following on from the end of “Bitter Sweet Symphony“. Lead singer Richard Ashcroft wrote the song in early 1995. He briefly mentioned it in an interview at the time, relating it to his drug usage: “There’s a new track I’ve just written … It goes ‘the drugs don’t work, they just make me worse, and I know I’ll see your face again’. That’s how I’m feeling at the moment. They make me worse, man. But I still take ’em. Out of boredom and frustration you turn to something else to escape.”Ashcroft also performed the song when the band was touring in support of A Northern Soul. The song was eventually recorded for Urban Hymns. The album’s producer, Chris Potter, later referred to it as both the best song and best vocal he had ever recorded.

According to Songfacts.com, the drugs in the song were ones given to Richard Ashcroft’s father:
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3344

As always the lyrics are unclear, it is generally believed that composer Richard Ashcroft wrote the song in response to the death of his father. Also it is thought to be influenced by his relationship with his wife. Who knows ? Only Richard Ashcroft.

All this talk of getting old
It’s getting me down, my love
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I’m coming down

And I hope you’re thinking of me
As you lay down on your side
Now the drugs don’t work
They just make you worse but I know I’ll see your face again

Now the drugs don’t work
They just make you worse
But I know I’ll see your face again

But I know I’m on a losing streak
As I pass down by your street
And if you wanna show, then just let me know
And I’ll sing in your ear again

Now the drugs don’t work
They just make you worse
But I know I’ll see your face again

‘Cause baby, oh
If heaven falls, I’m coming too
Just like you said
You leave my life, I’m better off dead

All this talk of getting old
It’s getting me down, my Lord
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I’m coming down

Now the drugs don’t work
They just make you worse but I know I’ll see your face again

‘Cause baby, oh
If heaven falls, I’m coming too
Just like you said
You leave my life, I’m better off dead
But if you wanna show
Then just let me know and I’ll sing in your ear again

Now the drugs don’t work
They just make you worse but I know I’ll see your face again

Yeah, I know I’ll see your face again
Yeah, I know I’ll see your face again
Yeah, I know I’ll see your face again, oh, Lord
Yeah, I know I’ll see your face again, oh, Lord
I’m never coming down now, I’m never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I’m never coming down now, I’m never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I’m never coming down now, I’m never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I’m never coming down now, I’m never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I’m never coming down now, I’m never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more, no more

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Richard Paul Ashcroft

The Drugs Don’t Work lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Ltd., Kobalt Music Services Ltd Kms

That’s it for today… But I shall just add a funny aside I remember my middle son telling me he and a few friends were off to Manchester to see Richard Ashcroft . I replied, absentmindedly, “Oh! Is he an old school friend” his reply was a stunned silence… Then ..”No mum”

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE 💜💜

Part of Song Lyric Sunday

The Addict.

You love them they know,
You can’t help them or let them go.
There will always be need for extra money,
Excuses are always good coated with honey.
They will sell their clothes and their belongings too
Stand still too long and they’ll sell you.
They have no conscience, until
it is too late
When they have time to contemplate.
Always in need, always they want . Sate their thirst you just can’t.
They need the next needle, bottle or gamble.
They’ll threaten you without preamble.
Hide your purse, hide the cash, hide the car keys or you’ll loose them.
Then when that happens they will cover up and lie and swear on your life.
After the lies comes remorse.

The food can go from the cupboards, presents and toys too.
Furniture, clothes nothing is sacred they have no choice the demon in them drives them.
They lose care and love for family and friends.
They take from anyone no amends.
They break your heart it never ends.
Is there hope, well there is some,
Yet so much hard work must be done.
Recovery is hard, even when they are counting the days, weeks or years
You can never relax or banish your fears.
The thought of the demons’ return is ever here,
The next slip is an ever present fear..
You love them so, you help, you sort them out again.
They will bleed you dry and cause
you pain.
With any request for help the fear is always there,
You get to the point where you no longer care. © willowdot21

Christmas Lights.

Christmas Lights

Fingers almost blue, toes numb like her soul.
Fear has her in it’s grip , she is no longer whole.
Lights twinkle on the water and the snow
Eyes closed she stands silently rocking to and throw .
Warmth and home seem a million miles away.
Under this bridge, damp and bitter her only place to stay.
Tears cannot fall when frozen but they hurt as much.
She longed for a gentle word or loving touch.
Watching the lights on the water dance.
Like little fairies they leap and prance.
Music floats across the water to her ears
Laughter and an happy voices, she hears.
Tired, so tired she slumps down on the frozen ground
Watches the lights from the house praying never to be found.
Maybe she could of spoken out but she had not dared.
Who would believe her, who would of cared
Slowly life slips away from her grasp.
Suddenly she is held in a warm, kind clasp.
A soft voice takes her to a happier place
She opens her eyes and sees God’s face.

Anywhere Christmas Years Eve2022: Another drug addict found dead under the the bridge opposite the Ferryman’s Inn.

An old post from the days of Sue Vincent’s #writephoto

Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 45: (WHIRL) in the C rhyme line.

Ronovan thought Whirl would go well with the Haiku words this week of Bird and Blow. As always, if you wish, you can link between the Haiku Challenge prompt of (BIRD and Blow). and this Décima Challenge of WHIRL in the C rhyme line. This means you could write a haiku post using the prompt words. Then do a Décima post using this week’s prompt uniting the two with a common message.

The 2 CHALLENGES are SEPARATE but CAN BE combined if YOU CHOOSE to do so.

Your harsh, cold words cut me up short
I was blown out of the water
Ice maiden, the devil’s daughter
Too late in your web I was caught.
I’d die for you without a thought
So enchanted by you, bad girl
Battered by the rocks that you hurl
Like narcotics on me you grow
You have dismissed me like fly blow
So bird-like I flutter and whirl.

This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Weekly Décima Challenge.

Ronovan Writes (TIP) This week, it’s the D rhyme line.

For this week’s challenge, the word TIP must be one of the D line words. Then the other D line(s) word(s) must rhyme with TIP. I have also used the prompt words from Ronovanwrite’s Weekly Haiku Challenge Morrow and Surge.

Welcome to the Décima Poetry Challenge. Each week we’ll be attempting a Décima, also known as an Espinela, poem.

If you don’t know how to write a Décima, click HERE to go to a post on How to Write an Espinela or Décima Poem.

This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Décima Challenge

We only get once chance at life
Sadly time is not infinite
This is true though it might sound trite
Why face the morrow filled with strife.
The pens of fate our lives rewrite.
In the morn all our fears will serge
Our hopes and dreams begin to merge.
Over the edge our feelings tip
As into the abyss we slip.
We all dance to Lucifer’s dirge.

Three Things Challenge #156

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge .
Every day Di at Pensitivity101 said “I’ll give you three words or things that will hopefully trigger your creativity.
No need to use them all if you don’t want to, simply read the prompt and see what comes to mind.” Today’s words are.

Head,Cash,Worry

As usual everything was spinning round in his head. The lights on the machine took over again, he was lost, drawn in. There be no reprieve no escape until the cash was all gone. The whole month’s salary wiped out. Nothing left for food, bills, the children. He might be lucky, he felt lucky so for now why worry?

Colleen’s 2019 Weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge No. 124 SynonymsOnly Game and Trouble

Addiction

I wrote this last year but something today made we want to share it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can’t run from it nor can it be hidden from, it is a prowler and a taunter and stealer of your strength. It will suck from you until all your goodness is gone.

It lurks in corners and shadows and bides it’s time. It is vicious and evil, it sneaks up on you and springs out even when you feel fine.

http://saghbini.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/gothic-wallpaper-6-low-res.jpg?w=346&h=667

Always there, ever present, waiting for your weakest moments , the darkest hour of your night, the time when you are all alone and all your resolutions have taken flight.

Seething with hate it will consume you so absolutely . You think it is gone, abated, been subdued but no it has just been licking it’s wounds from the last time that you beat it.

The worst is, you have to watch it as it crawls into the ones you love and change them into monsters that will lie to you and steal from you cheat you to feed thier monster. It is all they care about this monster, they will get lower and lower until they hit and the ground .

What happens when there is nowhere to go , crawling along the depths of despair.What if they turn all against them and no helping hands are left. I cannot bare to watch that which came from me struggling against this evil monster trying so hard to be free!

Trying to be free from the hunger of monster that never stops , it is never sated it will suck you until you drop. Then all you can do is watch and the pain is a hundred fold for you are watching all this happening to the tiny baby you used to hold.

Though grown to a man this is still your baby and there is nothing to be done. God help the mother or father who has an addict for a daughter or a son.