Based of a poem by William Blake called ‘A Poison Tree’. The poem focuses on the emotion of anger and the consequences for our relationships should that anger be suppressed.

In the poem the speaker tells of how he talked to a friend about his anger and everything was fine but with an enemy he could not do so and kept the anger inside. It began to grow, eventually becoming a metaphorical tree with poison fruit.

The enemy or foe ends up under the tree, destroyed by the speaker’s pent up anger. The speaker seems ok about this but is there some doubt about the destructiveness of his anger? Early communication of anger seems the best way to deal with it.

A Poison Tree uses metaphor, antithesis and biblical associations to highlight the self-damage that can proceed from suppressing anger. The emphasis is on letting go of negative emotions and moving on with life before this energy impacts on the health and well being of others. This poem is an extended metaphor – the wrath (anger) becomes a tree, a fruit, a poison apple.

A Poison Tree by William Blake 1794

analysis

in this song, however, the thesis of the poem is subverted, it is not a cautionary tale about anger, but a prayer to it. The poison tree in the poem was an unintended side effect of unaddressed rage; in the song, it is a figure directly acknowledged and spoken to.