Synopsis

Set against the canal-side architecture of Paddington Basin, the video presents "Poems" as a moody, fragmentary performance piece rather than a conventional narrative. Tricky, Terry Hall, and Martina Topley-Bird are framed amid stark industrial surroundings, with the editing reflecting the track's shifting vocal layers and uneasy intimacy. Close-ups, location shots, and disjointed movement create a detached, nocturnal atmosphere, matching the song's themes of isolation, emotional withdrawal, and the pressure of other people demanding access.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Poems" features three contrasting vocal presences: Tricky, former Specials singer Terry Hall, and Martina Topley-Bird.

• The video was filmed on location at Paddington Basin in London, a former industrial canal area whose stark architecture complements the track's spare, bass-heavy production.

• The video received a D&AD Pencil Award, giving it an important place in the visual legacy of the Nearly God project.

• "Poems" was released as a single in April 1996 and came from the album Nearly God, Tricky's pseudonymous side project between Maxinquaye and Pre-Millennium Tension.

• Tricky described Nearly God as a collection of exceptional but unfinished demos. The album was recorded in only three weeks in New York and London before being reworked and mixed in London.

• The Nearly God name originated with an interview question asking Tricky how it felt to be God. His answer was reportedly, "Well, nearly God."

• The track was one of the album's key collaborations with Terry Hall, who also appears on "Bubbles." Topley-Bird contributed to several other Nearly God tracks, including "I Be the Prophet" and "Black Coffee."