Tom Jones
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I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind
She was my woman
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free
At break of day when that man drove away I was waiting
I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn't take any more
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah?
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn't take any more
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn't take any more
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Lyrics submitted byKungFuChica
Delilah Lyrics as written by Les Reed Barry Mason
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Delilah song meanings
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+3
General Comment
Basically a song about stalking and murder. It's pretty clear from the lyrics that "Delilah" is the male character's "woman", that she cheats on him which he views from outside her home "I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind" which drives the male into a jealous rage "....as she deceived me I watched & went out of my mind".
See AlsoTom Jones - Delilah LyricsThe stalking aspect becomes more clear in the second verse "At break of day as that man drove away I was waiting"....clearly Delilah's new beau spent the night and the jealous boyfriend waited outside her home all night waiting to see him leave. After that comes the inevitable confrontation between the male character & Delilah, during which she taunts him "She stood there laughing..." and he reacts with violence "I felt the knife in my hand, and she laughed no more".
Based around the unusual musical arrangement of a 2-2 time signature like a classic waltz, speed up considerably, with opening parts that imitate the background music for the shower stabbing scene in the movie "Psycho", this had to be one of the more different sounding songs on the pop charts in 1968 when it was released, also one of the darkest since it's dominating themes are infidelity, stalking, & murder.
Jones has stated in interviews that when the single was first released he was booked on The Ed Sullivan Show, a huge coups at the time. Before they would let him sing the song however he had to change the lyric in the 2nd verse about the new man leaving the Delilah's home because it implied he spent the entire night there. According to Jones he questioned why it upset the censors that the cheating male spends the entire night at Deliliah's when it's OK for the original boyfriend to wait outside all night stalking Delilah, who clearly is portrayed as engaging some sort of sexual activity aka "flickering shadows of love on her blind", not too mention the whole stabbing her to death part, and basically got little answer except the other male character couldn't spend the entire night. Crazy as that sounds, in order to get a prime spot on the show Jones changed that random line to something llke "At break of day as the night went away I was waiting", which eliminated the other man from his overnight visit but still implies the stalking aspect.
Even more odd, Jones was not asked to edit the song lyrics when he sang it on his own TV show a year later, although that was on a different network (Sullivan was on CBS, This Is Tom Jones was on ABC)
FlairFan01on January 08, 2015Link
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+1
My Interpretation
"I saw the light on the night that I passed by her windowI saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind"
- he witnessed her infidelity"She was my womanAs she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind"
- They were together, the fact that he's talking in past tense is like he's re-telling the story, but it does sound like he's telling it to himself.“My, my, my, DelilahWhy, why, why, DelilahI could see that girl was no good for meBut I was lost like a slave that no man could free”
- He’s placing the blame on her actions. It’s her fault that his hands are stained with her blood.“At break of day when that man drove away, I was waitingI cross the street to her house and she opened the door”
- Simply, he waited for the lover to go away before he confronted her.“She stood there laughingI felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more”
- He obviously confronted her about the situation, she found it funny, or that is what he thought.
“My, my, my DelilahWhy, why, why DelilahSo before they come to break down the doorForgive me Delilah I just couldn't take any more”
- The second chorus explains much. He is apologising to her for what he’s done. The police are probably the ones which are going to break down the door and find him there. Also, the fact that he couldn’t take anymore also says that she has potentially done this before.
museohon March 31, 2011Link
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+1
General Comment
Not a lot to add.\n\nClearly he stabbed her to death, hence the police breaking down the door.\n\nGiven the pent up rage, I doubt he only stabbed her once.
Maltatripperon April 09, 2022Link
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General Comment
I am surprised that no women have commented that this song is about murder. The guy is jealous. He beleives that if he doesn't own the woman she should be dead. There could be an innocent explanation. Perhaps he imagined the shadows of love. Perhaps the other man was a relative - e.g. brother, son. Perhaps she was smiling, not laughing, because she was glad to see him. But he didn't give her a chance to explain. He just knifed her.
cleanwillyon January 14, 2013Link
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General Comment
1) "She WAS my woman". Past tense, sounds like an possessive ex who can't deal with rejection.2) He'd evidently brought a knife with him, so his intentions weren't innocent.3) After stalking her and killing her, he blames her instead of taking responsibility for his own actions.
TheMightyJobuon June 21, 2022Link
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General Comment
GREAT song about infidelity and murder.
He spied on her when he was suspicious of her cheating and he caught her and kept watching but when he left the next morning he went to the door and when she opened it, she laughed (maybe because he confronted her with what he saw?) and he stabbed her. Hence the lines, "She stood there laughing... I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more".
So... yeah. He killed her. Either that or he just scared her or kidnapped her. Either way it was something criminal, otherwise, they'd have no need to come to break down the door.
-=The Prynce
theprynceon February 22, 2005Link
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General Comment
I don't even know if Delilah was cheating on him.. he says "she was my woman"... maybe she dumped him, and he couldn't handle it.
Or maybe he was just fantasizing about her, and they were never together at all. Since he apparently lives across the street from her, he might just be obsessed with the girl across the street, and eventually killed her...I don't really know.. theprynce's interpretation makes as much sense as mine does, this is just another option.Douggon November 29, 2006Link
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-1
General Comment
haha bitchin song!
kassichi88on February 10, 2007Link
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General Comment
I think it's pretty obvious that he kills Delilah, not himself. Hence the "So before they come to break down the door" line.
inamouradaon June 17, 2008Link
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General Comment
the last lines, to me, say that he killed her, and then himself, out of guilt (forgive me delilah i just couldnt take anymore) and just not wanting to face punishment (so before they come to break down the door)
mistermonsteron September 06, 2009Link
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- Artists - T
- Tom Jones
- Live in Las Vegas
- Delilah Lyrics
