The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of Wonder Bread
And went right back to bed
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful
And came into my bed
Oh, I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light
And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of Wonder Bread
And went right back to bed
Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
Yeah, we couldn't destroy a single one
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of Wonder Bread
And went right back to bed
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met
Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful
And came into my bed
Oh, I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light
And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light
Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of Wonder Bread
And went right back to bed
Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
Yeah, we couldn't destroy a single one
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
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Light Up The Sky
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Fast Car
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
I went and read some about the story of Samson and Delilah, and I think it gave me more insight into this song.
According to the biblical story, Samson was given extraordinary physical strength through God. First he fell in love with a woman named Timnah, a Philistine, and weds her-- at the wedding reception, he promises a group of Philistines that he will provide them with thirty sets of clothes if they can solve a riddle. They are unable to solve it, but they implore Timnah to get the answer from him-- she does, and tells them, and Samson becomes furious because he doesn't have clothing to give to them.
He leaves town and kills thirty other men in a nearby village, steals their clothing, but when he returns, Timnah is now married to a friend of his. Enraged, he ultimately ends up killing a thousand of the Philistines.
When he goes to Gaza, Samson meets and falls in love with Delilah. The Philistines convince her to get him to tell her the source of his power-- he tells her it's his hair (however, it was not really in his hair, but because he had already broken two laws of the Nazarite. this was enough for God to take his power away from him).
Delilah cuts off all of Samson's hair, and then he is captured by the Philistines, who gouge out his eyeballs. However, the way he dies is by pulling down the two central pillars in a temple.
This seems to be referred to in the song with the lines "Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down / Yeah, we couldn't destroy a single one."
I think the narrator of this song-- Delilah-- is lamenting about what could have been. Because she secretly did love Samson. All of the stories say that Samson loved Delilah, and make no mention of her returning the feelings. The lyric "I loved you first" seems to imply that not only did she love him back, but she loved him before he even loved her.
As I see it, this song is about how she imagined a different ending for their tragic romance. In this version, after she cuts his hair, he just eats a piece of bread, tells her it's okay, it's all right, nothing has changed. They make love and get a happy ending.
And in her version, the Bible doesn't even mention them because what she did didn't matter-- he didn't change history, and they just loved each other, quietly.
couldn't have said it better myself<br />
Timnah is a place, not a person. The name of Sampsons first wife is never mentioned in the Bible, it just says she is a girl of the Philistines who is from Timnah.
So the reference of bringing the columns down could translate to the fact that their relationship didn't crumble like it did by his death in the story?
this fits perfectly to me. the only thing i don't see is how the line, "you are my sweetest downfall" applies. possibly just referring to her mistake of cutting off his hair in the first place(before she starts fantasizing of what could have been)?
the last bit of your comment inspired this interpretation to pop into my head, so i thought i'd comment and see what you think..<br /> <br /> Samson knows he is destined to do god's work, but he meets delilah, they fall in love, and he lets her cut his hair so that he will lose his strength and wont be needed by god, which means he'll be able to stay with delilah forever. Delilah cuts his hair and therefore samson never brings the columns down and history books and the bible dont mention them, but they live happily ever after. (unless i'm being really stupid, i'm certain this fits)<br /> <br /> "you are my sweetest downfall, i loved you first" > this is delilah saying that she loved samson and their love and life together was "sweet", or beautiful, but their love was in a way her downfall, because by her cutting his hair she let god down.<br /> <br /> "Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth" > delilah from this alternate version of the bible story saying beneath the sheets of paper of the bible is her truth and her story, the other ending which is not in the bible.<br /> <br /> "ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed" > samson would feel weak after he lost his hair and his strength. he's be eating wonderbread and resting to get over it.<br /> the song kinda is a conflict of samson's love and true feelings and what he is supposed to do for god. i think it could show that maybe love beats all. :)
@Eleio<br /> <br /> I think the phrase "you are my sweetest downfall" is meant to be a reclamation of the word "downfall". In the Bible (and cultural parlance) Delilah ruins Samson's covenant with God, causing his death, and is thus his downfall; in Regina's alternate version, Samson is Delilah's "downfall", as in "falling" in love (and thus "sweet").
Absolutely, this song is about Samson and Delilah and is a metaphor for regret. Sung in Delilah's voice, she is recreating her fantasy of what she wishes had happened instead of this destruction and death. The "wonderbread" reference is weird, and I think it just indicates the point where fantasy starts and reality ends.<br /> <br /> It also implies the distinction between life choices: simple / quiet / domestic (traditional female virtues), vs fame / renown / misery (traditional male virtues). Maybe, keeping in metaphor, Delilah would have been happy with a "normal" Samson but Samson preferred or was destined death and destruction rather than "normal". Which is actually pretty sad for Delilah, one of history's greatest so-called villains.
This is actually a twist to the story of Samson and Delilah in the book of Judges in the Bible. Samson's hair was the source of his superhuman strength. When he came to be with Delilah, she cut off his hair and took away his strength. The important element to draw from this is the idea that to be with Delilah, Samson gave up his strength, his wildness, his independence. In essence, she tamed him, checked his power. That is a metaphor of what happens when a man falls in love with a woman: In order for a man to be with a woman, he must be tamed, his independence and thus his strength is checked by the commitment of a monogamous relationship. It's a tale as old as time, beauty tames the beast, Delilah cuts Samson's hair, women civilize the men.
In the actual story, Samson used to terrorize his enemies, the Philistines. Samson falls in love with a Philistine woman against God's council. When his enemies realize this, they blackmail Delilah into cutting Samson's hair while he was asleep by threatening to kill her family. Samson wakes up angry. But as he is powerless now, his enemies take him away from Delilah, blind him, and chain him to the two main pillars of their temple to mock him. But his hair grows back and he slowly regains his superhuman strength without his enemies realizing it. Long story short, he is finally able to get back at his enemies by breaking down the pillars temple during a celebration, bringing down the roof, effectively killing himself along with is enemies.
But the twist in this song is Delilah seems to have worked on her own when she cuts Samson's hair. When she does, Samson doesn't wake up angry. In fact he's pleased. Delilah says, "And he told me that I'd done alright". The tamed Samson eats his Wonder bread, like a normal civil man, and goes back to bed, like a normal civil man. No pillars were broken down, no temple came tumbling down. Only "old light" from the stars. No legend was created, no history changed, no stories told in the Bible or anywhere. He has given up his strength, his wildness, his independence, his dominance over his enemies for love.
But the catch that isn't said explicitly in the song (but strongly implied) is that by cutting his hair and taming him Delilah saves his life.
I think your interpretation of the song is the best I've read yet, the only thing that comes to my mind while listening to the song is that the cutting of samson's hair wasnt voluntary by any means. this brings either a more romantic...or more rapey side to the song. ultimately the song is sexual; a woman lies with a man in bed and takes something from him by the end. it might be his innocence his virginity, his lust... this is up for interpretation. in the bible this "hair" was taken by force, but in the song it is ultimately approved by samson in the end. Either way this implies that "delilah" robbed something from samson which he forgave her for, and thus the "all right" rather than the "great".
@Kindo88 My interpretation has always been alongside what you are proposing. This seems like: "Hey guys, this is the real story, which you haven't heard, because they didn't mention us in the Bible like that, but that's what went down." Loved your take as well s the original post in this thread.
I think this song really is about Regina finding a man who was willing to be weak and open to her. After all, Sampson knew all his strength came from his hair. The image of him loving a woman so much that he let her cut his hair is powerful because he would be so vunerable. I think many women wish that men would more often let down their machismo guards and reveal themselves. Regina may still be looking for a Sampson who will let her cut his hair...
I couldn't agree more.
I agree. <br /> <br /> One thing I love about the lyrics is it could be many meanings. I hate when songs hit you over the head with its meaning.
I never thought of it this way, but it seems really spot on.
This is a great explanation of the song lyrics, but a positive one. If it isn't positive then I think that Regina may be referring to a man that was her Samson, and because he loved her he was willing to be vulnerable. In the song she cuts his hair in his sleep, like to hurt him, to take his strength away. Maybe to exploit his weakness and because he didn’t care she saw that he may have had strength in many other ways but was powerless against her (unconditional love). It seems as if she left him after she conquered him. She loved him first, and then she found away to lose it. I’ve always felt this song was heartbreaking, but beautiful in how these decisions torment her.
"And history books forgot about us and the bible didnt mention us" I think she's trying to tell that the history books and the bible didnt mention their love.. it didnt explain their love and their lives.. i know the story of sampson and delilah since i was a little girl.. but what i really know and what history really cared to tell was the fact that delilah deceived sampson.. and this song brings a new and fresh conception of the story.. in this song what really matters is their love... sampson dindt care to be deceived because of his mad love, and delilah.. well maybe she was following the orders of her people..and then in the middle of it she falls in love too..
I love Regina because she writes little stories, like short fiction, instead of just writing all about her own life and it is very refreshing. She has said herself that that's how she writes all of her songs, like stories, so she can take on any point of view... Anyway I think this definitely has to do with Samson, but not Delilah. I think it's like Regina taking the point of view of a woman who came before Delilah, who truly loved Samson instead of just wanting to cut off his hair so he would lose his strength. But Samson loved her and trusted her enough to let himself be vulnerable with her. He let her cut off his hair. But their love ended for whatever reason, and she is reflecting on how beautiful it was even though no one will ever know about it because no one ever mentioned it. At least that's how I look at it...it's a gorgeous song. Also I think "Your hair was long when we first met" sort of meant that he had his guard up, and that he didn't want to let her in. I don't think she regretted cutting his hair at all, I mean it says, "And he told me that I had done alright and kissed me 'til the morning light" so I think they were happy. But then Delilah came along and that was the story that everyone heard about. No matter how you look at it, bottom line, very pretty song. And a great way to open up her album Songs.
No, these are all wrong! I read an interview about it. This song is about a man named Samson who has cancer, so when she says "Your hair was long when we first met", she means that she met him before he had cancer and then he lost his hair. She writes "He ate a slice of Wonderbread" because that's what cancer patients are often told to eat. When she sings "And the Bible didn't mention us/ Not even once" it's because they went through so much together and the bible didn't even talk about them. It's NOT about the Sampson and Deliah story in the bible. Oh and when she sings "I loved you first", I think it's because cancer "loved" Samson and took him from her.
For some reason, I don't think this song is very linear. For me it seems to jump perspectives a lot - like, I can't say for sure "This is from the perspective of the woman who first loved Samso", because to me, the repeated "You are my sweetest downfall" sounds like something Samson would be saying. I think this song does a really good job of showing how with Delilah, when his hair is cut (Second verse), he's very disconnected - He's just lost his source of power, and he goes and eats some bread, and goes to sleep, but with this other woman, he "Kisses her till the morning light" - how Samson really had that deep emotional connection with this other woman.
To go on a different path, I think this song is about her own "Samson" who had cancer. The hair resembles the disease because cancer weakens the body and immune system (like in the bibles story, he becomes weak without his hair). Samson in her life was forgotten by the history books and not mentioned in the bible, like Regina says. To her he was very important but not so important to the rest of the world so he was not worth mentioning in those kind of important texts. "Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down Yeah, we couldn't destroy a single one" Those lines tells me they could not fight the cancer and he did die. I found that this thought fit the song in all aspects.
wow i didnt even know thats what is was about i just thought is was a beautiful song. but it has meaning now! rip to my grandma who died of cancer!
I agree with those who think it's about a lover dying of cancer. The only reason Samson and the bible are mentioned is because Samson got his strength from his hair, and when her friend, who was on chemo, lost his hair, he lost his strength too (from the illness and from the chemo treatments). She says "the bible didn't mention us" because in her eyes, their story was epic and tragic and deserved to be remembered. "The history books" forgot about him, just another victim of cancer, but Regina never did, and she never will. He is her most bittersweet memory (sweetest downfall). When she says she loved him first, she doesn't mean she loved him before some other girl came along. She means she loved him before she loved anyone else. He was the first.
I 'plussed' this interpretation, but the more I think about it, the more I think this doesn't fit it. For example: There is no real hint the cancer, and why she has to go. If he had cancer, it would be far more logical to write that he had to go.<br /> <br /> The not being mentioned in the history books, because they didn't bring any columns down, could also mean: If you don't do anything radical then you won't be remembered.<br /> <br /> History books tend to mention the bad guys but leave out the good guys. Everybody knows the names of aggressors like Hitler, Napoleon, Ceasar, but who knows their opponents' names? Who knows the names of the peaceful people who lived then? They are forgotten and that is wrong and that is why she sings it with a sour tone.
This reminds me of Deliah and Samson in the bible. It's like Deliah [excuse me if I spelled her name wrong] was trying to tell someone her view of their relationship. Samson had long hair and she cut it and was a notorious slut/whore in the bible. But according to this song, they really loved each other. She's trying to put everything that is right back together while everyone else is twisting them around.
While Sampson and Delilah are both biblical figures, the story of Sampson's hair being cut, and the story of the relationship between the two, are not in the bible. This story is told in the Book of Judges, in the Hebrew Bible.
The Book of Judges is a part of the Bible. I don't know how much knowledge you have of Christianity's roots, but it is derived from Judaism. The Hebrew Bible is the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.