Samson
Regina Spektor Lyrics
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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
The song "Samson" by Regina Spektor tells the story of two lovers; Samson and his unnamed partner. It seems that the two of them are doomed from the start, as the first line of the song states "You are my sweetest downfall". Despite this, the singer is still in love with Samson, as she says "I loved you first, I loved you first". She goes on to reveal that there is something hidden beneath the "sheets of paper", which suggests a deeper truth that she must confront. Despite her love for Samson, she tells him that "I have to go, I have to go".
The song also references the biblical story of Samson, who had his strength in his long hair. However, in the song, Samson has already lost his hair and is eating a slice of Wonder Bread before going back to bed. The singer cuts his hair herself with a pair of dull scissors, and despite the fact that they couldn't bring the columns down, they share a tender moment before Samson goes back to bed. However, the ending of the song suggests that their love was forgotten by history, as the "history books forgot about us" and "the Bible didn't mention us, not even once".
Line by Line Meaning
You are my sweetest downfall
You are the one I loved the most, but you also caused my downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
I loved you before anyone else did
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
The truth about my feelings and emotions are hidden beneath the paperwork
I have to go, I have to go
I have to leave, even if I don't want to
Your hair was long when we first met
When I first met you, your hair was long and beautiful
Samson went back to bed
Samson returned to his bed
Not much hair left on his head
Samson had lost most of his hair
He ate a slice of Wonder Bread
He ate a plain and ordinary slice of bread
And went right back to bed
After eating, he immediately went back to bed
And the history books forgot about us
Our story was not significant enough to make it into the history books
And the Bible didn't mention us
Even the religious text didn't make any mention of us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
Our story was completely absent from the Bible
Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads
The stars were falling on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
The stars that we see are just the light from the past, not in the present
Samson came to my bed
Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Samson mentioned that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful
Samson complimented me and called me beautiful
And came into my bed
Samson got into bed with me
Oh, I cut his hair myself one night
I cut Samson's hair by myself one night
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light
I used a pair of blunt scissors in dim lighting
And he told me that I'd done alright
Samson praised me and said that I did a good job
And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light
We kissed passionately until the morning light
Samson went back to bed
Samson returned to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Samson's hair had been mostly cut off
Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
We were not able to bring down the pillars/columns
Yeah, we couldn't destroy a single one
We were not able to destroy even one column/pillar
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Regina Spektor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@killboy28
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 1]
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 history books forgot about us and the Bible didn't mention us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
[Chorus]
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met
[Verse 2]
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 morning light, the morning light
And he kissed me 'til the morning light
[Verse 3]
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 history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once
[Outro]
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
@jamescarry1415
This song is about two stories of love, told in parallel, to tell each other's tale.
On the one hand, we have Samson and Delilah. Delilah didn't cut his hair- she made her servant do it. This tale is from the perspective of the servant, who, in the song, is in love with Samson, though she's a 'nobody,' and forgotten.
"The history books forgot about us, and the Bible didn't mention us- not even once." Delilah's servant is not mentioned by name in the Bible, even though they were the instrument of his doom.
"Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth" In between the stories, in the airy spaces between the pages of the Bible, between the words, in the unspoken and unwritten elements of the story, is the servant who had to watch her love Samson become weak and powerless, feeling nothing but love- none of Delilah's malice.
The second tale, in parallel, is a modern story, of a person with aggressive cancer, told from the voice of the person that loves him.
"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." This is a person with cancer, likely undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The intense reaction to the therapy makes it hard to keep anything down- white bread may be all they can stomach. When their hair is going to fall out anyway, and it will itch and hurt their sensitive skin while they're sick from chemo, she has to cut his hair, which she's obviously attached to- his long hair that he had when they first met.
Each tale is an allegory for the other- each woman is unnamed and not famous. Each has to watch their love weaken. Each is powerless to time and fate ("Oh we couldn't bring the columns down, we couldn't destroy a single one"). Each has a doomed love, and yet that love endures still.
"You are my sweetest downfall- I loved you first."
@rva
Fall in love with this every time
@Thesongbirdsupreme
Omg, I knew you listened to these kind of songs
I'm a fan!! ^^
@CaitlinHyde123
I LOVE this song
@veldandi2443
I came here to listen to this song again.. then i saw Miss Rebecca Vocal Athlete .. 🤣
@dathaniel9403
Me too. I’ll binge on Regina Spektor for months, overplay the hell out of it and not listen for a year, then rediscover how much I love her music and repeat the process again.
@gteenditell659
@@veldandi2443 p0ppp0@0£00+0000@@pPpPpPpPp£ppa+0++p+0 Op 1+0@0
@bellaj.1804
I lost my person 4 years ago. I grieve every day. This song takes me back to his arms, that I hope to feel again one day. Our love may not be mentioned in the Bible, but story will always be written in my book.
@dianagomez5981
You made me cry so hard, I hope your heart and his can be together sometime.
@bonnieandboy
I lost mine 2 years ago. Our son was 4. I'm so sorry. I listen to this song to bring me to him as well. I have to believe we will see them again.
@anthonykueneman4980
I've had a lot of loss in my life. Not my SO thank God, but I just found out another army buddy took their own life yesterday after I spoke to him a couple weeks back thinking he was OK. I am sorry for your loss. Genuinely hope you get back to happiness.