After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
The Devil Come To Bethlehem
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kissin' in the park, kissin' in the park, kissin' in the park
He practices dentistry without a license
But it's alright 'cause Mary read the books and she's got his back
They're saving up for a trip to Frah-ah-ance
Gonna leave the baby with one of the in-laws
Just long enough to see the Eiffel Tower and back
Wear red scarf and booze on the airplane
The Devil come to Bethlehem
With a Bible and an alarm clock
The Devil come to Bethlehem
And he ain't afraid of the dark
Joseph and Mary are so sad
Sittin' in a park in Paris, France, reading the news, and it sure looks bad
A pile of empty postcards on their lah-ah-ap
Nothing bright to write and nothing good to send
The Devil come to Bethlehem
With a Bible and an alarm clock
The Devil come to Bethlehem
And he ain't afraid of the dark...
... ness is less frightening than
The lightness is less frightening than
The dark
Joseph and Mary are so dead
Honest, it's been years, it's been years, it's been many, many years
All their descendants are long buried and gone
And their closest blood relative works in a Philadelphia Sears
Walking on water in his own bathtub
Turning that water to wine
The Devil come to Bethlehem
With a Bible and an alarm clock
The Devil come to Bethlehem
And he ain't afraid of the dark...
... ness is less frightening than
The lightness is less frightening than
The darkness is less frightening than
The lightness is less frightening than
The dark
Regina Spektor's song "The Devil Come to Bethlehem" tells a rather unconventional story of Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus Christ. The song begins by describing Joseph and Mary as "so bad" for kissing in the park and for practicing dentistry without a license. However, Mary is portrayed as the one who reads books and supports Joseph. They save up for a trip to France and plan to leave their baby with one of the in-laws while they go see the Eiffel Tower. The song then goes on to introduce the devil, who comes to Bethlehem with a bible and an alarm clock. The devil is not afraid of the dark, which perhaps represents the world's sins and weaknesses.
As the story continues, Joseph and Mary are sitting in a park in Paris, France and reading bad news. They have nothing bright to write in their postcards and nothing good to send. The song then repeats the chorus, emphasizing that the devil is not afraid of the darkness. The song concludes by stating that Joseph and Mary are dead and that their descendants are buried and gone. The closest blood relative works at Sears and walks on water in his own bathtub while turning water into wine. The lyrics about the relative walking on water and turning water into wine could be interpreted as a sarcastic or humorous take on the miracles associated with Jesus.
Overall, the song could be interpreted as a commentary on religion, particularly on the story of Joseph and Mary. The song questions what we think we know about these religious figures and presents them in a different light. The devil's presence is also significant as it adds a layer of complexity to the story and suggests that there is more to the world than what we might think we know.
Line by Line Meaning
Joseph and Mary are so bad
Joseph and Mary are misbehaving
Kissin' in the park, kissin' in the park, kissin' in the park
Joseph and Mary are displaying their affections for each other by kissing in the park
He practices dentistry without a license
Joseph is performing dental work without proper certification
But it's alright 'cause Mary read the books and she's got his back
Mary has prepared for this by researching dental practices and is supporting Joseph in his actions
They're saving up for a trip to Frah-ah-ance
Joseph and Mary are putting money aside for a trip to France
Gonna leave the baby with one of the in-laws
While they're away, they plan to leave their baby with one of their relatives
Just long enough to see the Eiffel Tower and back
Their trip will be brief, just enough time to see the Eiffel Tower and return home
Wear red scarf and booze on the airplane
Joseph and Mary plan to drink alcohol and wear a red scarf while traveling by airplane
The Devil come to Bethlehem
The Devil comes to Bethlehem
With a Bible and an alarm clock
The Devil arrives with a Bible and an alarm clock
And he ain't afraid of the dark
The Devil is not afraid of darkness
Joseph and Mary are so sad
Joseph and Mary are feeling very unhappy
Sittin' in a park in Paris, France, reading the news, and it sure looks bad
Joseph and Mary are sitting in a park in Paris, reading the news and it's not bringing them any joy
A pile of empty postcards on their lah-ah-ap
They have many unused postcards on their lap
Nothing bright to write and nothing good to send
They have nothing positive to write or send
Joseph and Mary are so dead
Joseph and Mary have been deceased for a long time
Honest, it's been years, it's been years, it's been many, many years
It has been many years since their death
All their descendants are long buried and gone
All of their family members have also passed away
And their closest blood relative works in a Philadelphia Sears
Their only living blood relative works in a Sears store in Philadelphia
Walking on water in his own bathtub
Their blood relative is performing a seemingly miraculous act of walking on water in his own bathtub
Turning that water to wine
Their blood relative is performing another seemingly miraculous act of turning water into wine
The dark..
.. ness is less frightening than
The lightness is less frightening than
The darkness is less frightening than
The lightness is less frightening than
The dark
This is a repetition of the idea that darkness and lightness can both be frightening in different ways.
Contributed by Reagan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
elebunny45
Regina's live recordings are so nice to listen to before bed.
LA
I do this!!!... been doing it for 10 years (not every night though, that would be too much lol)
Wooly Cooly
im doing it rn
SeaBass
Would love if she recorded this song for an album 🎹🎻/😈📖⏰
goofysmartypants
I know, i don't what it is about her music sometimes...just makes me tear up but also feel so good and..human. :)
Luke Weigel
Reminds me a lot of Samson. The failure of some divine mission due to pursuing love or something else human. Regina abstains from any sort of judgment in either. Love it.
Adina Ora
This song is so amazing. This should have been on what we saw from the cheap seats :) but until its on an album it will belong to me and the fans :)
Kenneth Cortes
i've grown up delving into all of the rarities and treasures on this channel thank you so much for posting this collection you're doing god's work it makes me happy to see people still commenting on these videos in 2020
TheSpektography
I've grown into the person I am today through Regina's work, thank you for your comment 😊
jane docile
Regina, you beautiful soul