A Pair of Dull Scissors in the Yellow Light

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 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
Ate a slice of wonderbread 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

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first


After listening, and singing, this sound countless times during 8th period study hall, I feel I've got a pretty good idea about the meaning behind it. If you don't know, Samson was a Bible character - he was a Nazarene, which meant that God gave him enormous strength, as long as he did not cut his hair. No one knew the secret to his strength, not even his wife Delilah. When the Philistines bribed Delilah to give away the secret of Samson's strength, she tried and eventually got it out of him, and finally cut his hair... thus, earning her legacy as one of the many great "Biblical whores".

I don't think Regina Spektor is singing about this very couple, however - "The Bible didn't mention us". No, this is about an ordinary, everyday couple, or really, any couple who has ever settled down. Samson used to have a great strength, and when he came to this fictional Delilah's bed, she cut it from him - but not intentionally, not to harm him, and not for selfish reason. To be in love, and to commit, is to sacrifice your strength. Our Samson knows this; he knows that his Delilah did not do this for ill reasons, but because it had to be done. He approves, he tells her that she's done "alright". The Wonderbread symbolizes commonality - white bread is an icon of suburbia, of everyday life. It doesn't seem like much, but it's what so many people end up living for - a wife, a few kids, a nice yard. Maybe our Samson and Delilah couldn't do extraordinary things anymore - say, travel the world, or buy fancy things, or "bring the columns down", and maybe they aren't famous, and won't be remembered for their sacrifices and their love - but they knew that would happen, and they did it just the same.