Can We Kill Delilah Tonight?

Say what?!


Well that is what one of my dear resident friends at Manor Care Cherry Hill would ask every time I would go in and perform there. 


Her name was Sarabelle and I just found out she died peacefully in her sleep a few days ago. I was sad but glad she went that way. And then I smiled because every time I sing a particular song or go into Manor Care, I will think of her.

The song is Delilah, the Tom Jones version not the other one from the Plain White T’s. Watch it here.  As with a lot of songs we often like them because they have a good beat and a catchy chorus and Delilah qualifies. “Why Why Delilah.” You’ll see. Go watch and listen.


See a lot of times we like the song but we have no clue what the lyrics are saying and the story they are painting. In this case Delilah is the cheating girlfriend of our singer. And bottom line when her lover leaves her house Tom shows up and kills her.


Well I painstakingly make this a part of my act, explaining what is taking place in the song. I make the point that we often have no idea what is happening in a song. And then I embellish because during the song there is an instrumental part and it comes back to the lyrics where he is killing Delilah again. So I tell residents we just didn’t kill her right the first time and she rose from the dead during the instrumental part! And we have to kill her again.


Well they all get in a fit of laughing. And once they realize that some cheating woman is getting murdered, well that changes everything. You must now sing Delilah every time you come here or else!


Well thank you for that Sarabelle. I trust Delilah might be floating around somewhere up there with you. Ask her how she’s doing. And thanks for making me smile.

I am sure your friends will demand that we kill Delilah when I show up in Cherry Hill in October. I will be glad to oblige. And I will be thinking of you.