I see the album as one big story line,each song continuing right where the previous left off. By the end of 'Queen of Peace',Florence has most likely ended the relationship with the man she talks about in that song. The last two stanzas give the imagery of the sun setting. 'Various Storms and Saints' talks about the mixed feelings about leaving him and has a darker,more mellow sound that makes me think the time-span of that song was the 'night' after that sunset. 'Delilah' starts off with Florence "drifting through halls" in the sunrise. Now,on to the meaning.
The sunrise is obviously freedom,probably from the relationship/feelings she just got over. She's "climbing up the walls" towards it,so she desperately wants this too. However,she's "blinded" by this freedom,and she's so desperate to break herself away from the man she knew and explore the power she has as a woman that she's going around with many men and ruining them,thinking their prose and love is a facade ("Now it's one more boy and it's one more lie).
Delilah was a temptress in the Hebrew Bible,as she heavily betrayed a man named Samson,and this is who Florence is mimicking. The danger of luring men to betrayal is a different kind of danger than falling in love with them,and it's something she's seemingly proud of. The use of imagery of bells ringing and her dancing and calling for her mother (an are-you-proud-of-me? call) show the fun danger of it all,and "pulling the pillars down" refers to toppling the strength of a man,much like in the biblical narrative referenced. "Never knew I was a dancer 'til Delilah showed me how," is such a good line!
It took anything for her to cut the memories of 'that' man out of her life,but despite all the dancing and daylight,she still misses him and even "holds on" for his call. Those lines in parentheses are minuscule voices of her heart that show that she's really not over him either. "Too fast for freedom," she tried moving on too quickly; "Sometimes it all falls down," her high is over and she's crashed; "These chains never leave me,I keep dragging them around," she realizes that she still has feelings tied to this man. The "strung up,strung out" stanza also serves as a moment back to reality,where she knows she's still in emotional pain,and "why can't he let her know" how he feels,what they are now,etc.
I see the album as one big story line,each song continuing right where the previous left off. By the end of 'Queen of Peace',Florence has most likely ended the relationship with the man she talks about in that song. The last two stanzas give the imagery of the sun setting. 'Various Storms and Saints' talks about the mixed feelings about leaving him and has a darker,more mellow sound that makes me think the time-span of that song was the 'night' after that sunset. 'Delilah' starts off with Florence "drifting through halls" in the sunrise. Now,on to the meaning.
The sunrise is obviously freedom,probably from the relationship/feelings she just got over. She's "climbing up the walls" towards it,so she desperately wants this too. However,she's "blinded" by this freedom,and she's so desperate to break herself away from the man she knew and explore the power she has as a woman that she's going around with many men and ruining them,thinking their prose and love is a facade ("Now it's one more boy and it's one more lie).
Delilah was a temptress in the Hebrew Bible,as she heavily betrayed a man named Samson,and this is who Florence is mimicking. The danger of luring men to betrayal is a different kind of danger than falling in love with them,and it's something she's seemingly proud of. The use of imagery of bells ringing and her dancing and calling for her mother (an are-you-proud-of-me? call) show the fun danger of it all,and "pulling the pillars down" refers to toppling the strength of a man,much like in the biblical narrative referenced. "Never knew I was a dancer 'til Delilah showed me how," is such a good line!
It took anything for her to cut the memories of 'that' man out of her life,but despite all the dancing and daylight,she still misses him and even "holds on" for his call. Those lines in parentheses are minuscule voices of her heart that show that she's really not over him either. "Too fast for freedom," she tried moving on too quickly; "Sometimes it all falls down," her high is over and she's crashed; "These chains never leave me,I keep dragging them around," she realizes that she still has feelings tied to this man. The "strung up,strung out" stanza also serves as a moment back to reality,where she knows she's still in emotional pain,and "why can't he let her know" how he feels,what they are now,etc.
A really great song.
@Toonlink13 I really like your reading of the song.
@Toonlink13 I really like your reading of the song.