Tom Jones Song Banned Over Lyrics About Domestic Violence, Singer Responds

Tom Jones is probably not a name you’d think would be synonymous with controversial song lyrics, but here we are. According to NME, the 83-year-old singer’s song “Delilah” has been banned from Welsh rugby matches over lyrics about domestic violence. The legendary entertainer — who is originally from Treforest, Wales — has since responded to the ban, and he made it clear that he has no plans to stop performing the song himself.

“You can’t stop us singing ‘Delilah,’” Jones said during a July concert at Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales. “Can you imagine? Who was the man who didn’t want us to sing ‘Delilah?’” He added, “They may stop the choir from singing it, but they haven’t stopped the crowd… Keep on singing it – and I’ll keep on singing it too.” While Jones is the voice of the song, “Delilah” was actually written by Barry Mason and Les Reed, back in the late ’60s.

“The song tells the story of a man who passes his girlfriend’s window and sees her inside making love to another man,” per Wikipedia. “He waits outside all night, and then confronts her in the morning, only to have her laugh in his face. He stabs her to death, and then waits for the police to come break down the door and arrest him.”

In their explanation of why the song would not be played at matches, the Welch Rugby Union stated, “The WRU removed the song from its half-time entertainment and music playlist during international matches in 2015. Guest choirs have also more recently been requested not to feature the song during their pre-match performances and throughout games.” They added, “The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”

Notably, this is not Jones’ first time defending the song. “I love to hear it sung at rugby games. It makes me very proud to be Welsh,” he said back in 2014, when there were calls to ban the tune. “I think if they’re looking into the lyric about a man killing a woman, it’s not a political statement. It’s just something that happens in life that [a] woman was unfaithful to him and he just loses it.”