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Sir Tom Jones has bemoaned the cancellation of Delilah at a gig.
The Welsh hitmaker made no apologies as he belted out the 1968 classic at Cardiff Castle on Wednesday night.
The song, which centres on a jealous lover stabbing his unfaithful partner, was cancelled by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over claims it advocates domestic violence.
The crowd appeared to boo in support of Sir Tom as he hit out at the hostility to the song, saying its lyrics should not be taken “literally”.
He said: “Who’s that man who said we shouldn’t sing that song any more? That used to make my day that, on an international match.
“I used to wait for it and then they said we can’t sing it any more. Who is this man who said we can’t sing Delilah? They said it’s about a man killing his wife with a knife. Well, it is, but you shouldn’t take it literally.”
The song includes the lines: “She stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.”
Sir Tom Jones performed at Cardiff Castle on Wednesday night – Jonathan Myers/Mirrorpix
The song, written by Barry Mason and adopted by Welsh rugby fans as their anthem, was scrapped from the Principality Stadium’s half-time playlists in 2015.
In 2023, the WRU stopped a choir singing the ballad at Welsh international fixtures.
A spokesman said at the time: “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.”
The record cover of Delilah, which was released in 1968
There were previous calls to ban Delilah in 2014 and 2016, with former Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Iwan saying the karaoke classic should be outlawed because it depicts the brutal revenge killing of a woman.
As well as its association with Welsh rugby, fans of football club Stoke City have sung Sir Tom’s classic since the Eighties.
Sir Tom reached number one in several countries with the song, including Germany and Switzerland. The single reached number two in the British charts in March 1968.
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