PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Birchwood goes Dutch: Weerzien

https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/weerzien-v15-master

Hi everyone,

My late mother always wrote poems. Mostly for herself. As a kid I listened breathlessly to those nice words I didn't understand. Just recently I found her poems book. I thought it would be nice if her words can come alive again. I picked one poem to be the lyrics for this song. Probably some of you won't understand a word of what I sing so I have tried to translate the words. In English they don't rhyme of course.

I can tell you this project wasn't easy. At first I had to sing in Dutch, which I had rarely done, secondly I had to alter a lot of sentences to make them rhyme and not sound outdated since the poem dates from 1963. And thirdly, I had to convince myself that the song sounded good enough to post it here for you. That was the biggest challenge.

So, it is now up to you to decide if you would like to listen to my first Dutch song!

Hans Berkhout/ Birchwood
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Technical information:

Key=Am , Tempo 82, Length (m:s)=3:48
Style is _QUASAR.STY (Quasar Minimale Moderne Pop Ball)

RealTracks: 2937:Bas, Fretless,
RealTracks: 2693:Piano, Acoustic,
RealTracks: 1765:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Fingerpicking
RealTracks: 1543:Synth Pad, PopBelieve
RealTracks: 3186:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Keltic Songwriter 16de Gel 80
RealDrums: NashvilleBrushesBalladPushEv16: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes
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The lyrics ( I couldn't align the English words properly, sorry):
Weerzien                                       Meeting again
(c) WBattem/HWBerkhout 1963 / 2020 (12-04)

Couplet                                                              Verse
Even kruisten onze wegen elkaar weer               For a brief moment our paths crossed again
Toen ik je riep, net als die 1e keer                when I called you, just like that first time
Je ogen, verwonderd, daarna heel blij              Your eyes, amazed, then so happy
Want ze herkenden mij                              because they recognized me

Couplet                                                              verse
We spraken en lachten en dronken rode wijn      We talked and laughed and drank red wine
Maar tussen ons bleek niets meer te zijn           But there turned out to be nothing between us
Wij waren niet dezelfden als jaren terug           We were not the same as years ago
De tijd had ons veranderd, gewoon iets te vlug     Time had changed us, just a little too soon

Refrein                                                              Chorus
Jaren vielen weg, we waren even samen              Years dropped away, we were together for a while
Op die plek waar wij toen vaak kwamen              at that place we often visited back then
Een beetje onwennig,          A bit uncomfortable, (because)
we wonen nu niet in de buurt                       we no longer live around,
ook had ons weerzien jaren geduurd                 also our meeting had taken years

Couplet                                                              Verse
We namen afscheid, een vage belofte, geen kus   We said farewell, a vague promise, no kiss
Zonder om te kijken stapte ik op de bus            Without looking back I got on the bus
Ik zag je staren, vanachter het raam               I saw you staring from behind the window
En even voelde ik een traan                        And for a moment I felt a tear (coming)

Refrein                                                             Chorus
Jaren vielen weg, we waren even samen              Years dropped away, we were together for a while
Op die plek waar wij toen vaak kwamen              at that place we often visited back then
Een beetje onwennig,                A bit uncomfortable,(because)
we wonen nu niet in de buurt                       we no longer live around,
ook had ons weerzien jaren geduurd                 also our meeting had taken years

Brug                                                                 Bridge

Refrein 2 (gelijk aan couplet 1)                             Chorus 2, (like verse1)
Even kruisten onze wegen elkaar weer               For a moment our paths crossed again
Toen ik je riep, net als die 1e keer               When I called you, just like that first time
Je ogen, verwonderd, daarna heel blij              Your eyes, amazed, then so happy
Want ze herkenden mij                              because they recognized me

Refrein                                                             Chorus
Even kruisten onze wegen elkaar weer               For a moment our paths crossed again
Toen ik je riep, net als die 1e keer               When I called you, just like that first time
Je ogen, verwonderd, nog één keer                  Your eyes, amazed, one last time                
Maar ze zagen mij niet meer                        But they saw me nomore

Very nice, Hans!

I enjoy listening to songs sung in languages other than English, it lets me concentrate more on the melody.

My wife has a Dutch background, both her parents are from Holland and they moved here after the war. She is not fluent, but she could pick out quite a few of the phrases you were singing.

Track sounds good too, nice arrangement; I like the way you are bringing in the piano.

Hans,

Well done. Really nice production.

The piano interlude was especially nice.

That is so nice that you could write a song with your mother.

fj

Hans,
Nice tribute! Pleasant arrangement and mix. Your vocals are very relaxed and natural on this. One of the "lightest" and easy flowing tunes I heard by you. Interesting to hear Dutch. Bass works very well on this. Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

That is wonderful work Hans! I bet your mother would be very proud! Excellent job in every aspect of the song! Your vocals are so distinctive and powerful! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Dave, thanks for your nice comment. Does your wife knows these Dutch words after so long? My sister lives in Australia for a lot of years. She had some difficulty with the meaning of some words. When that happens, you have to come back to the Netherlands right away for holidays. Well... after the corona-danger of course. But you can ask your wife to sing along with the song? Remember; practise, practise and practise. Maybe you can make a blues on it by then ;-)

And yes, I liked managing to let the piano play like this. in the Daw I added more sound of the Grand Piano on it. I also made two tracks of the piano. All to make it sound fuller in a natural way. Your comment gave me the feeling I succeeded in that effort.

Thanks,
Hans

She got maybe 5% or so. Interestingly one of the phrases she got was "laughed and drank red wine"

We have been to Amsterdam twice, last time was a couple of years ago. One of my favorite places actually.

Hans, your mother was clearly a very talented poet.

This is great that you have been able to codify this musically.

Very well done.

Hans,
The inspiration is wonderful; I have a secret hope that my words or songs might be discovered and appreciated enough to live again in the voice of one of my children!
The melody and your vocal is strong ( nice doubled vocal too) and I enjoyed letting an unfamiliar language surprise me.
A worthy and memorable song.

Robert

Love me some sweet piano-pop singer-songwriter, no matter the language. Beautiful singing and harmonies and the band sounds great. Yes, I think the poem is timeless as long as there are busses and red wine. Time does tend to change things, no less so gradually than under sudden observation. I think you captured the melancholy without going over the top. I love this almost as much as your mother would.

Hi Dave,

The line your wife can recall is of course the most important line in the whole song, as it is in my life ;-)
Yours too, I suppose...

Bye,
Hans

Hello Floyd, thanks for your kind words. I was wondering how many of the forum would like to listen to songs in other languages. And Dutch isn't easy to sing in for me. I always feel I sing like some kind of preacher. Therefore I chose to sing in English. there i can't hear me doing that ;-).
I like it when a piano can give such a dramatic feeling in a sensitive song. Thank you for noticing this. And the idea of transforming a poem from my mother into a song happened by accident. I was clearing some stuff and came across a box with some of her belongings. Inside was that book with the poems. But I think she would be very pleased with the result (maybe she would have complained the song is a little too loud).




Hi Misha, nice you have a new picture. Now I know who sung a song of mine! You look likefriend of my son. That's a compliment, by the way. And thank you for your compliments on this song. Because I thought the song would be a little too 'sweet' I searched for some contrasting instruments. One was that piano, the second was the fretless bass. I'm glad you like it. No problems with the harmonies since they weren't so tight?



Hello Torrey, thanks for replying on the song with those nice words. Read what I wrote to Floyd about how my mother would have felt. But maybe she would have said "listen, that is my boy singing"! Then I would be proud...

But I am very relieved no one said something bad about my singing in Dutch. Maybe I will do it some more.
Thanks for listening,
Hans

Fretless bass can be amazing or annoying but in this arrangement, and played sensitively, it work really well.
I didn't bother with the translation - I allowed myself to enjoy the sound of the words rather than the meanings & narrative.
You sounds relaxed and very INTO the song...the wonders of working within one's native skill set.
Lovely song...thanks.

Very nicely done - and a wonderful ode for your mother. I thought you did a fantastic job here. You can tell it's from the heart, and it flows perfectly. Your vocals carry a certain sincerity, and the melodies are sweet.

Thanks for sharing

Hey Hans,

I think you should do more of these in Dutch, it worked well for me. As long as you provide a translation. It's the same with foreign movies, people almost always prefer subtitles to overdub. They like hearing the emotion in the original language. Of course, your command of English is excellent and I've never felt it hampered your material. Good work, I'm sure Mom appreciates it.

This is so, so beautiful! The music and your rendition of it is wistful and haunting in a "remembering" kind of way ... exactly, in my humble view, as it should be. It does justice to the poem, which is just genuinely spellbinding. Your mother (again, in my very humble view) has somehow managed to paint, in words, perfectly the feelings, excitement and ultimate disappointment of such an chance encounter. It is beautiful and memorable. Congratulations on such a well and beautifully created work to both of you - it is not one that I shall forget in a hurry. Thank you.

P.S. the grand piano works so well ... adds just the right touch and tinge of atmosphere, I feel. Well done.

I love the sound of the Dutch language, although I'll never understand a word of it, This is so beautiful, Hans. First of all, taking your mom's words and bringing them to life is such a wonderful tribute. Great choice of instruments for this presentation. So well done on so many levels.

Hans,

Guitars are magnetic right off, turns up a notch when the bass and percussion kick in. Vocal is deep and rich—perhaps a tad too much up front? Maybe. See what others think. Love the piano interlude--terrific change up. And the harmonies were impressive as well. Nice write by, Mom.

All in all a killer track. And I agree, I hope another collaboration with Mom is in the offing.

Kind regards,

Deej

Hey Dave,

Your wife remembered the most important sentence of the whole song!
And the girl in the song could also only recall that sentence. So red wine it will be!

Hans

I think it's pretty amazing to think you were able to collaborate with you Mother this way. What an amazing thing to do as a son! And what a great tribute to a mother.

I really liked it and applaud you on your undertaking. You did it so well! I agree with Dave that it's actually nice to hear a song in a language you don't know as it allows you to concentrate on the melody (great by the way) and those great harmonies you did! To say I like would be an understatement.

Also, the instrumentation was excellent. The bass was perfect for this song! As has been mentioned, the piano was wonderful as well.

Great job all the way around!

On a different note, my Grandparents were from the Netherlands; so I recognize some of the words, but would REALLY struggle with their meanings. The village I live in is a has many people of Dutch decent. We even have a windmill and celebrate "Kermis" every year. Half the people here have last names that start with "Van." I appreciate the culture.

Hello VideoTrack, I wish I could say I give her your compliments, but she surely would have appreciated your kind words. And I can speak on behalf of her as her son, so thanks for that and for your compliment for myself according to the song.



Hi Robert,
It was really a challenge singing in Dutch. Stefan Nachtsheim said the same about him singing in German. Too difficult. But reading your nice words, I think I succeeded.
That secret wish you mentioned I had as well, but my sons are not musical, so my wish is idle, I fear. But thanks for your compliments on the techical aspects of the song. Thanks to you I will make more Dutch songs ;-)




That is really nice of you, Tangmo! I think from her cloud she enjoys what I did and what you wrote about the result! And funny you also mentioned the red wine. That was not in the original poem. I did this, because I know how important the wine is...
It also prevented me going over the top with the song. But seriously, I thoght the song was a bit too soft, so I had to put in some power. Luckily I chose for the piano and not for shouting. Thanks again!

Have a nice day,
Hans

Very cool to write a song from your mothers poem. That song will live in your heart forever. Excellent vocal and backtrack. I can only how difficult it was to translate the song in two languages. Both sounded excellent. The piano was a nice touch. Well done Hans

Hi Hans,

Beautifully atmospheric.

It didn't seem to matter that it was sung in what is (for me) a foreign language - the
arrangement and the way it was performed were enough in themselves.

Loved the whole thing, but especially the break-down in the bridge - the piano was perfect.

ROG.

What a wonderful experience and tribute to your late mother.

Standouts for us were the lyric, vocal, fretless bass and piano.

Listening in Dutch was interesting and it really does allow you
to focus on the melody. But we also read the nice lyric.

Well done!

J&B

This is really good!!! And I, too, like that you sang this in Dutch.

Touching poem your mother wrote. The second verse really spoke to me.

Instrumentation suits the lyrics and melody perfectly. Very good vocal performance.

I can think of no better way for a son to honor his mother. Well done!

When I listen to a song sung in a language that I don't know I listen as it is an instrumental. With that in mind this is one outstanding song.

This flows extremely well, excellent choice of backing tracks. Excellent vocal also.

Hi Ray, Thanks for your nice words! and yes, I too have a 'double' feeling using a frettless bass. They can dominate in a 'wrong' direction. But here they didn't. About my relaxed singing; I wasn't actually. Singing in my own language always gaves me the creeps. But I must admit, after hearing so many compliments (also in my city), I can do it more often. Let's see if you are still talking the same as now ;-)



Hello Derryk, very nice of you to wrote it like this! It is a pity I don't believe in the hereafter, otherwise I'm sure my mother would have whispered something like this in my ears. But it was nice doing this project. It got me over my fear singing in Dutch as well!



Hey TuneMonger, I just wrote to Ray and Derryk I probably will do that. And I'll provide a translation as long as the lyrics are decent enough, okay? Thanks also for your nice words about my English.

Hello Musician, I'm really touched by your beautiful words. Thanks! My mother would be too, I'm sure. And you are right about that piano, but you have to render it a lot of times to get it like this. That's what I like in BiaB. Somewhere hidden in their realtracks you find beautiful pieces of music.



Hello Marty, I'm pleased to read how you deal with the Dutch language! I always have heard people think it is 'underwater spoken German', or because of this unspeakable 'g, ch or k' you have a severely hoarse throat for weeks. But you liked it! Thanks

Thanks all,
Hans

Hi Deej, finally a response from me... sorry for the delay. I was also busy with another song (in English). But thanks for your kind, and expert words. These words, and from all the others, are very helpfull for my decission if and when I make another Dutch song with a poem fron my mother. I haven't heard from others my vocals were too loud, but still I think you are right with that. Maybe I adjust the volume a bit.



Hello C. Aaron, that are very kind words you wrote to me. I appreciate this very much! Sorry as well for the delay in answering your post. Yes, it was nice doing this with a poem from my mother. I had to make some adjustments because none of her poems rhyme. but that was also a very interesting experience for me. and I paid more attention to her words than ever before ;-)

What nice your Grandparents were from the Netherlands and also that you learned to listen to those strange words and sometimes understand them! I hope 'we dronden rode wijn' is also the sentence you now know, just like Dave learned from his wife. If you can speak them out loud without hesitation I buy you one!

Thanks again,
Hans

Hi Scott, thanks for your kind words. I used Google translate a lot of times for the translations. But there is a danger in doing that. In many cases the translations were 'strange'. But still I learn how to handle that more and more.



Hi ROG, that was a nice way of saying. I heard it some more times that if you can't understand the language you listen more intensely to the song as a whole. I regognize that too. Not with English, but Italian or Russian, like that. And you are right, you listen more to the melody. Beside that, I also liked that piano in the break. I tried to make it louder and heavier, but discovcered that was not a right thing to do...



Hey Janice and Bud, thanks very much for listening to a Dutch song! I sometimes wished my mother could see/read your comments on this song. I think her smile would be as broad as..., as can be!
I found out it wasn't so easy to translate a poem. Google doesn't like poetic words and turn them into 'cold' businesslike sentences.
On the other hand, what my mother wrote was what I experienced a few years back. And I believe a lot of us did. But that makes it recognizable.




Hi Ezekiel, it's very nice how you expressed yourself here. I liked it very much! It helps telling me I can sing in Dutch and you listen better when I do so! As I already wrote above, I would like to hear my mom tells me she liked the song

A nice day,
Hans

Hi Mario, Thanks for your nice words. I can say i do the same, except of course when it is English.
I'm glad you liked it. I am working on another dutch song now. Nearly finished. I hestitate posting it, it is so busy on the forum.

Nice day,
Hans