The final preparations for our next Rapalje livestream!

One more Still into Folk show, Streamtour Live, a full online theater show for you, this Rapalje livestream will feature our lovely dancers and will have all the wonderful ingredients of our Still into Folk shows.

So one last time Still into Folk, save the date! Sunday 29 november at 16:00. Will we see you there?

To watch our streams tickets are not needed, but we really appreciate your support, virtual tickets are available.

Live on Facebook, YouTube and our website

 

Rapalje Sinterklaas gifts!

Rapalje Sinterklaas gifts

Did you know that Sinterklaas really loves to get children and adults Rapalje gifts? He makes sure he gets them in time, so he can surprise every Rapalje fan in the Netherlands (and sometimes even abroad) with the best Rapalje presents in their shoe or on December 5th. Have you been good this year? What Rapalje item is on your wishlist?

Even the smallest gifts like buttons, stickers, playing cards or one of the beautiful Rapalje Fyndlingh coin necklaces could really brighten up someones day in these strange times. Sinterklaas of course knows this and we are hoping he will have lots of Rapalje goodies to deliver and this way spread a little joy everywhere. This not only helps us as a band survive during these gig-free months, but truly makes us happy as well. We hope you all enjoy the Rapalje gifts Sinterklaas will send you!

Music between the Hunebedden

 

Seeing them makes you think you walked in the movie Braveheart, hearing them and you can imagine yourself walking in the Highlands. The four men of Rapalje, for a quarter of a century they have been playing their music, Celtic Folk with a twist. On the future of the Rapalje they are very clear. “Another 25 years”

We recorded this video with RTV Drenthe in between the Hunebedden (Dolmen) for the show Djammen by Robbert Oosting.

Hunebed D15 is located north of the village of Loon in the Dutch province of Drenthe. The medium-sized hunebed D15 is located on the Looner es between Loon and Taarlo.

Check out the complete RTV Drenthe interview with Rapalje

Wat zullen we drinken – Zomerfolk

We play “Wat zullen we drinken” here at our own Rapalje Zomerfolk Festival. It is one of our most famous songs and has been listened to many millions of times. We cannot remember how many times we have performed it ourselves, but it remains a very nice song. There is no band that performs it like this.

Background information “Wat zullen we Drinken”

A national anthem originally from Brittany, created in the late 1920s and written in 1929. Called “Son ar chistr”, the song of the cider. It was popularized by farmers when it was sung at the end of harvest time to make fun of themselves. The lyrics in Breton are about a man who has a hard time when his wife beats and curses him all the time. But, as the lyrics said, “Cider is made to drink, and girls to love!” Ar chistr ‘so graet’ vit bout evet, hag ar merc’hed ‘vit bout karet!

Wat zullen we drinken has already been translated into many languages ​​and in the Netherlands the version of Rapalje, Wat zullen we drinken, became very popular. Rapalje has stripped the song of its political significance in his own Celtic way and added three verses of their own hand, eating, singing and making love. Bots has also released a version of the original called “Zeven dagen lang” and there are already many artists who have released the old national anthem.

Lyrics Wat zullen we Drinken

Wat zullen we drinken, zeven dagen lang
Wat zullen we drinken, wat een dorst
Wat zullen we drinken, zeven dagen lang
Wat zullen we drinken, wat een dorst

Er is genoeg voor iedereen, dus drinken we samen
Sla het vat maar aan, dus drinken we samen, niet alleen
Er is genoeg voor iedereen, dus drinken we samen
Sla het vat maar aan, dus drinken we samen, niet alleen

Eerst zullen wij werken, zeven dagen lang
Eerst zullen wij werken, voor elkaar
Eerst zullen wij werken, zeven dagen lang
Eerst zullen wij werken, voor elkaar

Dan is er werk voor iedereen, dus werken we samen
Zeven dagen lang, werken we samen, nee, niet alleen
Dan is er werk voor iedereen, dus werken we samen
Zeven dagen lang, werken we samen, nee, niet alleen

Eerst zullen wij vechten, maar niemand weet hoe lang
Eerst zullen wij vechten, voor ons belang
Eerst zullen wij vechten, maar niemand weet hoe lang
Eerst zullen wij vechten, voor ons belang

Voor het geluk van iedereen, dus vechten we samen
Samen staan we sterk, vechten we samen, niet alleen
Voor het geluk van iedereen, dus vechten we samen
Samen staan we sterk, vechten we samen, niet alleen

Eerst zullen wij eten, zeven gangen lang
Eerst zullen wij eten, dus schuif maar aan
Eerst zullen wij eten, zeven gangen lang
Eerst zullen wij eten, dus schuif maar aan

Voor het genot van iedereen, dus eten we samen
Snij het zwijn maar aan, eten we samen, schuif maar aan
Voor het genot van iedereen, dus eten we samen
Snij het zwijn maar aan, eten we samen, schuif maar aan

Eerst zullen wij zingen, zeven verzen lang
Eerst zullen wij zingen, met elkaar
Eerst zullen wij zingen, zeven verzen lang
Eerst zullen wij zingen, met elkaar

Dit is een lied voor iedereen, dus zingen we samen
Zeven verzen lang, en zingen wij samen, ik niet alleen
Dit is een lied voor iedereen, dus zingen we samen
Zeven verzen lang, en zingen wij samen, ik niet alleen

Eerst wil ik vrijen, zeven nachten lang
Eerst wil ik vrijen met mijn lief
Eerst wil hij vrijen, zeven nachten lang
Eerst wil hij vrijen met zijn lief

Maar ik vrij niet met iedereen, dus vrij ik samen
Zeven nachten lang, vrij ik samen met mijn lief alleen
En ik vrij niet met iedereen, dus vrij ik samen
Zeven nachten lang, vrij ik samen en met mijn lief!

La la lala lay la, la la la la lay, la la lala lay la, la la lay
La la lala lay la, la la la la lay, la la lala lay la, la la lay
La la la lay, la lala lay, la lalala lay la, la la la la lay, la lalala lay la, la la lay
La la la lay, la lala lay, la lalala lay la, la la la la lay, la lalala lay la, la la lay

Eerst zullen wij drinken, dit lied duurt ons te lang
Eerst zullen wij drinken oh, wat een dorst!

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Home is Where My Friends are – EM2 With Fan Applause

Home Is Where My Friends Are

William brought  this song to the Rapalje repertoire. He heard a song during a nice evening in his favorite Pub, part of the lyrics just stuck in his head and even his dreams, eventually Home is Where my Friends Are came out of this. We found the original song played in Williams pub, this was “Back to Donegal” by Rory McLoad, so this was the inspiration for Home is Where my Friends Are

The tune we play in this song is called Pride of Petravore, other songs have also been written for this.

Pride of Petravore

As far as we know, William Houston Collisson (1865-1920) is the writer of Pride of Petravore and is a traditional hornpipe tune. Percy French (1854-1920) wrote the lyrics to the song, which means it is now also called Eileen Og. The two were friends, stage partners, and college composers. In our CD “Into Folk” we have written the musical notes.


sheet music Pride of Petravore

Lyrics of “Home is where my friends are”

I’d like to introduce you to the band that’s playing
All the way where we came from, you don’t want to know
Going down to Tager, play for pints of lager
I’m just following the road, I go to Donegal

Home is where my friends are
You are all part of me
I leave you with this song
Are you comming, are you going, are you trying to stop me

Play six and reels and jigs at one time, I just think I’m going fine
I don’t care what’s going on and I could be alone
Coming through St. Prady’s and all the pretty ladies
But none of them is as beautiful as down in Donegal

I love ladies, I can’t get enough I dance with them ’till my legs fall of
Pretty ladies I see them and side by side we go
I’m drinking ’till I’m pissed of, going ’till I have to mud down
In the bars of Rotterdam I dream of Donegal

I love you true Alida but I think I’m gonna leave you
I don’t want to sit at your place watching years go by
Sitting with your fatty on your ugly satty
I’m dreaming away the plans I’ve got when I return in Donegal

The barman rings the bell, in announcement to everybody:
“Have you got no homes to go to”
And I sing: “I ain’t got no home in this world anymore
I’m just passing through”

(You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here)

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