De Stad Amsterdam – Christmas Stream Live

De Stad Amsterdam – Christmas Stream Live

De stad Amsterdam, this is the absolute number 1 of Dieb, his favorite song. In our version it starts slowly and goes faster and faster. The song is about sailors, but it could be musicians…

Anecdote: We have played it once or twice “only live” as de Stad Rotterdam, for fans from Rotterdam. And of course in the north of the Netherlands we spoke about Stad Appingedam in our own “Gronings” “de stad Ap’ge’ Dam ”and we are not talking about onions but“ Siepels ”and hanging kitchens, but normally we play the original version of De Stad Amsterdam.

Hangende keukens van Appingedam
Hangende keukens van Appingedam

Background info

Amsterdam, also known as Dans le port d’Amsterdam is a song by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, the song takes the form of a crescendo and describes the experiences of sailors during their leave in the red light district in Amsterdam. The melody is taken from the English anthem Greensleeves. Brel never released this song on a studio record. Despite this, Amsterdam became one of Brel’s most popular songs.

De Stad Amsterdam Lyrics

1.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden lallen
Tot hun nachtmerries schallen over oud Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden, dronken
Als een wimpel zo lam, in de dokken gaan ronken
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeeman verzuipt
Vol van bier en van gram, als de morgen ontluikt
In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeeman ontwaakt
Als de warmte weer blaakt over Damrak en Dam

2.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden bikken
Zilv’ren haringen slikken, bij de staart uit de hand
Van de hand in de tand, smijten zij met hun knaken
En ze zullen hem raken als een kat in het want
En ze stinken naar aal, in hun grof blauwe truien
En ze stinken naar uien, daarmee doen zij hun maal
Na hun maal staan zij op om hun broek dicht te knopen
En dan gaan ze weer lopen en het boert in hun krop

3.

In de stad Amsterdam, waar de zeelieden zwieren
En de meiden versieren, buik aan buik, lekker klam
En ze draaien hun wals als een wentelende zon
Op de klank, dun en vals, van een accordeon
En zo rood als een kreeft happen zij naar wat lucht
Tot opeens met een zucht de muziek het begeeft
Met een air van gewicht voeren zij met wat spijt
Dan hun Mokumse meid weer terug in het licht

4.

In de stad Amsterdam waar de zeelieden zuipen
En maar zuipen en maar zuipen en daarop nog eens zuipen
Zuipen op het geluk van een hoer van de Wallen
Op een Hamburgse hoer, nou ja, van een goed stuk
Van een slet die zichzelf in haar deugd heeft geschonken
Voor een gulden of elf en dan zijn ze goed dronken
Met hun wankelende lijven lozen zij dan hun drank
En ze pissen zoals ik jank om de ontrouw der wijven

In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam
In de stad Amsterdam

De Stad Amsterdam - Rakkish Paddies
Rakkish Paddies album cover

 

Rakkish Paddies  is available on CD

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Video: Scotland’s Story at Castlefest

Two thousand years ago the Celts were driven off of mainland Europe.

All Celts? No, one band bravely resisted the influx of modern pop and rock and found their own place in the world of music.

Armed with nothing but their voices and instruments, Rapalje is raiding clubs and halls far and wide, looking for victims to carry away on a musical journey through Scottish Highlands, Irish valleys, taverns and inns.

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s dance…

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Video: Caledonia at Castlefest – Celtic Folk Music from Scotland

Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Romans to the land in today’s Scotland,

north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire. The etymology of the name is probably from a P-Celtic source. Its modern usage is as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole, comparable with Hibernia for Ireland and Cambria for Wales.

The exact location of what the Romans called Caledonia in the early stages of Britannia is uncertain, and the boundaries are unlikely to have been fixed until the building of Hadrian’s Wall. From then onwards, Caledonia stood to the north of the wall, and to the south was the Roman province of Britannia (consisting of most of what is now England and Wales).During the brief Roman military incursions into central and northern Scotland, the Scottish Lowlands were indeed absorbed into the province of Britannia, and the name was also used by the Romans, prior to their conquest of the southern and central parts of the island, to refer to the whole island of Great Britain.

The modern use of “Caledonia” in English and Scots is either as a historical description of northern Britain during the Roman era or as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole.

In music, “Caledonia” is a popular folk ballad written by Dougie MacLean in 1977 and published in 1979 on an album of the same name; it has since been covered by various other artists, including Amy Macdonald

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Video: The Encore at Castlefest – Loch Lomond – Kweenie Set – Flatlands

Imagine yourself in a completely different world at Castlefest world music festival

The Fantasy festival of light in the Netherlands. A fest for young and old, where, as soon as you enter the gates, you find yourself in the Other World. Castlefest is a total experience with lots of music, fantasy writers, themed catering, medieval crafts and a large market which offers everything a fantasy fan is looking for.

Castlefest characterizes itself by a unique ambiance. This makes that regular visitors are looking forward to the next edition a year in advance. It creates a feeling where you find yourself in a completely different world, causing a daze and homesickness for weeks after the event took place.

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Video: “I’m Into Folk” from Bart Peeters, The Radios

Bart Peeters komt op de proppen met I’m into folk.

Tijdens een optreden van The Pogues op Pinkpop had Bart Peeters gezien hoe een duidelijk door de folk geïnspireerde groep als The Pogues het publiek kon begeesteren, beter nog dan de Red Hot Chili Peppers. Als het mij nu eens zou lukken, dacht Bart, al die folkclichés in één liedje te vatten. Hij ging op zoek naar een geschikt doordeweeks riedeltje op zijn gitaar, zo eentje, of het nu folk is, of flamenco of wat dan ook, dat vlot in het gehoor ligt. Daarmee zou de song moeten beginnen en dan zouden de clichés de revue mogen passeren. I’m into folk moest , dat wou Bart , cabaretesk klinken, grotesk zelfs. Het nummer werd uiteindelijk een pastiche, een doelbewuste slechte nabootsing van de oerdegelijke Ierse folkmuziek. Begin 1989 geraakten The Radios met I’m into folk tot in de staart van de BRT Top 30

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Video: “Heart of Steel” Our, for now at least, last video in this series!

Oh no! We have come to our, for now at least, last video in this series!

But don’t feel sad; you can rewatch all videos as often as you want.

And of course we are ending this series with one of our, and I hope one of your, favorite songs: ‘Heart of Steel’. Enjoy!

Yours, Dieb

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Video: In de stad Amsterdam – Translated from French to Dutch

“Amsterdam” is a song by Jacques Brel. It combines a powerful melancholic crescendo with a rich poetic account of the exploits of sailors on shore leave in Amsterdam.

Brel never recorded this for a studio album, and his only version was released on the live album Enregistrement Public à l’Olympia 1964. Despite this, it has been one of his most enduringly popular works.It was one of the songs Mort Shuman translated into English for the musical Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.

Brel worked on the song at his house overlooking the Mediterranean at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the house he shared with Sylvie Rivet, a publicist for Philips; a place she had introduced him to in 1960. “It was the ideal place for him to create, and to indulge his passion for boats and planes. One morning at six o’clock he read the words of Amsterdam to Fernand, a restaurateur who was about to set off fishing for scorpion fish and conger eels for the bouillabaisse. Overcome, Fernand broke out in sobs and cut open some sea urchins to help control his emotion.

Originally the song was situated in Antwerp, but moved to Amsterdam as ‘Dans le port D’Anvers’ does not fit the meter. Noteworthy is that in modern Amsterdam there is still a port, but owing to widespread automation and decline in crew sizes, there are far fewer sailors on shore leave.

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360º Video: “Jock Stuart” @ Early Bird Concert Zomerfolk

For the visitors who bought the first “Early Bird” Tickets

for Rapalje Zomerfolk Festival, we performed extra shows at a secret place outside from the festival. This is the first song we played on the Sunday: “Jock Stuart”

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Video: “Stad Amsterdam” at Dieb’s

Time for my personal favourite:

“De Stad Amsterdam”. During this song I can do what I love most: playing as wild as I can on my violin.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Yours, Dieb

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Video: “Bog Down in the Valley-o” at Dieb’s

Welcome at my place!

The song we will sing for you now is amazing, but also very difficult: Bog Down in the Valley-o.

Can you sing along?

Yours, Dieb

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