Originally, A Balladeer was the name of band fronted by De Goederen. The group made melancholy ballads and catchy pop songs. After their début EP, Rumor Had It (2004), they started the long process of making their first album, for a long time without a record company and with their own money. Eventually signed by EMI, Panama hit the stores in May 2006. An extensive club tour of The Netherlands followed. In February 2007 A Balladeer won a Dutch Zilveren Harp ('Silver Harp') award.
Later that year Marinus, Tijs and Erik started working on their second album, which came out to critical acclaim in September 2008, entitled Where Are You, Bambi Woods?. Peaking at #16 in the Dutch album charts it is A Balladeer's highest charting album to this day. It was also the final album made in the original band line-up.
Today, A Balladeer is the solo moniker of Marinus de Goederen, who released his 2010 solo album Sorry, kid. as mr. a balladeer, but soon reverted to the old band name and released several more albums, including I Can't Keep Track of Each Fallen Robin (2012), A Wolf at the Door (2016) and the seasonal album, December (2017).
All I Wanted
A Balladeer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
somewhere out in Germany
you had dinner near some river
like you can't get that with me
and it all sounds so familiar
I make sure to bite my tongue
it's done nothing else but trouble
and all because
all I wanted
all I wanted was
the best of both of us
this must be what Robin felt like
who'd have thought I'd fit his shoes
how I smirked inside your T-shirt
after he had called for you
I've been him in that hotel room
when I took it as a no
now I'd rather be in Hamburg
putting up our breakfast show
and all because
all I wanted
all I wanted was
the best of both of us
all I wanted
all I wanted was
for us to get across
for things to be like then, out there on the road
for my mediocre jokes to work again
we can leave tonight -
I'll drive us past the wood
just sit there being beautiful
while I'll be good
hell, I'll be good
all I wanted
all I wanted
I'm telling myself it's all for the better
I'm telling myself it's all for the better
I'm telling myself it's all for the better, all for the better.
In A Balladeer's song All I Wanted, the singer is reflecting on a past relationship and the desire for the "best of both of us." The song's storyline is centered around the singer's jealousy over their ex's recent trip to Germany, where they had dinner by a river and went on a car ride. Despite this jealousy, the singer admits that these experiences sound familiar and they bite their tongue about it. The singer compares themselves to Robin, a character who the singer believes their ex had feelings for, and muses about their past experiences with their ex in hotel rooms.
The singer then expresses their desire for things to go back to how they were when they were on the road together, with their "mediocre jokes" working once again. They offer to leave on a trip together, but acknowledge that they are just telling themselves it's all for the better. The song ends with the singer telling themselves this again and again.
Line by Line Meaning
you rave on about a car drive
You constantly talk about a car ride that you had in Germany.
somewhere out in Germany
You drove to a location somewhere in Germany.
you had dinner near some river
You had dinner near a river.
like you can't get that with me
Implying that the singer is unhappy because you did not have dinner near a river with the singer.
and it all sounds so familiar
All of this reminds the singer of something else.
I make sure to bite my tongue
The singer tries to control his/her words and avoid saying anything hurtful.
it's done nothing else but trouble
Talking about what happened to this point has caused the singer nothing but emotional discomfort.
kind of like our song
This emotional discomfort is similar to the feelings evoked by the song the singer and the subject wrote together.
all I wanted
The goal that the singer was aiming for.
all I wanted was
What the singer desires is...
the best of both of us
The singer wants to have the best qualities of both individuals in a single entity.
this must be what Robin felt like
The singer is identifying with the feeling of a character named Robin.
who'd have thought I'd fit his shoes
The singer is surprised that he/she is in a position to identify with Robin.
how I smirked inside your T-shirt
The singer felt smug and comfortable inside of the subject's clothing.
after he had called for you
This took place after someone called for the subject.
I've been him in that hotel room
The singer has played the role of a character in a hotel room before.
when I took it as a no
Referring to a situation where the singer was not given something they wanted.
now I'd rather be in Hamburg
The singer would rather be in Hamburg than in this current situation.
putting up our breakfast show
The singer would prefer to be working on a breakfast show that they have planned.
all I wanted
The desire of the singer.
all I wanted was
The goal of the singer was...
for us to get across
The singer wanted to establish a connection between themselves and the subject.
for things to be like then, out there on the road
The singer wanted the same journey as they had previously when out on the road.
for my mediocre jokes to work again
The singer wanted to be able to tell jokes that may not be hilarious, but still resonate with the subject.
we can leave tonight-
The singer proposes leaving tonight for a journey.
I'll drive us past the wood
The singer will act as the driver and take the subject through the forest.
just sit there being beautiful
The singer wants the subject to relax and enjoy the ride.
while I'll be good
The singer will act appropriately during their journey.
hell, I'll be good
The singer promises to be a responsible driver.
I'm telling myself it's all for the better
The singer is convincing himself that this journey will be beneficial or will resolve underlying problems.
all for the better.
The singer wants everything to improve as a result of this journey or conversation.
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.