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).
Sirens
A Balladeer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I get out of the crash thinking no one survived
big eyes from the backseat
to my surprise I see all three alive
you're losing blood in the grass there
on the side of the road in your summer stripe dress
the boy runs off to see you
I swear dear, you'll be alright
now don't you go out on me here
I swear I hear sirens come close
that means help is near
the autobahn is reflecting
rotting fruit in at least 30 something degrees
nothing but chaos
all these questions, ignorance
FUCK THE POLICE!
I swear dear, you'll be alright
now don't you go out on me here
I swear I hear sirens come close
that means help is near
now you listen to me
I will bring you back home
will you listen to me
I will bring you back home
home
back from the car-dump
I sit down with the boy on the edge of the bed
in a hotel room near Munich
remembering what I said
The song Sirens by A Balladeer is a narrative about a car accident on the Autobahn. The singer is driving and crashes, thinking that nobody survived the accident, but to his surprise, he sees that all three passengers, including a woman in a summer stripe dress, are alive. The woman is losing blood, and the singer promises her that she will be alright. He hears the sirens of emergency services, which gives him hope that help is near, and that she will be saved.
The song has a contemplative tone, and the lyrics explore themes of mortality, fear, and empathy. The singer appears to be struggling with the aftermath of the accident, which has caused him to question his understanding of the world, as reflected in the line, "nothing but chaos, all these questions, ignorance."
The final verse of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer reflects on the experience and shares a moment of tenderness with the boy who was also in the car. The sense of intimacy and shared experience conveyed in the song contrasts with the chaos and disorientation of the accident.
Line by Line Meaning
damn, this is bad - this is so bad
The situation is extremely dire and unpleasant.
I get out of the crash thinking no one survived
The singer emerged from the accident believing that all passengers were dead.
big eyes from the backseat
The person in the backseat observed the incident with great surprise and concern.
to my surprise I see all three alive
The artist was pleasantly surprised to discover that all passengers survived the crash.
you're losing blood in the grass there
A passenger is bleeding on the ground.
on the side of the road in your summer stripe dress
The passenger in question is wearing a summer dress and is laying by the roadside outside the crashed car.
the boy runs off to see you
A male child went towards the injured passenger.
I pick him up, but he must've seen some of your legs
The artist had to carry the boy, who saw the passenger's legs and became alarmed.
I swear dear, you'll be alright
The artist reassures the injured passenger that everything will be fine.
now don't you go out on me here
The artist pleads with the injured passenger to stay conscious and not to die.
I swear I hear sirens come close
The singer hears the sound of rescue vehicles approaching.
that means help is near
The approaching sirens is a good sign that help is on the way.
the autobahn is reflecting
The road is highly reflective and possibly dangerous under the circumstances.
rotting fruit in at least 30 something degrees
The warm weather caused fruit to go bad.
nothing but chaos
The scene is disorganized and in disarray.
all these questions, ignorance
The artist is upset with people asking questions and not knowing anything.
FUCK THE POLICE!
The artist expresses frustration towards authority figures.
now you listen to me
The singer addresses the injured passenger directly.
I will bring you back home
The singer promises to bring the injured passenger back to their home.
will you listen to me
The artist seeks reassurance from the injured passenger that they are listening.
home
The goal is to bring the injured passenger back to a place of safety and familiarity.
back from the car-dump
The group survived the car accident and are now reunited in a hotel room.
I sit down with the boy on the edge of the bed
The singer comforted the male child and sat down with him on the edge of a bed.
in a hotel room near Munich
The group is currently staying in a hotel near Munich, Germany.
remembering what I said
The singer recalls the promises they made to the injured passenger earlier.
Contributed by Joshua J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.