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).
Summer
A Balladeer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
are turned up high
land pans
before your eyes
flashback
to father's suntanned thighs
hopped on
in driver's seat
with dangling feet
chest belt
his muscled arm around
and the sun goes down
the lake wakes
a hard blue sky
waves break
and Sam says 'hi'
flashback
to Super Snorkel Spy
young blonde
with fishing net
strong, fond
his back half wet
splash track
and underwater sound
and the sun goes down
please stop the thinking and the torture
you can really only take so much
things do look better in the morning
without any grudge
the twins bathe
at 10 a.m.
grins taped
on Sony cam
flashback
to mother's glaring lamp
dives, swift
into the roar
wives drift
shift, save on shore
jam-packed
the night that Natty drowns
please stop the thinking and the torture
you can really only take so much
things do look better in the morning
without any grudge
would you stop this futile thinking
would you stop these figments now
The song "Summer" by A Balladeer takes the listener on a journey through various flashbacks and memories from the perspective of the singer. The opening lines, "the Benz fans are turned up high, land pans before your eyes," create a sense of nostalgia and set the scene for the first flashback to the singer's childhood. The memory of being in the driver's seat of the car with their father's arm around them is a happy one, with the "suntanned thighs" and "dangling feet" creating a picture of carefree summer days.
The narrative then shifts to a memory of a person named Sam, who is greeted with a friendly "hi" as the lake wakes up under a "hard blue sky." This memory is also a happy one, as the singer recalls a young blonde with a fishing net and underwater sounds. However, the tone changes abruptly with the line, "please stop the thinking and the torture," which adds a sense of heaviness to the song. This feeling of sadness is continued with the memory of Natty drowning, which is juxtaposed against the earlier nostalgic memories.
The song seems to be about the mixed feelings of joy and sorrow that come with remembering the past. The happy memories are overshadowed by the knowledge that they are gone and can never be fully relived. The repeated plea to "stop the thinking and the torture" suggests that the singer is caught in an endless loop of memories that they cannot escape from. The final line, "would you stop these figments now," emphasizes this feeling of being stuck in the past and wanting to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
the Benz fans
The air conditioning in the car is turned up high
are turned up high
The air conditioning in the car is set to a high level
land pans
The landscape spreads out before your eyes
before your eyes
You can see the scenery clearly
flashback
A memory suddenly comes to mind
to father's suntanned thighs
You remember your father's tanned legs
hopped on
You got in
in driver's seat
You sit in the driver's seat
up front
You sit in the front of the car
with dangling feet
Your feet are hanging off the seat
chest belt
You fasten your seatbelt
his muscled arm around
Your father puts his arm around you
and the sun goes down
The sun sets
the lake wakes
The lake becomes active
a hard blue sky
The sky is clear and blue
waves break
Waves crash against the shore
and Sam says 'hi'
Sam greets you
flashback
You remember something
to Super Snorkel Spy
You remember playing the Super Snorkel Spy game
young blonde
You see a young woman with blonde hair
with fishing net
She holds a fishing net
strong, fond
You remember the young woman fondly
his back half wet
Sam's back is partially wet from being in the water
splash track
You can hear the sound of splashing
and underwater sound
You can hear the sound of something underwater
please stop the thinking and the torture
Stop overthinking and worrying
you can really only take so much
You can only handle so much stress
things do look better in the morning
Problems often seem less severe after a good night's sleep
without any grudge
Let go of any resentment or anger
the twins bathe
The twin children take a bath
at 10 a.m.
It is 10 a.m.
grins taped
Their smiles are captured on video
on Sony cam
The video is recorded on a Sony camera
to mother's glaring lamp
You remember your mother's disapproving look
dives, swift
Someone dives into the water quickly
into the roar
They jump into the water, causing a loud sound
wives drift
The wives float in the water
shift, save on shore
You move from floating in the water to standing on the shore
jam-packed
The situation is crowded or intense
the night that Natty drowns
You remember the night that someone named Natty drowned
would you stop this futile thinking
Stop obsessing over something that won't change
would you stop these figments now
Stop dwelling on imaginary scenarios
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.