Henk Hofstede - voca… Read Full Bio ↴The Avalanche Quartet (www.avalanchequartet.nl)
Henk Hofstede - vocals, guitar
Marjolein van der Klauw - vocals, guitar
Pim Kops - various instruments
Arwen Linnemann - double bass
Henk Hofstede meets Leonard Cohen in a TV-studio in Brussels in 1988. Henk has been a huge fan for many years and sums up his courage to talk to the man. They have dinner together at the cafeteria of the station. Cohen tells Henk about an upcoming world tour and how he doesn’t have a band. And he asks whether the Nits would be willing to go out on tour as his band… Unfortunately the Nits are on their own extended tour after the success of their album In The Dutch Mountains, a tour which leads through Europe and on to Canada, New York and even Moscow. Henk has to refuse the golden offer. Years later he still wakes up at night as he was dreaming of that world tour they didn’t play.
A couple of years later, Henk put on a pilgrimage with movie-director Seppo Pietikainen, his friend from Finnland. They plan to make a short film about their voyage to Hydra, the island where Cohen wrote his first songs. In 2003, Henk meets the Belgian writer Marc Hendrickx on the very same island. Hendrickx is busy writing a book about Cohen. For the Dutch edition of the book, Henk records the CD “Yesterday’s Tomorrow” with nine songs of Cohen’s and one of his own about the pilgrimage to Hydra. These sober and authentic arrangements are developped with Pim Kops (De Dijk) and Marjolein van der Klauw (Powderblue). Arwen Linneman, the ex-bass player of the Nits, joins for some of these tracks. Thus the Avalanche Quartet is born. They do some TV and radio-gigs.and the CD receives good reviews
The Avalanche Quartet has given several concerts in Holland, Switzerland and France in 2006 and in 2007, some with guest-guitarist Oli Hartung (Stop the Shoppers, Hank Shizzoe, Shirley Grimes, Simon Ho) with whom the Quartet has recorded some songs for a commercial release of the CD on Faze Records.
Famous Blue Raincoat
Avalanche Quartet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
I hope, you can just let it go by
If I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you
Like a baby stillborn
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I'll make it all up to thee
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
He said to me, "You must not ask for so much"
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door
She cried out to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
If I, if I have been unkind
I hope, you can just let it go by
If I have been untrue
It was never to you
Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
The song "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Avalanche Quartet is a moving ballad that takes the listener through the ups and downs of a complicated relationship. The lyrics reference bird metaphors, drunken midnight choirs, and old-fashioned knights to describe the singer's attempts to be free, and his struggles with faithfulness and redemption.
The first verse portrays the singer's constant struggle with the desire for freedom versus the need for connection. He compares himself to both a bird on a wire and a drunk in a midnight choir, suggesting that he feels trapped and sometimes helpless, but still yearns for something more. The second verse references the sacrifices he has made for the object of his affection, saving all his ribbons for them, even as he knows he has been unfaithful.
Line by Line Meaning
Like a bird on a wire
I have felt trapped and exposed, like a bird perched on a wire with nowhere to hide.
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have felt lost and confused, as if I were a drunken member of a choir singing off-key in the middle of the night.
I have tried in my way to be free
Despite feeling trapped and confused, I have tried to find my own path to freedom and autonomy.
Like a worm on a hook
I have felt vulnerable and helpless, as if I were a worm hooked by a fisherman's line.
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have upheld traditional values and ideals, like a knight from an old romantic story.
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
I have held onto my hopes and dreams for a special person, preserving them like treasured ribbons.
If I, if I have been unkind
If I have acted in hurtful ways, intentionally or unintentionally.
I hope, you can just let it go by
I hope that those who I have wronged can forgive and forget my actions.
If I have been untrue
If I have been disloyal or dishonest in any way.
I hope you know it was never to you
I hope that any unfaithfulness on my part did not involve or hurt the person I am speaking to directly.
Like a baby stillborn
I have suffered the pain of losing something precious and innocent, like a baby that was never born.
Like a beast with his horn
I have acted aggressively and hurtfully towards others, like a wild animal wielding its horns.
I have torn everyone who reached out for me
I have pushed away and hurt those who have tried to love and care for me.
But I swear by this song
I am making a heartfelt promise, swears by the very song he is singing.
And by all that I have done wrong
I am acknowledging my mistakes and misdeeds, promising to make them right.
I'll make it all up to thee
I am pledging to make amends for any harm I have caused and to make things right with the person he is singing to.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch
I witnessed a poor and destitute person leaning on their only means of support.
He said to me, "You must not ask for so much"
The beggar warned Avalanche Quartet against being too greedy or demanding in life.
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door
I saw a beautiful woman standing at the entrance to her shadowy home.
She cried out to me, "Hey, why not ask for more?"
The woman suggested to Avalanche Quartet that he should not settle for less than what he deserves in life.
Like a bird on a wire
I have continued to struggle and fight for my own personal freedom and independence.
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.