Neyman was born in Maastricht, Limburg County, NL (Europe). In the beginning of the 1970s, he took a course at Kleinkunst Academy in Amsterdam. Neyman's first success came in 1980 with the song Ik weet niet hoe. In 1985 Neyman scored his biggest hit with Waarom fluister ik je naam nog (number 1 position in some Dutch charts). From the second half of the 1980s Neyman had no major hits. However he still a large number of albums and had a number of successful musical tours. Neyman received a Golden Harp in 1996.
His health began to decline in 2006. After his previous manager quit, his partner Hans van Barneveld in 2006 became his new manager. In October 2007 his last album Onverwacht came out and his last performance, a tribute to the deceased Conny Vandenbos, took place on December 2, 2007. Neyman announced on December 21, 2007 that he suffered from an advanced form of cancer and that his prognosis was not clear. On February 7, 2008 Benny Neyman died at 56 years of age.
Vlinders van de nacht
Benny Neyman Lyrics
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Ze denken niet aan slapen
Ze denken niet aan gapen
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze houden van 't donker
Aan hunkerende honger
Ontleden zij hun kracht
De vlinders van de nacht
Als andere mensen dromen
Ontwaken ze en komen
Als muggen af op 't licht
Neon in de straten
Betovert, want ze haten
't Held're morgenlicht
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze fladd'ren door de steden
Ze sussen hun geweten
Met drank in 't café
Ze blijven alsmaar tanken
Maar zitten steeds te denken
Ging met mij maar iemand mee
De vlinders van de nacht
Door duisternis omgeven
Beginnen ze te leven
De hoeren en de nichten
De naamloze gezichten
'n Schaduw op de gracht
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze jagen op hun prooien
Of leven van de fooien
Ze zoeken naar genot
Ze zoeken maar als blinden
Maar nooit zullen ze vinden
Ze gaan eraan kapot
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze zingen hun refreinen
Op parken of op pleinen
Ze sluipen door de nacht
't Klakken van hun schoenen
Weerklinkt in de plantsoenen
Geopend is de jacht
De vlinders van de nacht
Gevangen en gehavend
Verslonden en verslavend
Betoverd door de nacht
Verlangen ze naar liefde
Wat niemand hen kan beiden
De vlinders van de nacht, de vlinders van de nacht
De vlinders van de nacht, de vlinders van de nacht
The song Vlinders van de Nacht by Benny Neyman talks about the people who come alive at night - the butterflies of the night. These people are the ones who never think about sleeping or yawning, they love the darkness and their power lies in the hunger for it. They are the ones who come alive when other people dream; they swarm like mosquitoes towards the light that blots out the darkness. They are the ones who flutter through the cities and immure their conscience with drinks in the cafe, thoughts of someone who would go with them. They come alive in the darkness and begin to live as they search for enjoyment like blind people, but they never find it without the eventual harm that comes their way.
The song is a melancholic ballad about those who are lost in the nocturnal pursuit of pleasure, and the lyrics paint a picture of the life of those people whose night-time habitats are often the red-light districts of most cities. The hoarse and shallow sounds of Benny present an empathic understanding of those people whose sense of identity takes shape in the darkness, while they search for something that they will never find until they end up in ruin.
Line by Line Meaning
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze denken niet aan slapen
Ze denken niet aan gapen
The creatures of the night, they do not think about sleeping or yawning
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze houden van 't donker
Aan hunkerende honger
Ontleden zij hun kracht
The creatures of the night love the darkness and derive their strength from their insatiable hunger
De vlinders van de nacht
Als andere mensen dromen
Ontwaken ze en komen
While other people dream, the creatures of the night awaken and emerge
Als muggen af op 't licht
Neon in de straten
Betovert, want ze haten
't Held're morgenlicht
Drawn to the light like mosquitoes, they are spellbound by the neon lights of the city and loathe the bright morning light
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze fladd'ren door de steden
Ze sussen hun geweten
The creatures of the night flutter through the cities and soothe their conscience
Met drank in 't café
Ze blijven alsmaar tanken
Maar zitten steeds te denken
Ging met mij maar iemand mee
With alcohol in the cafe, they keep on refilling their glasses while thinking, 'If only someone would come with me'
De vlinders van de nacht
Door duisternis omgeven
Beginnen ze te leven
Surrounded by darkness, the creatures of the night come alive
De hoeren en de nichten
De naamloze gezichten
'n Schaduw op de gracht
Prostitutes and homosexuals with unidentifiable faces create shadows on the canal
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze jagen op hun prooien
Of leven van de fooien
The creatures of the night hunt their prey or make a living off of tips
Ze zoeken naar genot
Ze zoeken maar als blinden
Maar nooit zullen ze vinden
Ze gaan eraan kapot
They search for pleasure but like the blind they will never find it, and eventually it will be their downfall
De vlinders van de nacht
Ze zingen hun refreinen
Op parken of op pleinen
The creatures of the night sing their choruses in parks and squares
Ze sluipen door de nacht
't Klakken van hun schoenen
Weerklinkt in de plantsoenen
Geopend is de jacht
They sneak through the night, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the gardens, as the hunt begins
De vlinders van de nacht
Gevangen en gehavend
Verslonden en verslavend
The creatures of the night are captured, damaged, consumed and addictive
Betoverd door de nacht
Verlangen ze naar liefde
Wat niemand hen kan beiden
Entranced by the night, they long for love that nobody can give them
De vlinders van de nacht, de vlinders van de nacht
De vlinders van de nacht, de vlinders van de nacht
The creatures of the night, the creatures of the night
Contributed by Joseph L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.