Before he started his solo career, he was in indie rock band The Junes, and he was in the band of the popular Dutch singer Ilse deLange.
Signed to the 8Ball record label, Bertolf released his first album For Life in early 2009, followed the next year by Snakes And Ladders. 2012 saw the release of the epnymous Bertolf album. 2015's First & Then was his final album for 8Ball.
Between 2014 and 2018 a large chunk of Bertolf's time was devoted to touring as a member of the tribute band, Her Majesty. Named after the closing track of The Beatles' Abbey Road album, they especially gained prominence when they started performing the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (and other artists from their scene), to rave reviews in the Dutch press.
In the mean time, Bertolf signed with Excelsior Recordings, where his fifth and sixth solo albums were issued: the somewhat gloomy Big Shadows of Small Things (2019) and the very sunny, colorful, upbeat and particularly well-received Happy in Hindsight (2021).
Snakes & Ladders
Bertolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We hit the wall
Why we never saw it coming
Makes no sense at all
Trying to say, the storm
Was just a breeze
We were busy buying raincoats
As the water reached our knees
We're losing faith these days
How can we make it better
When everything snakes and ladders
At the end of the day
We're climbing up to slide back down again
Does anything really matters
When everything's snakes and ladders
When will it change
Does anybody know a way to end this game
I'm tired of landing on square one again
We held our breath
And closed our eyes
Told ourselves it wouldn't happen
Then we rolled the dice
We lived a dream
Now we're losing sleep
All the wolves were dressed as shepherds
As we were getting fleeced
We lost our way
We're losing faith these days
How can we make it better
When everything snakes and ladders
At the end of the day
We're climbing up to slide back down again
Does anything really matters
When everything's snakes and ladders
When will it change
Does anybody know a way to end this game
I'm tired of landing on square one again
How can we make it better
When everything snakes and ladders
At the end of the day
We're climbing up to slide back down again
Does anything really matters
When everything's snakes and ladders
When will it change
Does anybody know a way to end this game
I'm tired of landing on square one again
(This game)
I'm so tired of landing on square one again
Bertolf's song Snakes & Ladders explores the concept of the ups and downs of life and how we keep finding ourselves back at the beginning no matter how much we try to move forward. The lyrics suggest that we as individuals, much like a game of snakes and ladders, experience moments of victory as we climb up the ladder only to be pushed back down by life's obstacles. The first verse emphasizes the fact that despite being oblivious to the consequences of our actions, we often suffer from the impact of the choices we make. The metaphor of "buying raincoats as the water reached our knees" emphasizes our tendency to ignore the obvious until it's too late. The second verse delves deeper into the idea of disillusionment as we realize that the people we trusted are actually taking advantage of us. We get caught up in the dream of success, only to realize that we have been "getting fleeced" all along. Yet, despite life constantly pushing us back down, the chorus reiterates our constant desire to rise up and make things better but wonders if it's all just a game. The song ends with the singer's exhaustion at constantly being stuck on square one, questioning if there is any way to end the game of snakes and ladders.
Line by Line Meaning
We ran so fast
We moved quickly towards our goal
We hit the wall
We encountered an obstacle that stopped us from moving forward
Why we never saw it coming
We were not prepared for the obstacle because we did not anticipate it
Makes no sense at all
It is confusing and illogical that we did not see the obstacle coming
Trying to say, the storm
We tried to convince ourselves that the difficult situation was not as bad as it seemed
Was just a breeze
We tried to downplay the severity of the situation
We were busy buying raincoats
We were taking precautions for a different problem, not realizing that a more urgent problem was already at hand
As the water reached our knees
We only realized the severity of the situation when it was already at a critical point
We lost our way
We are directionless and unsure of what to do next
We're losing faith these days
We are starting to feel hopeless and uncertain about the future
How can we make it better
We are searching for ways to improve the current situation
When everything snakes and ladders
The situation is unpredictable and constantly changing
At the end of the day
When everything is said and done
We're climbing up to slide back down again
We are making progress but constantly being setback by new obstacles
Does anything really matters
We are questioning the significance of our actions
When everything's snakes and ladders
When everything is constantly changing and unpredictable
When will it change
We are unsure of when the situation will improve
Does anybody know a way to end this game
We are seeking advice or help to overcome the obstacles and improve the situation
I'm tired of landing on square one again
We are frustrated with continuously starting over and not making significant progress
We held our breath
We were anxious and uncertain about the situation
And closed our eyes
We avoided facing the difficult reality of the situation
Told ourselves it wouldn't happen
We convinced ourselves that the difficult situation would not occur
Then we rolled the dice
We took a chance and made a decision without knowing the outcome
We lived a dream
We experienced a positive period of time
Now we're losing sleep
We are anxious and unable to rest due to the difficult situation
All the wolves were dressed as shepherds
Deceptive people were posing as trustworthy individuals
As we were getting fleeced
We were being deceived and taken advantage of
(This game)
The difficult, unpredictable situation we are in
I'm so tired of landing on square one again
We are fed up with continuously starting over and not making progress
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BERTOLF LENTINK, JEZ ASHURST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MateoPanadero
Oops ik dacht dit over 'Sneekers & Liwadders' ging!
Appoldro
Release 16 april?
Colourfulchameleon
uh?