Rather than singing in English, as is common practice among Dutch bands, BLØF produces songs in their native Dutch, vastly contributing to the popularization of Nederpop, as the genre has been known in the Netherlands..
Besides having deeply sensitive lyrics, BLØF incorporates sounds from around the world. Their hit song Aanzoek zonder ringen (Proposal without rings) uses Japanese kodo drums in the background, while their album, Umoja, was the result of a journey around the world to capture multi-national sounds.
Critics claim that their formula for success is the way they crafted songs; they try to find the ideal balance between alternative and popular rock, poetic lyrics, and the voice of Paskal Jakobsen. This has brought BLØF the hits, awards, airplay, and (inter-)national recognition that has propelled these four musicians into the most successful Dutch-language group in recent years.
Besides success, BLØF has also had its fair share of tragedy. Drummer Chris Götte, who replaced Henk Tjoonk in 1997, died in a motor crash on March 17th, 2001. When the news got out, the Bløf website was filled with condolences from fans and friends. In June, the band released a memorial album called Oog In Oog (Eye to eye). The revenue for the album was donated to War Child. Norman Bonink (who came from Frank Boeijen Groep) joined the band that same year and continues to be their drummer today.
De Geest
Bløf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En niet als ik meer dan bewust om mezelf heen ren
Tussen de mensen op straat ben ik alleen
En ik praat en ik weet wat ik meen
En wat ik verzin
Het is echt en ik droom tegelijk
Kom in mijn nacht
Kom bij me liggen
Geef me de geest
Geef me de geest
Slaap laat me wachten, dus ik fantaseer
Mijn wereld zoals die ook werkelijk is
Er is altijd een waarheid maar hoe je haar ziet
Hangt af van je moed en je blik
Van wat je doet
En wat doe ik,
Dagdromer van beroep?
Kom in mijn nacht
Kom bij me liggen
Waak met me mee
En geef me de geest
Geef me de geest
Hoe minder ik slaap
Hoe dieper ik droom
De dagen gaan trager
Totdat ze stilstaan
En loom denk ik dat ik weet wat het is
Je brengt me steeds weer van mijn stuk
Ik zie scherper en scherper
Dan zie ik niets meer
Heel even maar
Ik noem het geluk
Het grote geluk van de geest
En wat doe ik,
Dagdromer van beroep?
Ik vraag je, ik smeek je
Kom bij me liggen
Waak met me mee
En geef me de geest
Geef me de geest
Breng me de tijd in een fles
Ik geef je mijn bloed
En mijn hoofd op een blad
Dans voor me, naakt
Kom bij me liggen
Waak met me mee
En geef me de geest
Geef me de geest
The song “De Geest” by Bløf is a contemplative piece about the singer’s relationship with sleep and his own imagination. The lyrics suggest that the singer struggles to rest easily, even when he is asleep. He is haunted by the constant buzz of his own thoughts and ideas, which keep him from being fully present in the world around him. The singer describes feeling alone in a crowd of people, as if he is separate from the rest of humanity. However, even though he may be isolated, he takes comfort in his ability to create and to dream.
The chorus of the song is a plea for someone to join the singer in his private world of thoughts and imagination. He invites someone to come to him in the night and to “give him the spirit” or “geef me de geest” in Dutch. This phrase has a variety of possible interpretations, but it seems to suggest a desire for energy, inspiration, or perhaps even love. The singer wants to be stirred out of his own mental wanderings and to be swept up in someone else’s presence.
The second verse deepens these themes by suggesting that the singer’s daydreams are a kind of alternate reality. He sees the world around him as having multiple layers of truth, and the way one perceives the world depends on their perspective. The singer wonders aloud about his own profession as a “daydreamer” and what it means for himself and his ability to find meaning in his life. The song ends with another entreaty to the listener to come into the singer’s world and to help him find a deeper kind of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Rust is er nooit, in mijn slaap niet
I can never find peace, not even in my sleep
En niet als ik meer dan bewust om mezelf heen ren
I feel alone even when surrounded by people and I am constantly anxious
Tussen de mensen op straat ben ik alleen
I feel isolated even when I am with other people
En ik praat en ik weet wat ik meen
I am able to articulate my feelings and thoughts clearly
En wat ik verzin
And even my imagination is sincere and true to me
Het is echt en ik droom tegelijk
My reality and my dreams are intertwined and I am never sure which is which
Kom in mijn nacht
Come into my world of darkness
Kom bij me liggen
Stay close to me
Waak met me mee
Watch over me
Geef me de geest
Give me the spirit
Slaap laat me wachten, dus ik fantaseer
I can't sleep, so instead I daydream
Mijn wereld zoals die ook werkelijk is
My imagination is a reflection of my reality
Er is altijd een waarheid maar hoe je haar ziet
The truth can be interpreted differently by different people
Hangt af van je moed en je blik
It depends on your perspective and your courage to see things differently
Van wat je doet
And how you act
En wat doe ik, Dagdromer van beroep?
But what can I do, being a professional dreamer?
Hoe minder ik slaap
The less I sleep
Hoe dieper ik droom
The deeper I dream
De dagen gaan trager
Time moves slower
Totdat ze stilstaan
Until they come to a halt
En loom denk ik dat ik weet wat het is
And in that moment I feel like I understand everything
Je brengt me steeds weer van mijn stuk
But then something unexpected happens and I am thrown off balance
Ik zie scherper en scherper
Yet I become more perceptive
Dan zie ik niets meer
Until I can't see anything at all
Heel even maar
But only for a moment
Ik noem het geluk
And I call that moment happiness
Het grote geluk van de geest
The immense joy of the spirit
Breng me de tijd in een fles
If only I could capture time in a bottle
Ik geef je mijn bloed
I would give everything I have
En mijn hoofd op een blad
Even my thoughts and ideas
Dans voor me, naakt
And I would do anything to experience true vulnerability
En geef me de geest
So that I can fully embrace the spirit
Contributed by Arianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kikkie
The Lau zijn geest ligt hier vast, ver voordat hij weer een comeback had bij de grachtengordelkudde.
sas Huisman
wauwwwwww