De Groot's most famous songs include Avond, Welterusten mijnheer de President, Het Land van Maas en Waal and Jimmy.
Boudewijn de Groot was born in a Japanese concentration camp in 1944. His mother died here in 1945. The family returned to The Netherlands in 1946. He first reached the music charts in 1965 with his song Meisje Van 16.
In these early years, De Groot was a Dutch equivalent of Jacques Brel; his songs were, lushly orchestrated 'chansons'. In the late 1960s he adopted more of a singer-songwriter style and his album, Picknick (1967) is a psychedelic sixties gem, generally regarded as one of the best Dutch albums ever.
Boudewijn de Groot recorded twelve studio albums in total and also released many live albums and compilations. Lennaert Nijgh wrote the lyrics for the majority of De Groot's work. Even after Nijgh's death in 2002, De Groot continued to use unfinished Nijgh lyrics on several songs on 2007's Lage Landen.
In 2005, De Groot's Avond (originally written in 1973, released in 1996) suddenly topped Holland's immensely popular Top 2000 end-of-year song chart on Radio 2, much to the surprise of De Groot, who reckons it's "not even my best song, let alone the best song of all time".
Boudewijn de Groot toured Dutch theatres for years and years on end, but decided to stop doing so in 2014, the year of his 70th birthday. He feels well and is in great shape, but doesn't want to play his hit songs night after night. He announced that he would continue to record and release music, but would only do the occasional live performance. 2015 saw the release of Achter Glas, his 12th studio album.
September 2016 saw him embark on a theatre tour under the moniker Vreemde Kostgangers, a collaboration with his long time friends and fellow legendary Dutch songwriters, George Kooymans (of Golden Earring) and Henny Vrienten.
Jimmy
Boudewijn de Groot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
die kromgebogen over zijn stuur
tegen de wind
zichzelf een weg baant?
Hoe zelfbewust de voetbalspeler
die voor de ogen van het publiek
de wedstrijd wint,
Hoe lacht vergenoegd de zakenman
zonder mededogen die concurrent
verslagen vindt,
zelf haast failliet gaand.
En ik zit hier tevreden
met die kleine op mijn schoot.
De zon schijnt, er is geen reden
met rotweer en met harde wind
te gaan fietsen met dat kind.
Als ie maar geen voetballer wordt,
ze schoppen hem misschien half dood.
Als ie maar geen voetballer wordt,
ze schoppen hem misschien half dood.
Maar liever dat nog
dan het bord voor zijn kop
van de zakenman,
want daar wordt hij alleen maar slechter van.
(x 10)
The lyrics of Boudewijn de Groot's song, "Jimmy," highlight the vast differences in the attitudes and self-perception of three individuals: a lonely cyclist against the wind, a confident football player basking in the glory of winning, and a ruthless businessman with no mercy for his defeated rival. Each of these individuals presents different versions of strength, self-assurance, and contentment, and the contrast between them is striking.
The final verse shifts to the singer's perspective, who is sitting contentedly with a child in their lap, enjoying the sunshine without any reason to brave the harsh weather outside. The repeated refrain of "Als ie maar geen voetballer wordt, ze schoppen hem misschien half dood" (But better that than the board in front of his head of the businessman, because that only makes him worse) suggests a hint of cynicism and a warning against the corrupting influences of society. Overall, the lyrics portray the various masks people wear to present themselves as strong and successful, but ultimately question if these representations are genuine or if they are just façades.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser
How strong is the lonely cyclist
die kromgebogen over zijn stuur
who's hunched over his handlebars
tegen de wind
against the wind
zichzelf een weg baant?
carving out a path for himself?
Hoe zelfbewust de voetbalspeler
How confident is the soccer player
die voor de ogen van het publiek
who in front of the public's eyes
de wedstrijd wint,
wins the game
zich kampioen waant?
feeling like a champion?
Hoe lacht vergenoegd de zakenman
How smugly does the businessman laugh
zonder mededogen die concurrent
without mercy at the competitor
verslagen vindt,
if they find them defeated
zelf haast failliet gaand.
while they're almost bankrupt themselves.
En ik zit hier tevreden
And I sit here content
met die kleine op mijn schoot.
with my little one on my lap.
De zon schijnt, er is geen reden
The sun is shining, there's no reason
met rotweer en met harde wind
to be biking in bad weather and strong wind
te gaan fietsen met dat kind.
with that child on a bike ride.
Als ie maar geen voetballer wordt,
If only he doesn't become a soccer player,
ze schoppen hem misschien half dood.
they might kick him nearly to death.
Maar liever dat nog
But rather that than
dan het bord voor zijn kop
having the business acumen
van de zakenman,
like the businessman do
want daar wordt hij alleen maar slechter van.
since it'll only make him worse off. (x10)
Contributed by Alyssa J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.