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.
Kijken Hoe Het Morgen Wordt
Boudewijn de Groot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In dit warme, witte bed
Luisteren naar het eerste leven
Nog is de nacht niet weggedreven
Onze dromen op de tocht gezet
Nu wordt de kamer licht en kouder
De slaap was ons alweer te kort
Terwijl je peinzend over mijn schouder
Ligt te kijken hoe het morgen wordt
Jij denkt aan al die uren
Van werk en haast en vlijt
Geen tijd voor tedere avonturen
Tussen de duizend blinde muren
Van brood en haat en nijd
De krant ligt in de bus te wachten
En strakjes ligt hij op je bord
Een droevig ding vol jammerklachten
Kom, laten we nog even wachten
En kijken hoe het morgen wordt
De avond veegt ons samen
Vermoeid en soms gewond
We zitten ons verward te schamen
Verwonderd hoe we zover kwamen
Dan snoert het eten ons de mond
Vertrouwen we op loze kreten
Of is de dag alweer te kort
We zullen nooit de waarheid weten
Kom, laten we vandaag vergeten
Laten we vandaag vergeten
En kijken hoe het morgen wordt
Boudewijn de Groot's song "Kijken Hoe Het Morgen Wordt" is about taking a moment to appreciate and savor the present and to reflect on the uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring. The lyrics describe the comfort of being in bed with someone and listening to the sounds of morning, while acknowledging the looming responsibilities and pressures of everyday life. The song speaks to the widely felt experience of struggling to balance the daily grind with moments of connection and intimacy, and the uncertainty of what the future holds.
The opening lines "Wees stil en blijf nog even, in dit warme witte bed, luisteren naar het eerste leven" set the tone for the song's introspective mood. The second verse highlights the contrast between the warmth of the bed and the coldness outside, and the fleeting nature of time. The third verse speaks to the monotony of daily life, with "duizend blinde muren" (thousand blind walls) symbolizing routine and the lack of excitement. The final verse touches on the theme of honesty and trust, and the ambiguity of knowing what the future holds.
Line by Line Meaning
Wees stil en blijf nog even
Please be quiet and stay for a while
In dit warme, witte bed
Inside this warm, white bed
Luisteren naar het eerste leven
Listening to the first signs of life
Nog is de nacht niet weggedreven
The night hasn't faded yet
Onze dromen op de tocht gezet
Our dreams are in jeopardy
Nu wordt de kamer licht en kouder
Now the room becomes brighter and colder
De slaap was ons alweer te kort
Our sleep was too short once again
En jouw gezicht lijkt plotseling ouder
And suddenly your face looks older
Terwijl je peinzend over mijn schouder
While you're pensively looking over my shoulder
Ligt te kijken hoe het morgen wordt
Watching how tomorrow will unfold
Jij denkt aan al die uren
You're thinking about all those hours
Van werk en haast en vlijt
Of work and hurry and diligence
Geen tijd voor tedere avonturen
No time for tender adventures
Tussen de duizend blinde muren
Amidst a thousand blind walls
Van brood en haat en nijd
Of bread and hate and spite
De krant ligt in de bus te wachten
The newspaper is waiting in the box
En strakjes ligt hij op je bord
And soon it'll lie on your plate
Een droevig ding vol jammerklachten
A sad thing full of complaints
Kom, laten we nog even wachten
Come on, let's wait a little longer
En kijken hoe het morgen wordt
And see how tomorrow unfolds
De avond veegt ons samen
The evening brings us together
Vermoeid en soms gewond
Tired and sometimes wounded
We zitten ons verward te schamen
We sit, confused and ashamed
Verwonderd hoe we zover kwamen
Wondering how we got this far
Dan snoert het eten ons de mond
Then the food silences us
Vertrouwen we op loze kreten
Do we rely on empty slogans?
Of is de dag alweer te kort
Or is the day too short once again?
We zullen nooit de waarheid weten
We will never know the truth
Kom, laten we vandaag vergeten
Come on, let's forget about today
Laten we vandaag vergeten
Let's forget about today
En kijken hoe het morgen wordt
And see how tomorrow unfolds
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.