Coenie de Villiers (Coenraad Grabe de Villiers), born 11 October 1956, is a… Read Full Bio ↴Coenie de Villiers (Coenraad Grabe de Villiers), born 11 October 1956, is a South African singer/songwriter, pianist, pop artist who sings in his mother tongue, Afrikaans. If any comparison was required, Coenie's music is best compared to the pop/rock of Herbert Groenemeyer (German language) or Billy Joel (USA English language).

Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Coenie was educated at University of the Free State in Bloemfontein majoring in media studies where he later on lectured in the Communications faculty. He has always viewed his musical career as his second vocation. He is also a classically trained pianist. Coenie is the anchor presenter in popular South African kykNET journal program "Kwela".

During the late 1980s, Coenie spent a few years in self-imposed exile in Cyprus. Coenie has also performed in New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.

Coenie signed with Mountain Records in 1983, and recorded his debut album, Skoppensboer, working with producer, Patrick Lee-Thorp and engineer, Kevin Shirley, in the same year. He subsequently recorded 4 albums for the label many of which won industry awards. In addition he contributed to label compilations of his work. Since leaving Mountain Records he has recorded a number of one off projects for different labels.

Coenie lived on the island of Cyprus during the eighties and nineties. He wrote, recorded and produced the album Amper Alleen in Cyprus and in Athens, Greece. Amper Alleen was the second SA album to be released on CD. Coenie and his family returned to South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC. He released Hartland, an album which included a vocal performance by Lesley Rae Dowling.

Camera Obscura
Coenie De Villiers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My hart is soos ‘n kamera
Obskuur, maar nietemin
‘n Lens wat alles raaksien
Wat kan haat en kan bemin

My hart is dikwels heilig
Dog soms is hy profaan
Sy roete is onvoorspelbaar dis geheim waarheen hy gaan

Waarheen hy gaan

My hart is altyd soekend
Al weet hy, hy’s reeds tuis
En al vra hy duisend vrae
Word hy weinig verder wys

My hart wil als takseer, hy wil inkyk in my siel
Maar dit wat hy daar raakloop
Kan soms mateloos verniel
Soms verniel

My hart klop dus gesplyt
Tussen liefde en verwyt
Tussen goed en tussen kwaad
Tussen trou en selfs verraad

My hart swaai soos ‘n pendulum, dis min dat hy verstil
Dis min dat hy tot rus kom

Om die liefde se ontwil
Se ontwil

Overall Meaning

The song "Camera Obscura" by Coenie De Villiers is an introspective piece that delves deep into the complexities of human emotions and the turmoil within. The lyrics describe the heart as being like a camera obscura, which is a device used in photography before the invention of the modern camera. The camera obscura works by projecting an inverted image of the outside world onto a surface inside a darkened room. Similarly, the heart is likened to a lens that can "see" everything, including both love and hate.

The heart is portrayed as being both sacred and sinful, with an unpredictable path that remains a mystery. Even though it is always seeking and asking questions, it is rarely satisfied with the answers it receives. The heart wants to inspect everything and look into the depths of the soul, but sometimes the things it finds there can be destructive.

The heart in this song is portrayed as being torn between conflicting emotions, such as love and resentment, trust and betrayal. It swings back and forth like a pendulum, never really finding a resting place. The lyrics suggest that while the heart may never fully understand or conquer the complexities of human emotions, it is still worth the struggle in the pursuit of love.

Line by Line Meaning

My hart is soos ‘n kamera
My heart is like a camera

Obskuur, maar nietemin
Dark, yet nevertheless

‘n Lens wat alles raaksien
A lens that sees everything

Wat kan haat en kan bemin
That can hate and can love

My hart is dikwels heilig
My heart is often holy

Dog soms is hy profaan
But sometimes it is profane

Sy roete is onvoorspelbaar dis geheim waarheen hy gaan
Its path is unpredictable, it's a secret where it goes

Waarheen hy gaan
Where it goes

My hart is altyd soekend
My heart is always searching

Al weet hy, hy’s reeds tuis
Although it knows it is already home

En al vra hy duisend vrae
And even if it asks a thousand questions