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.
Lied van die Exiles
Coenie De Villiers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sy sambreel oop in die reën
Roep ‘n man ‘n Londen taxi
Die bestuurder vra waarheen?
Neem my iewers waar die hitte
Oor die grond en klippe slaan
Wat help dit sug die man dan?
Deur die strate van Manhattan
Stap ‘n man op soek na soul
Daar's ‘n winterwind wat bibber deur die klowe van beton
Later koop hy warm koffie
By ‘n kraampie langs die straat
Dink hy ken die vrou wat saamdrink
Begin met haar te praat
Kom jy dalk van Umgababa
Aan die ooskus van my land?
Mis jy steeds die warm branding?
Die skulpe en die sand?
Onthou jy ook die suiker
Wat in die groenste riete skuil?
Is daar nog vis in ons riviere?
Is daar parmiette langs die kuil?
Sy frons en draai haar rug op hom
Hy lag en word verlee
En mis opnuut sy Vaderland ver anderkant die see
In die stilte van die Notre Dame
In die hart van ou Parys
Steek ‘n eensaam vrou ‘n kers op
Vir haar kinders by die huis
In haar handsak lê ‘n foto
Dis ‘n kind van vier of vyf
Wat oor tyd en afstand roerloos
Uit die foto vir haar wyf
In ‘n voorstad van Helsinki
Haas ‘n vrou haar deur die ys
Drink alleen ‘n bitter heildronk
Betaal alleen die prys
Deur die tonnels van die Moltrein
Reis die afgematte vrou
En hoop eens dat sy ‘n man herken
Raak dan aan sy mou
Kom jy dalk van Philippolis?
Op die vlakte van my land?
Waar die peperbome skadus maak?
Die son verbete brand?
Onthou jy in die skemer
Hoe die skape huis toe kom?
Hoe granate langs die leivoor
Soos ‘n veldbrand rooi kan blom?
Hy frons en draai sy rug op haar
Sy lag en word verlee
En mis opnuut haar Vaderland ver anderkant die see
The song "Lied van die Exiles" by Coenie De Villiers is a powerful and poignant representation of the longing and nostalgia experienced by immigrants and exiles who have left their homes and loved ones behind. The song features a series of vignettes that follow the lives of several individuals who are living and struggling in different parts of the world. Each of these characters is searching for something that they have lost, whether it be a sense of connection to their homeland, a feeling of warmth and belonging, or the comfort of familiar sights and sounds.
In the first verse, we are introduced to a man caught in the rain on a London street, calling for a taxi to take him somewhere where he can find relief from the cold and damp. He longs for someplace where the sun beats down on the ground and the air is thick with heat, but when he voices his despair to the taxi driver, he finds that there is no one who understands his pain. Later in the song, we meet a man walking the streets of Manhattan, searching for his soul in the midst of the city's bustle and noise. He stops for a cup of coffee at a roadside stand and strikes up a conversation with a stranger who he thinks might be from his homeland. He asks her about the beaches and the sugarcane fields and the fish in the rivers, but she turns away from him with a shrug, leaving him to laugh ruefully at his own naivete.
In each of these vignettes, the central characters are searching for a sense of home, but they are continually frustrated in their quest by the distance and isolation that surrounds them. The song is a haunting reminder of the emotional toll that displacement can take on even the strongest and most resilient of hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
Op die plein by Piccadilly
On the square at Piccadilly
Sy sambreel oop in die reën
Her umbrella open in the rain
Roep ‘n man ‘n Londen taxi
A man calls a London taxi
Die bestuurder vra waarheen?
The driver asks 'where to?'
Neem my iewers waar die hitte
Take me somewhere where the heat
Oor die grond en klippe slaan
Beats on the ground and rocks
Wat help dit sug die man dan?
What's the use, sighs the man
Is daar iemand wat verstaan?
Is there anyone who understands?
Deur die strate van Manhattan
Through the streets of Manhattan
Stap ‘n man op soek na soul
A man walks in search of soul
Daar's ‘n winterwind wat bibber deur die klowe van beton
There's a winter wind shivering through the canyons of concrete
Later koop hy warm koffie
Later he buys warm coffee
By ‘n kraampie langs die straat
At a stand along the street
Dink hy ken die vrou wat saamdrink
He thinks he knows the woman drinking with him
Begin met haar te praat
He begins to talk to her
Kom jy dalk van Umgababa
Do you come from Umgababa
Aan die ooskus van my land?
On the east coast of my country?
Mis jy steeds die warm branding?
Do you still miss the warm waves?
Die skulpe en die sand?
The shells and the sand?
Onthou jy ook die suiker
Do you also remember the sugar
Wat in die groenste riete skuil?
That hides in the greenest reeds?
Is daar nog vis in ons riviere?
Is there still fish in our rivers?
Is daar parmiette langs die kuil?
Are there palmiet trees along the ravine?
Sy frons en draai haar rug op hom
She frowns and turns her back on him
Hy lag en word verlee
He laughs and becomes sad
En mis opnuut sy Vaderland ver anderkant die see
And misses his fatherland far across the sea
In die stilte van die Notre Dame
In the silence of Notre Dame
In die hart van ou Parys
In the heart of old Paris
Steek ‘n eensaam vrou ‘n kers op
A lonely woman lights a candle
Vir haar kinders by die huis
For her children at home
In haar handsak lê ‘n foto
In her handbag lies a photo
Dis ‘n kind van vier of vyf
It's a child of four or five
Wat oor tyd en afstand roerloos
Who, over time and distance, is motionless
Uit die foto vir haar wyf
From the photo, for her spouse
In ‘n voorstad van Helsinki
In a suburb of Helsinki
Haas ‘n vrou haar deur die ys
A woman rushes through the ice
Drink alleen ‘n bitter heildronk
Drinks alone a bitter salute
Betaal alleen die prys
Pays the price alone
Deur die tonnels van die Moltrein
Through the tunnels of the Moltrein
Reis die afgematte vrou
Travels the weary woman
En hoop eens dat sy ‘n man herken
And hopes one day she'll recognize a man
Raak dan aan sy mou
Then touch his sleeve
Kom jy dalk van Philippolis?
Do you come from Philippolis?
Op die vlakte van my land?
On the plain of my country?
Waar die peperbome skadus maak?
Where the pepper trees make shade?
Die son verbete brand?
The sun burns relentlessly?
Onthou jy in die skemer
Do you remember in the twilight
Hoe die skape huis toe kom?
How the sheep come home?
Hoe granate langs die leivoor
How pomegranates can bloom reddish along the farmyard
Soos ‘n veldbrand rooi kan blom?
Like a wildfire can blaze red?
Hy frons en draai sy rug op haar
He frowns and turns his back on her
Sy lag en word verlee
She laughs and becomes sad
En mis opnuut haar Vaderland ver anderkant die see
And misses her fatherland far across the sea
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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