The band was born out of a failed cabaret programme "Groot Orkest" (Large Orchestra). Apart from producing albums about "serious" matters (the popular song "Over de muur", across the wall, is an example of this: it concerns the differences between eastern and western Berlin during the times of the Wall). The bigger picture is that it describes the differences between the 'democratic' west and the 'communist' states in Europe in those days. The pro and cons are set aside against real freedom.
The band also produced albums with children's songs which were sometimes performed on the Dutch version of Sesame Street.
Harrie Jekkers is also famous for the song "O, o, Den Haag" which was written in 1982, but did not fit well with the repertoire of Klein Orkest. This is why the song was put out under the pseudonym Harrie Klorkestein (an anagram of Klein Orkest).
The band split up in 1985. Harrie Jekkers then returned to the theatre, while Nieuwenhuysen started a new band called Smart (sorrow).
Mijn Vader
Klein Orkest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Het gezicht zat er al in
Vooral die ogen
Waar staat hij op deze foto, mijn vader
Is dat hem met dat alpinopetje op
Voor die veilingschuit
We houden het leven gevangen in een doos met foto's
Kijk en hier, hier staat hij te vissen
In het zwarte slootje achter ons huis
En naast hem dat is Wim
En hier zit ie met Diana op schoot
En deze is genomen zo'n vijf, zes weken voor zijn dood
We houden het leven gevangen in een doos met foto's
De mooiste staat op de schoorsteen ingelijst
These lyrics come from Klein Orkest's song "Mijn Vader," which translates to "My Father" in English. The lyrics speak to the act of capturing memories through photographs and the fragility of life. The singer is looking at old photographs with their father, reflecting on the past and the memories that these images represent. The first verse describes a photo of the father at seven years old, with his distinctive eyes already visible. The second verse questions where the father is in another photo, wearing an alpine hat on a "veilingschuit" (a type of auction boat).
The chorus repeats the central message of the song: "We keep life captured in a box of photos." The subsequent verses describe other photographs, including one of the father fishing in a black canal behind their house, and another with Diana sitting on his lap. The final photo is the most precious, framed on the mantle of the singer's home. It was taken just a few weeks before their father's death. The song is a poignant reminder of the importance of photographs as a way to hold onto memories and preserve the legacy of loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Op deze foto is hij zeven jaar
The person in this picture is my father at the age of seven
Het gezicht zat er al in
His facial features were already noticeable
Vooral die ogen
Especially his eyes
Waar staat hij op deze foto, mijn vader
Where is my father in this picture?
Is dat hem met dat alpinopetje op
Is he the one wearing the Alpine hat?
Voor die veilingschuit
In front of that auction boat
We houden het leven gevangen in een doos met foto's
We capture life in a box of photos
Kijk en hier, hier staat hij te vissen
Look, here he is fishing
In het zwarte slootje achter ons huis
In the black ditch behind our house
En naast hem dat is Wim
And next to him is Wim
En hier zit ie met Diana op schoot
And here he is sitting with Diana on his lap
En deze is genomen zo'n vijf, zes weken voor zijn dood
And this one was taken about five or six weeks before he died
De mooiste staat op de schoorsteen ingelijst
The most beautiful one is framed on the mantelpiece
Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sunnysight
Wat heeft deze man toch een prachtige stem...
Kroft
Dit liedje heb ik veel gedraaid toen mijn vader net was overleden. Nu ik het na jaren weer hoor ontroert het me weer.
Lodewijk Ignatius
Brilliant in zijn eenvoud en herkenbaarheid.