De Leeuw gained national fame in the late eighties and early nineties with television shows for the public broadcasting company VARA. Though satire was only a part of these shows and much of its humour was essentially harmless he came into publicity with satire about Dutch show business personalities who were often ridiculed.
Besides, many obscure musical acts were featured in his shows, many of which managed to gain national fame after they had been in De Leeuw's programme (e.g. Twarres and AIDS suffering singer Rene Klijn). VARA has since continued his shows apart from a few interruptions, often with considerable success.
In the early nineties, Paul de Leeuw also had some shows celebrating the new year. In the 1993-1994 show he ridiculed the new commercial television channel RTL 5 by announcing another new channel, "RTL 6" (RTL six, beter dan niks (at least better than nothing)). This led to a trial by the RTL company, who demanded that De Leeuw withdraw his joke.
He and his partner, Stephan Nuger, have adopted two children: son Kas (adopted in October 2001) and son Tobey (adopted in December 2002).
Paul de Leeuw has had many hit singles in The Netherlands. He is most famous for: Vlieg met me mee (#2), Ik wil niet dat je liegt / Waarheen, waarvoor (#1), and 'k Heb je lief (#3). Since the beginning of his television and singing career he released albums and singles, always becoming a big success.
In 2006, he recorded the song "Mijn Houten Hart" (My Wooden Heart) with Raffaela, which was later released as a single and peaked at #18 in the Dutch Singles Top 100, becoming one of his smallest hits.
Eurovision Song Contest 2006 incident
De Leeuw is, despite being famous for a long time in the Netherlands, best-known internationally for presenting the results of the Dutch televote in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. De Leeuw was supposed to present the televote by simply thanking the presenters, performers and fans, before giving the result but instead the openly gay De Leeuw gave his mobile number to the male presenter Sakis Rouvas live on-air, and made other comments which somewhat lengthened the Dutch results.
De Leeuw also made a reference to gay culture when he remarked that Rouvas and his female co-presenter Maria Menounos reminded him of Will & Grace. As the results were live and required for the contest to continue, De Leeuw could not be cut off until he finished giving the voting results.
De Leeuw's actions resulted in negative comments from the commentators, with the BBC's Terry Wogan calling the act "pathetic" and asking "Who selected this eejit?" during the United Kingdom coverage of the contest. Other commentators, like the Portuguese Eladio Climaco, didn't translate properly the gay remarks and said he was saying that they really look like Greeks. Parts of the dialogue were also shown on the German comedy show TV total.
The dialogue between De Leeuw and Rouvas
Rouvas: Hello Netherlands! Paul...
De Leeuw: Hello Greece, kalisperma everybody! [note that sperma means sperm in many languages, at least both in Dutch and Greek]
Rouvas: Kalispera Paul. [kalispera means 'Good evening', which was supposed to be said]
De Leeuw: You look like Will... [stops, likely due to the cheering of the crowd behind him] You look like Will & Grace, you two. So here are the votes, the Dutch votes. Let's come. [In an extremely high tempo] One, Ukreene (sic), two, Russia, Germany, three, Ireland, four, Greece, five, Lithuania, six, Finland, seven points! [resumes normal tempo]] Now the eight points. Are you ready Chaci, tzatziki, cichaci?
Rouvas: Yes, haha.
De Leeuw: Are you ready? Eight points... I like your blouse... The eight points are for Bosnia-Hoshegovina (sic). Yeah.
Rouvas: Bosnie-Herzegovine, huit points.
De Leeuw: Yes, I say. And the ten points, Zhacki, Zhicka, Chucka, are from (sic) Armenia!
Rouvas: Armenie, dix points.
De Leeuw: Ok, and Chacki, do you have my mobile number now or after twelve points?
Rouvas: Give it to me now. I bet it's 69 69 69. [In Greece, mobile numbers always begin with 69, but the rest of the 69's are a sexual innuendo, since Rouvas did not seem to like Paul's lines.]
De Leeuw: Ok, 00... [interrupted by Rouvas' remark] no no no no no... I'm not the French guy! [Probably refers that Rouvas was once interviewed for a French magazine, in which the interviewer assumed that Rouvas was gay and directed his questions accordingly.] Its 00 31 6 24 74 44 32 10 dial 1. Twelve points goes to, I'm very proud to say, Turkey! Twelve points.
Rouvas: Turquie, douze points.
Een Slapende Stad
Paul de Leeuw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
't is achteraf raar
Dat ik de naam vergat
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
Met de nacht om me heen
Zonder klok, zonder kaart
Met 'n modderig paard
En door merg en been
Zijn ze ruzie aan 't maken
Onder een van de daken
Hij met haar, zij met hem
Met de krakende stem
Van een lijf dat al slaapt
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
't is achteraf raar
Dat ik de naam vergat
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
En 't hart in m'n borst
Is zo moe, is zo moe
Ik kan nergens naar toe
Ik verga zowat van dorst
Ik geef mijn paard te drinken
Ik zie de sterren blinken
En denk aan mijn lot
Vroeger werd ik onthaald
Als een vorst, als een god
Maar m'n angst werd te groot
En nu ben ik verdwaald
En hier sta ik, kapot
Op een reis zonder zin
Op een vlucht voor de dood
En de dood haalt me in
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
't is achteraf raar
Dat ik de naam vergat
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
Vroeger heb ik geloofd
In geloof en geluk
Vroeger heb ik geloofd in
Het kan echt niet meer stuk
Maar de tijd zet de mens
Mettertijd onder druk
En opeens zingt de wind
Een herfstig melodietje
En de mens buigt het hoofd
De zwanezang begint
Zo anders dan het liedje
Uit het boek van een kind
Vroeger heb ik geloofd
In een vrouw is een vrouw
Maar een vrouw is een trut
Een ellendige trut
Zonder liefde of trouw
Zonder toekomst, een vrouw
Baart geen kinderen, maar zorgen
Een slapende stad
Ik weet niet meer waar
't is achteraf raar
Dat ik de naam vergat
Een slapende stad
Ik weet echt niet meer waar
En opeens zag ik jou
Je kwam zomaar voorbij
En je weet wat ik zei:
Het begint weer opnieuw
The lyrics to Paul de Leeuw's song "Een Slapende Stad" speak of a person wandering through a sleeping city, feeling lost and disconnected from the world around them. The singer mentions forgetting the name of the city, emphasizing their feeling of detachment. In the midst of the night, they hear couples arguing under the cover of darkness, adding to the feeling of isolation. The singer's horse is tired and thirsty, and they themselves feel similarly depleted, with no clear destination or purpose guiding them on their journey. The lyrics take a turn near the end, with the singer encountering someone new and feeling hopeful for a fresh start.
The opening lines of the song immediately set the tone of uncertainty and disorientation, as the singer cannot even remember the name of the city they are wandering through. This creates a sense of detachment and alienation from the physical world, emphasizing how lost and alone they feel. The reference to couples arguing under the cover of darkness could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's own internal turmoil and unresolved conflicts. The line "I verga zowat van dorst" (I am almost dying of thirst) adds to the feeling of physical depletion and desperation.
The turn towards hopefulness at the end of the song is signaled by the unexpected encounter with someone new. The singer's exclamation that "It starts all over again" suggests a sense of renewal or rebirth, as if this chance encounter is the start of a new journey. The song is ultimately about the experience of being lost, disconnected, and adrift in the world, but also the possibility of finding connection and start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
Een slapende stad ik weet niet meer waar
The singer no longer remembers the name of a city that once fell asleep before his eyes.
't is achteraf raar
In retrospect, forgetting the city's name seems strange.
Dat ik de naam vergat
The singer freely admits to forgetting the name of the sleeping city.
Een slapende stad ik weet niet meer waar
The artist repeats his inability to recall the name of a sleeping city.
Met de nacht om me heen
The artist describes his surroundings as the darkness of night envelops him.
Zonder klok, zonder kaart
The singer has no sense of direction or time, which disorients him further.
In het donker alleen
The singer is isolated and alone in the darkness.
Met 'n modderig paard
The artist has a worn-out and tired horse as his only companion through the night.
En door merg en been zijn ze ruzie aan 't maken onder een van de daken hij met haar, zij met hem
The artist hears a couple arguing loudly under a rooftop, which he can feel intensively despite not knowing them.
Met de krakende stem van een lijf dat al slaapt
The artist describes the tension of the argument as harmonizing with the sleep-heavy state of those involved.
En 't hart in m'n borst is zo moe, is zo moe
The singer's soul feels tired and dragged down.
Ik kan nergens naar toe
The artist feels lost and stuck in his current circumstances.
Ik verga zowat van dorst
The singer is dehydrated and thirsty to the point of desperation.
Ik geef mijn paard te drinken
The singer fulfills his animal's physical need for water.
Ik zie de sterren blinken
The singer takes a moment to appreciate the beauty of the starry sky.
En denk aan mijn lot
The artist reflects on his fate and current state of existence.
Vroeger werd ik onthaald als een vorst, als een god
The artist reminisces about a time when they were highly regarded and celebrated.
Maar m'n angst werd te groot
The singer's fear became too prominent in their life, causing significant setbacks.
En nu ben ik verdwaald
The singer feels lost and directionless in their life's journey.
En hier sta ik, kapot op een reis zonder zin op een vlucht voor de dood
The artist finds himself exhausted and defeated during a meaningless journey, as if running away from death itself.
En de dood haalt me in
The artist feels like death is inevitably catching up with them.
Vroeger heb ik geloofd in geloof en geluk
The artist used to believe in faith and happiness with earnestness in their heart.
Vroeger heb ik geloofd in Het kan echt niet meer stuk
The singer was once sure that nothing could go wrong in life.
Maar de tijd zet de mens mettertijd onder druk
The artist realizes that with time, every human falls under a different kind of pressure.
En opeens zingt de wind een herfstig melodietje
The singer hears the melody of a song in the chilly wind around him.
En de mens buigt het hoofd
The melody strikes a melancholic chord within the singer, making him lower his head.
De zwanezang begint, zo anders dan het liedje uit het boek van een kind
The singer experiences a bittersweet moment as he hears the swan song of an era, different from the songs of his naive childhood dreams.
Vroeger heb ik geloofd in een vrouw is een vrouw
The artist used to hold a belief in the sanctity and dignity of women.
Maar een vrouw is een trut, een ellendige trut, zonder liefde of trouw, zonder toekomst, een vrouw baart geen kinderen, maar zorgen
But his previous belief has now turned into a sexist stereotype that blames women for all of life's problems, portraying them as unloving, unfaithful beings that cannot bring forth any joy or meaning to life.
En opeens zag ik jou je kwam zomaar voorbij en je weet wat ik zei: Het begint weer opnieuw
In the end, the singer sees someone who reignites a spark of hope for him and reminds him that life can still begin anew.
Een slapende stad ik weet niet meer waar
The song ends with the singer still wondering about the name of the sleeping city, stuck in a state of confusion and disorientation.
Een slapende stad ik weet echt niet meer waar
The artist still has no clear idea about the location or name of the city that made such an impression on him.
Contributed by Lila F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.