‎Sioen (stage name for Frederik Sioen) (Ghent, Belgium July 14, 1979) is a … Read Full Bio ↴‎Sioen (stage name for Frederik Sioen) (Ghent, Belgium July 14, 1979) is a Flemish singer-songwriter.

On invitation of ‘One Day For Another World’ (OXFAM) Sioen went to the township Soweto in South Africa to set up collaboration with local musicians. He met living legend Pops Mohamed (kora, kalimba, mbira) and Khaya Mahlangu (saxophone player with Hugh Masekela) and together with Stella Khumalo (backing vocalist with Miriam Makeba) he organised an audition in the heart of Soweto to select 4 backing vocalists with an amazing voice.

During the festival ‘Gentse Feesten’ he brought this group of musicians to Belgium and the energetic and melodic new songs made the concert a great succes and ‘talk of the town’. Newspaper ‘De Standaard’ wrote: “We always sympathise with someone who plays a whole new repertoire in front of an audience. And Sioen succeeded with brilliance!”

And so it happened. Pushed by the enthusiasm of the fans after the concert, Sioen went back to South Africa to record the album ‘Calling Up Soweto’: ‘To the township of the townships, where I took my boots. On the train to Naledi, where Jo’burg has its roots. To the sound of revolution and the vibe on the streets. When I’m gone I sing the blues, in Soweto, that’s where I lost my shoes’.

Since the start of 2012 Sioen is frequently accompanied by Binti, six singing sisters from Ghent.

They did a live performance of "Blackout" at Studio Brussel and on march 23 2012 Binti played and did backing vocals at the presentation of the new CD "Sioen" in Vooruit in Ghent.

Too Good To Be True
Sioen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Looking at you
And maybe you are true
Can get an overview
Sittin' around
And maybe you are near
I let it interfere

Looking at you

And maybe you are fine
I let the strength to make you mine

Sittin' around
And maybe you are near
I let it interfere, the fear

Maybe too good to be true
Maybe too shy when the locals are coming by
Maybe too crafty to bruise
And I'm floating away

Maybe too true to be good
Maybe too proud of the beauty she shines outloud
Maybe too crafty to bruise
And I'm floating away

But I can never be the one you can adore you see
I am too afraid to love you more than I can give to you
I can't be the one
You'll be the sun
You will always know when my fire comes along
But I can never be the one you can adore you see
I am too afraid to love you more than I can give to you
I can't be the one
You'll be the sun
You will always know

And maybe you are true
Can get an overview
Sittin' around
And maybe you are near
I let it interfere, the fear

Maybe too good to be true
Maybe too shy when the locals are coming by
Maybe too crafty to bruise
And I'm floating away

Maybe too true to be good
Maybe too proud of the beauty she shines out loud
Maybe too crafty to bruise
And I'm floating away

But I can never be the one you can adore you see
I am too afraid to love you more than I can give to you
I can't be the one
You'll be the sun
You will always know when my fire comes along
And I can never be the one you can adore you see
I am too afraid to love you more than I can give to you
I can't be the one
You'll be the sun

You will always know
When it's maybe too good to be true

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sioen's "Too Good To Be True" is a wistful pondering of the singer's feelings towards another person. The song is filled with indecisiveness and hesitation, where the singer is unsure whether the other person is actually true or not. The opening lines "Looking at you / And maybe you are true / Can get an overview / Sittin' around" demonstrates this uncertainty. The singer is observing the other person, but they are unsure whether or not what they see is genuine or a facade. This is further emphasized with the lines, "Maybe too good to be true / Maybe too shy when the locals are coming by / Maybe too crafty to bruise / And I'm floating away." The singer acknowledges that the other person might be too good to be true, or that maybe they are just shy or crafty with their actions. The singer cannot fully commit to the other person, "I am too afraid to love you more than I can give to you," and instead resigns to let the other person be the sun that shines on them.

The theme of hesitation is also shown with the repetition of "Maybe." The singer is not convinced of anything, and this ambivalence leaves them floating away from the possibility of a deeper love. The lines, "And maybe you are true / Can get an overview / Sittin' around / And maybe you are near / I let it interfere, the fear" shows how the singer is held back by their own fear, preventing them from moving forward with the other person.

Overall, Sioen's "Too Good To Be True" captures the insecurity and uncertainty of falling in love. The singer is afraid to fully commit to the other person, and instead leaves it up in the air whether the love they feel is real or not.

Line by Line Meaning

Looking at you
I am observing you

And maybe you are true
It is possible that you are genuine

Can get an overview
I can form an understanding of you

Sittin' around
I am idle

And maybe you are near
You are possibly in close proximity

I let it interfere
My feelings have started to affect my actions

And maybe you are fine
It is possible that you are satisfactory

I let the strength to make you mine
I allowed myself to entertain the possibility of having a relationship with you

Maybe too good to be true
It is possible that you are too perfect

Maybe too shy when the locals are coming by
Perhaps you become uncomfortable in social situations

Maybe too crafty to bruise
You may be too wise to be hurt