In Dutch speaking countries he is best known for his 1991 hit record ‘Papa’ - about a father/son relation. Since then he has made several albums and has also become quite popular amongst the Afrikaner population of South-Africa where he recorded several songs with crossovers between his European style and the tribal sounds of Southern Africa.
In 2004 he published as a poet. He is still performing and developing new material.
Stilbaai
Stef Bos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My oë wil slaap
My kop is in Stilbaai
My hart in die Kaap
Ek staan op die grens
Van die dag en die nag
En my kop weet nie meer wat
Ek voel soos n skip
Wat lê langs die kus
My toekoms wil reis
My verlede wil rus
My woorde wil stil wees
My stilte wil praat
My hart wil jou vashou
My kop wil jou laat
Die storm en die stilte
Die son en die maan
Daars altyd twee kante
Wat in ons bestaan
Die verlange wil waai
Die angs wil hier bly
En al sluit ek my oë
Dit gaan nie verby nie
Ek voel soos n skip
Wat lê langs die kus
My toekoms wil reis
My verlede wil rus
My woorde wil stil wees
My stilte wil praat
My hart wil jou vashou
My kop wil jou laat
In Stef Bos's song Stilbaai, the singer addresses a sense of disorientation and longing for a place he cannot be. He describes feeling divided within himself, with his hands awake and his eyes wanting to sleep, and his head stuck in Stilbaai on the coast of South Africa while his heart remains in the Cape. He is standing on the border between day and night, unsure of what to do with his heart. The singer feels like a ship lying along the coast, with his future calling him to travel away while his past is urging him to rest. He wants to be quiet and let his silence speak, but his heart wants to hold onto something, while his mind wants to let go.
The lyrics use contrasts and dualities such as "the storm and the silence, the sun and the moon, and the two sides that exist within us." The singer wants to move forward, but he is held back by his fear, his doubts, and his longings. The song creates a feeling of restlessness and melancholy, but also a sense of acceptance of the inner struggles that we all face. The title of the song, Stilbaai, refers to a small coastal town located in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is known for its tranquil beaches and birdlife, making it a popular holiday destination.
Line by Line Meaning
My hande is wakker
My hands are awake, implying that the singer is ready to take action.
My oë wil slaap
My eyes want to sleep, suggesting that the singer is tired and in need of rest.
My kop is in Stilbaai
Stilbaai is a physical place, but it is used figuratively to mean that the singer's thoughts are preoccupied with something else.
My hart in die Kaap
The artist's heart is in Cape Town, meaning he longs to be somewhere else.
Ek staan op die grens
The artist is on the border between two things, possibly day and night, but also between his heart and his head.
Van die dag en die nag
The day and the night, both of which have their own contradictions and mysteries.
En my kop weet nie meer wat
The singer's head no longer knows what to do with the conflicting emotions in his heart and his life.
Om te doen met my hart
In other words, the artist is at a crossroads in his life and he doesn't know which way to go.
Ek voel soos n skip
The artist feels like a ship, which implies that he's adrift, unmoored and unsure of where he's going.
Wat lê langs die kus
The ship is lying along the coast, implying that the artist is close to the shore but not yet there.
My toekoms wil reis
The singer's future wants to travel, meaning that the singer is looking for new opportunities.
My verlede wil rus
The artist's past wants to rest, implying that the artist needs closure on certain parts of his life.
My woorde wil stil wees
The singer's words want to be still, suggesting that the singer is searching for inner peace and calmness.
My stilte wil praat
The singer's silence wants to speak, implying that there is something the singer needs to say but is not quite ready to.
My hart wil jou vashou
The singer's heart wants to hold onto someone/something, showing that the singer is in need of comfort and love.
My kop wil jou laat
The artist's mind wants to let go of someone/something, suggesting that the artist is struggling to leave something/someone behind.
Die storm en die stilte
The storm and the stillness, are two opposing forces that coexist within us.
Die son en die maan
The sun and the moon, are also two opposing forces that coexist within us.
Daars altyd twee kante
There are always two sides to things, and we must learn to reconcile our contradictions.
Wat in ons bestaan
This means that these opposing forces exist within us all, and we must learn to live with them.
Die verlange wil waai
The artist's desires want to blow away, suggesting that the artist is struggling to hold onto certain desires.
Die angs wil hier bly
The artist's fears want to stay, implying that the artist is struggling to overcome certain fears.
En al sluit ek my oë
Even if I close my eyes to the world, the two opposing forces within me remain.
Dit gaan nie verby nie
This means that the artist's struggles are not temporary and will continue until he learns to reconcile them.
Contributed by Leah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.