Kartner had his big break as Vader Abraham in 1971 with the hit 'Vader Abraham had zeven zonen'. He scored one Dutch hit after the other throughout the 1970s. His best known tune by far is 'Het Smurfenlied' (1977), a happy sing-song with world famous cartoon figures The Smurfs. The song was recorded in numerous languages and was a smash hit in many countries, the several translations selling some 25 million copies worldwide.
His perhaps most famous song was released in late 1975: 'In 't kleine café aan de haven', about a small old pub by the harbor. The song was covered by international greats such as Mireille Matthieu, Demis Roussos and Engelbert Humperdinck and is known worldwide under the title 'The Red Rose Café'.
In total, Vader Abraham had 41 hits in the Dutch Top 40 and no less than 69 in his home country's second favorite chart, the Nationale Hitparade. The man who was Vader Abraham, Pierre Kartner, also penned two Dutch Eurovision Song Contest entries: 'De oude muzikant' (performed by Ben Cramer in 1973) and 'Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)' (performed by Sieneke in 2010).
A less known, but somewhat controversial part of his catalogue were his political songs. Kartner was a conservative, prone to expressing populist opinions in song. Most controversial was 'Wat doen we met die Arabieren hier?' ('What do we do with the Arabs here?'), which was released in 1975, but the singles were quickly removed from the shops, leaving Kartner's record label embarrassed.
Pierre Kartner remained active as a songwriter and performer until the age of 85. He died peacefully at home on 8 November 2022, aged 87.
Smurfenbier
Vader Abraham Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In Smurfenland is een brouwerij
Daar brouwen ze bier van rijstebrij
't Is niet zoet en 't is niet zuur
't Smaakt naar bier en 't is niet duur
Smurfen zijn haast overal
Dus, ook op 't carnaval
Dan hebben ze Smurfenbier gehad
refrain:
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Je wordt niet dronken maar je hebt plezier
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Je wordt niet dronken maar je hebt plezier
" 't Tweede Smurfen, Smurfencouplet"
Kom je ze tegen op de straat
Smurf dan mee, maar wel in de maat
Want ze zijn zeer muzikaal
En spreek dan ook de Smurfentaal
Ze dansen op 't linkerbeen
't Rechter dat smurft nergens heen
Kijk waar je loopt, want ze zijn maar klein
Anders zouden wij geen Smurfen zijn
refrain
"En nu komt 't derde couplet"
Zet je zorgen aan de kant
Net als bij ons, in Smurfenland
We maken plezier, de hele nacht
De problemen zijn voor Dries van Agt
Die lost 'ie samen op met Hans
Wij doen ondertussen de Smurfendans
Goed gesmurft en toch niet nat
Krijgen we 't niet dan hebben we 't gehad
refrain
refrain
"He, ben je alweer verkeerd aan 't smurfen
No, no, no sir
Ja, maar ik hoor 't toch
Yes sir"
refrain (5x)
The first verse of Vader Abraham's song Smurfenbier sets the scene for the rest of the song, describing a brewery in Smurf land that creates beer from rice pudding. The beer is not sweet, is not sour, but tastes like beer and is cheap to buy. The verse continues to explain how Smurfs can be found almost anywhere, including at carnivals and weddings in the town. The refrain follows this verse; it emphasizes that the drinker of Smurfenbier will not become drunk but will have an enjoyable time.
The second verse explains how to properly smurf with the Smurfs by staying in rhythm when dancing with them and speaking in Smurfese, the language of the Smurfs. The singer describes how Smurfs dance on one leg, while the other remains in place, and how they are small in size. The second refrain emphasizes that Smurfs have fun all night long and do not worry about life's problems, which are left to Dries van Agt and Hans to solve.
The final verse describes how Smurfs enjoy themselves so much that they don't have to worry about their problems and leave them to be solved by Van Agt and Hans. The Smurfs dance their special Smurf dance and manage to have a good time without getting wet (a clever play on words with the Dutch expression for 'pulling through'). The final refrain repeats the earlier sentiments about the non-alcoholic and enjoyable nature of Smurfenbier.
Line by Line Meaning
In Smurfenland is een brouwerij
There is a brewery in Smurf Village
Daar brouwen ze bier van rijstebrij
They brew beer from rice pudding there
't Is niet zoet en 't is niet zuur
It’s neither sweet nor sour
't Smaakt naar bier en 't is niet duur
It tastes like beer and is affordable
Smurfen zijn haast overal
Smurfs are almost everywhere
Dus, ook op 't carnaval
So, they are also present at carnivals
En is er een bruiloft in de stad
And if there’s a wedding in the town
Dan hebben ze Smurfenbier gehad
They will have Smurf beer
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Je wordt niet dronken maar je hebt plezier
It won't get you drunk, but you'll have fun
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Je wordt niet dronken maar je hebt plezier
It won't get you drunk, but you'll have fun
Kom je ze tegen op de straat
If you meet them on the street
Smurf dan mee, maar wel in de maat
Join their dance, but keep in rhythm
Want ze zijn zeer muzikaal
Because they are very musical
En spreek dan ook de Smurfentaal
And speak the Smurf language too
Ze dansen op 't linkerbeen
They dance on the left leg
't Rechter dat smurft nergens heen
While the right one doesn't go anywhere
Kijk waar je loopt, want ze zijn maar klein
Watch where you're walking, they're small after all
Anders zouden wij geen Smurfen zijn
Otherwise, they wouldn't be Smurfs
Zet je zorgen aan de kant
Put your worries aside
Net als bij ons, in Smurfenland
Just like us, in Smurf Village
We maken plezier, de hele nacht
We have fun all night long
De problemen zijn voor Dries van Agt
Leave the problems to Dries van Agt
Die lost 'ie samen op met Hans
He will solve them with Hans
Wij doen ondertussen de Smurfendans
Meanwhile, we'll do the Smurf dance
Goed gesmurft en toch niet nat
Good Smurfing and not getting wet
Krijgen we 't niet dan hebben we 't gehad
If we don't get it, then we won't have it
He, ben je alweer verkeerd aan 't smurfen
Hey, are you Smurfing wrong again?
No, no, no sir
No, no, no sir
Ja, maar ik hoor 't toch
But I can hear it
Yes sir
Yes sir
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Bier, bier, Smurfenbier
Beer, beer, Smurf beer
Contributed by Aaron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mariafernandapalacios7928
Als je dit luistert ben je een legend
@judithtjed
Dag Smurfenvriend 💔💔💔We gaan je missen.
@FlickanIDetKroktaRummet
this is more than a party
@siegfriedwanninger4669
2.20 - 2.22😂🤣❤
@edwinov
Ik vind helemaal mooi
@Michel777
Vroeger heette het Smurfenbier, later hebben ze er Sangria van gemaakt :)
@ingevanderschans9
Leuke nummer
@robertbakker5542
dit nummer vindt ik zo geniaal
@user-ev5vp5gs9b
Vader Abraham looked like 65 back then. But the song is great 👍🏼
@TaraTheAndroid
No he didn't. the beard is cool.