His fame is perhaps base… Read Full Bio ↴Well-known folk artist from Ghent, Belgium.
His fame is perhaps based more on his activities as organizer of the incredible "Gentse fieste" (10 days of music, theater, performance, wine and dine in the historic city centre of Ghent) than to his music, but this is how he got known in the sixties and seventies.
He started these festivities (or revived them, because they were a tradition up 'till the 19th century) in 1970 around Sint-Jacobs. Over the years, they have grown from a modest popular party to a massive and commercial manifestation that sets all of Ghent alive.
De Buck is a very versatile artist : drawings, painting, sculpture, music, playwright... he does it all.
His interest in music was raised after a few trips to India in the sixties. His inspiration came from old working class folk songs, and from the works of Karel Waeri (1842-1898, a folk singer talking about the fate of the weavers in the 19th century). He has recorded several albums with adaptations of the songs of Waeri (de Volkszanger, 1976 - Karel Waeri , 1986).
"Het vliegerke" (the little kite), is a good example of the music he plays : folk-based, traditional and folklorist, with original instruments and in the local dialect of Ghent. His songs & works are often anti-authoritarian.
In 1999 folk-b(e)ard Walter De Buck more or less retired from his own "Gentse Fieste", but became very active on the release-side of things : only half a year after "Den Doender" he presented a cd "Te Land en Te Water" in February 2000.
This last cd is an initiative of the Port of Ghent, who want to bring the company in a different light than the usual record-breaking cargo-load. Captain De Wilde, Director-general of the port-company GAB, asked Walter De Buck to look for old folksongs about the port, but the artist didn't only found those, he also wrote new songs about the sea, sailors, the lonesome wives, the fishermen. Apart from his usual backing group Clee Van Herzeele (see also Clee's Five) and Oswin Catteeuw, he got assistance from Jeroen Van Herzeele, Hendrik Braekman, Christof Steenhaut and Hans Van Oost in the Home Studio of Philippe de Chaffoy.
UTOPIA
Walter De Buck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To live and roam free
It shines in the dark
And it grows within me
You re holding my hand
But you don t understand
So where I am going you won t be in the end
Of getting the chance
Dreaming of (trying)
The perfect romance
Search up the door to
Open your mind
In search of the cure of mainkind
Chorus:
Help us we re drowning
So close up inside
Why doesn t rain, rain, rain down on utopia?
Why does it have to kill the ideal of who we are?
Why doesn t rain, rain, rain down on utopia?
How when the lights die down, telling us who we are
I m searching for answers
Not given for free
They're hidden inside as they lie within me
You re holding my hand but you don t understand
I m taking the road all alone in the end
I m dreaming in colors
No boundaries are down
Dreaming the dream and we all seems to share
Search up the doors to
Open your mind
And search of the cure of mankind
Chorus 2x
The opening lyrics of Walter De Buck's song Utopia convey a burning desire to live freely and without constraints. The desire is so strong that it shines even in the darkest moments and continues to grow within the singer. However, despite being held by someone who is presumably close to them, the singer feels that the other person does not understand where they are headed. The singer is dreaming in colors, representing the different possibilities and opportunities of life they hope to experience. They long for the chance to explore the ideal of the perfect romance and open their mind to new possibilities.
In the chorus, the singer expresses a feeling of drowning and being trapped inside, longing for something to come and break them free from their confinement. They question why rain, the symbol of cleansing and a fresh start, cannot come down on Utopia, the perfect world they dream of. They wonder why this perfect world seems to be unattainable and why rain has to kill the very essence of who they are. The singer is in search of answers to these questions, but they know that the search for the cure of mankind will not be an easy one.
Line by Line Meaning
A burning desire
I have a strong yearning to live life unrestrained
To live and roam free
I want to be free to live life without any restrictions
It shines in the dark
My desire never fades and always stands out even in the toughest situations
And it grows within me
My desire for freedom continues to grow and become stronger within me
You're holding my hand
Although you are here with me, you may not fully understand my passion for freedom
But you don't understand
You may not be able to comprehend the intensity of my desire for freedom
So where I am going you won't be in the end
My path towards freedom may not be the same as yours, and we may end up parting ways
I'm dreaming in colors
I have a vivid imagination, where everything is possible and achievable
Of getting the chance
I aspire to have an opportunity to achieve my dreams
Dreaming of (trying)
(Missing information/unclear)
The perfect romance
I imagine a world where love and compassion are prevalent, and everything is harmonious
Search up the door to
I am actively seeking a way to open up new possibilities
Open your mind
I urge you to broaden your perspective and embrace new ideas
In search of the cure of mankind
I am on a quest for solutions to alleviate the problems faced by humanity
Help us we're drowning
We are struggling, and we need assistance
So close up inside
We feel trapped and isolated within ourselves
Why doesn't rain, rain, rain down on utopia?
Why can't our ideal world become a reality, bringing abundance and prosperity to all?
Why does it have to kill the ideal of who we are?
Why do the challenges and hardships we face have to hinder our identity and beliefs?
How when the lights die down, telling us who we are
When everything seems bleak, we are forced to rediscover our true selves and values
I'm searching for answers
I am seeking solutions to the problems that plague our society
Not given for free
The solutions won't come easily or without effort
They're hidden inside as they lie within me
I have the potential to find those solutions within myself
No boundaries are down
Anything is possible and achievable
Dreaming the dream and we all seems to share
We all have a common dream of achieving a better world
Chorus (repeated twice)
The chorus represents our desire to achieve a better world, where freedom and harmony prevail
Writer(s): Daniel Gibson, Sharon J. den Adel
Contributed by Alexis H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Drafty Crevice
Is this Octaaf de Bolle?