Willeke Alberti (February 3, 1945, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) (real name: … Read Full Bio ↴Willeke Alberti (February 3, 1945, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) (real name: Willy Albertina Verbrugge) is a Dutch singer and actress, the daughter of entertainer and singer Willy Alberti.

Biography
Willeke Alberti started her career at the early age of eleven in the musical Duel om Barbara and she recorded her first single in 1958 together with her father. During the 1960s, she was a well-known singer in the Netherlands and had at least one #1 hit with "De Winter Was Lang" ("The Winter Was Long"), however there was no official Dutch chart at the time. Willeke and her father had a television show between 1965 and 1969. Her singing career from 1970 onwards is less active, however Alberti still releases singles and albums at an irregular interval and plays minor roles in television programs and movies.

Alberti married John de Mol on July 24, 1976. Together they have one son Johnny de Mol, who is currently an actor and television personality. The couple divorced in 1980. She had a second marriage with Danish football player Søren Lerby and a second son was born from that marriage. Søren Lerby and Willeke Alberti separated in 1990.

In 1994, she represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waar is de Zon" ("Where is the Sun"), which claimed a meagre four points from the international juries, all coming from Austria. The Netherlands beat only Estonia and Lithuania that evening.

Ik Mis Die Tijd Van Toen
Willeke Alberti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We hebben het samen ver gebracht
We zwoegden jaren dag en nacht
We vonden wat we hadden nooit genoeg
Waar we naar verlangde was altijd weer naar meer
We hadden haast, we draafde door
We wisten soms niet eens waarvoor
Ons einddoel kwam geen meter dichterbij
Wat we samen hadden is nu niet meer genoeg

Refren':
Ik mis die tijd van toen
Slapen in een tent
Tevreden met z'n twee
We hadden nog geen cent
Wat zijn we kwijtgeraakt
Bij het streven naar steeds meer
We hadden het zo goed
We kwamen niets te kort
Een weekendje aan zee
Vervlogen visioen
En door mijn tranen heen
Zie ik die tijd van toen

Op weg naar weer een eindstation
Vervaagde onze horizon
We reikten alsmaar hoger naar de top
Alles is op afstand
Veel mooier dan dichtbij
Ik sta alleen op het perron
Jouw trein gaat naar een nieuw station
Ik zoek het spoor terug waar het begon
Liefste kom weer terug
Naar die tijd van toen

Refren'

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Willeke Alberti's song "Ik Mis Die Tijd Van Toen" speak of the feelings of nostalgia and regret for the past, specifically for a time when the singer and her partner were content with little and shared a simple life together. The first verse describes the hard work and dedication they put into their relationship, but despite their efforts, they always wanted more. They were always in a hurry, driven by an insatiable desire for something beyond what they had. The chorus reflects the singer's yearning for those simpler times, when they slept in a tent and were happy with each other's company, despite having no money. These were the times when they had it all and felt truly satisfied with their lives.

The second verse speaks of the rapid pace of life and the distance that it creates between people. As they pushed themselves higher and higher, they lost sight of what was important, and their horizon became fuzzy. The singer laments the fact that everything seemed more beautiful from afar, but when it came close, it was never enough. The third verse reveals that they have reached the end of their journey, and the singer finds herself alone on the platform, watching her partner leave for a new destination. She yearns for the simpler times when they were content with what they had, and she begs her partner to return to those days. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the human condition and the price of ambition and success.

Line by Line Meaning

We hebben het samen ver gebracht
We worked hard together and achieved a lot

We zwoegden jaren dag en nacht
We worked tirelessly for years

We vonden wat we hadden nooit genoeg
We were never satisfied with what we had

Waar we naar verlangde was altijd weer naar meer
We always wanted more

We hadden haast, we draafde door
We were always in a rush and moving too fast

We wisten soms niet eens waarvoor
We sometimes didn't even know what we were doing it for

Ons einddoel kwam geen meter dichterbij
Our end goal didn't seem to get any closer

Wat we samen hadden is nu niet meer genoeg
What we had together is no longer sufficient

Ik mis die tijd van toen
I miss the old times

Slapen in een tent
Camping out in a tent

Tevreden met z'n twee
Being content with just the two of us