“Rotterdamse Bar”: Song for voice & piano

Written in mixed English and Dutch with a specific singer in mind. (Thanks to friends Rosann and Conner for checking the Dutch.)

LYRICS

VERSE I

The sun glides low above the harbor
of the Maritime Museum
Where boats and cranes bear testament to the past
I dream of the days of the harbortimes
Of the noise and the filth and the petty crimes
Een noodzakelijk overlast.

The wind blows cold over the sailors
with a whispered “Carpe diem”
The fading sun gives way to the evening star
They dream of success in the coming days
Of the hope of a chance of a loving gaze
Als zij lopen naar de Rotterdamse Bar.

CHORUS

Rotterdamse bar by the harbor
Rotterdamse bar in de wijk
You take in every hard-working person
The sweating, sad, exhausted and cursing
Whom everyday life will verbeter or worsen
We werken allen hard, geen gezeik

VERSE II

The boats and cranes are all silent now
by the Maritime Museum
Examined only by tourists and children in from school
For each there are a thousand more
That never made it to this shore
Vergeten en nu zonder levensdoel.

Each day I walk past the quiet
of that watery mausoleum
Off to work like those sailors now obsolete
I hope that some in a future time
Will remember me as an paradigm
Zal ik gekozen worden of niet?

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Alledaagse mensen
In de hedendaagse tijd
Alledaagse zorgen
Eeuwigdurende, eeuwigdurende strijd

VERSE III

The ghosts glide low above the harbor
of the Maritime Museum
I know that mine will join them any day
I hope they’ll see me as I am
And will welcome me to Rotterdam’s
Meest mysterieuze maatschappij

The harbor will soon be transformed again
in an endless industream
To life as it is we must say an au revoir
Our names they will almost all forget
Every day the daily sun will set
Maar wij hebben toch de Rotterdamse Bar