South Africa
Foreign Songs
Reviews

This cheerful-sounding, easy-listening song talks about the post-apartheid New South Africa, describing the changes, the unity, and the disappointments that the country has gone through. It begins by setting up the scene of a wake. There are mincemeat pancakes with rum and dop. In this case, dop refers to an alcoholic beverage being drunk among friends, a common colloquialism indicating informality and friendship, though the word actually means “shell.” “The sun is rising and it is hardly day,” the song continues. “The lines are wet, but I have to wait. The sun sets and it is hardly night. I was remorseful, but my tears wanted to laugh.”

The band ddisselblom (with the double “d” in lowercase) is an alternative Afrikaans rock band known for their use of Afrikaans idioms. In the second stanza, they say: “sowaar as paddamanelwildra.” The last word is usually written as a phrase, “padda manel wil dra.” Padda means frog, wil means intention, manel means frock, and dra means carry, but the idiom as a whole means “as true as faith.” In the same stanza, the last line reads “lekker is net ‘n vinger lank my bra.” “Lekker is net ‘n vinger lank” translates into “happiness is only as long as a finger” or happiness is only temporary, while the “bra” in “my bra” is short for brassiere, although it’s used as a term of endearment, to refer to a friend who is as close as a brassiere (so: “happiness is only temporary, my friend”).

"This cheerful-sounding, easy-listening song talks about the post-apartheid New South Africa, describing the changes, the unity, and the disappointments that the country has gone through. It begins by setting up the scene of a wake"

The chorus is childlike and happy, like Afrikaans folk music, but with a strong “boere-musiek” undertone. Two folk songs are mentioned, Sarie Marais and Lekker ou Jan. The first was written between 1880 and 1900, while the second, Lekker ou Jan (Good old John), is by Worsie Visser, a legendary South African musician, who died in an airplane crash in 1998.

The verse continues with “Maar alles is piekfyn” (But all is well). Piekfyn is slang for good and well. The next line says “Jakkels trou met wolf se vrou” (The jackal marries the wolf’s wife), which is an idiom meaning “It’s raining while the sun shines.” In the New South Africa, “my neighbor is black and I am white. I have cold feet, but I am still here. You are gone. It is now dark in Southern Africa.”

"Then, the song goes on to say: 'My land is rotting of gold and marog,' depicting the extremes of wealth and poverty. Marog (amaranthus spp.) is a plant similar to spinach but with smaller leaves. It is easily cultivated and nutritious, and thus a very common meal in South Africa, especially in rural, underprivileged areas"

The last verse concludes: “It is now becoming full moon and I sleep soundly as I remember how it was.” He continues: “The monument is decadent and the sangoma is now President.” Sangoma is a practitioner of traditional African medicine, or a diviner, similar to a shaman. In 2000, the President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki invited HIV/AIDS denialists to join his AIDS Advisory Panel. He banned antiretroviral drugs in public hospitals and believed that a diet of beetroot and garlic could treat AIDS. In 2008, researcher Nicoli Nattrass and a team of Harvard scientists in the University of Cape Town determined that Mbeki’s HIV/AIDS politics cost South Africa more than 330,000 lives.

Then, the song goes on to say: "My land is rotting of gold and marog,” depicting the extremes of wealth and poverty. Marog (amaranthus spp.) is a plant similar to spinach but with smaller leaves. It is easily cultivated and nutritious, and thus a very common meal in South Africa, especially in rural, underprivileged areas. Finally, the last verse states: “I want to stay here, even if it is bog.” The word bog can be translated as rubbish, but in this instance, like when it is used around friends, it means something closer to bullshit or crap. It might seem like the song has ended, but then there’s a final line: “Happiness is as long as a finger, my bra.”

Lyrics:

Dis pannekoek met maalvleis op Dis 'n rum en 'n coke dop Die son kom op en dis skaars dag Die lyne is nat maar ek moet wag Die son sak en dis skaars nag Ek het berou maar my trane wil lag Sowaar as paddamanelwildra Lekker is net 'n vinger lank my bra En dit reën en die son skyn Sarie Marais en 'n lekker ou jan Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkels trou met wolf se vrou En dit reën en die sonskyn My eerste soen was 'n bitter lemoen Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou My buurman is swart en ek is blankDie kerrie is warm Maar die ice-cream brand Ek kry koue voete, maar jy is uit die land Dis donker Afrika aan die suiderkant Dis kwaito en boeremusiek Dis ons honeymoon, maar jy word siek Ek is 'n boer en my held is Dingaan Die Xhosa's staan in toue vir Theuns Jordaan En dit reën en die son skyn Sarie Marais en 'n lekker ou jan Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkels trou met wolf se vrou En dit reën en die sonskyn My eerste soen was 'n bitter lemoen Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou Die maan word vol en ek slaap vas Want ek het gedroom van hoe dit nog was Soos die haan op die toring na die suide draaiKom lê net 'n rukkie in my arm se waai Die monument is decadent Die sangoma is nou president My land is vrot van goud en marog Hier wil ek bly al dink jy dis bog. En dit reën en die son skyn Sarie Marais en 'n lekker ou jan Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkels trou met wolf se vrou En dit reën en die sonskyn My eerste soen was 'n bitter lemoen Maar alles is piekfyn Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou Lekker is net 'n vinger lank my bra