Hey people! 🙂
So as you may remember I shared with you yesterday a song from Swedish pop singer Pernilla Andersson, and I said that I might share one more soon, that is her cover of a song originally written and sung by Cornelis Vreeswijk. And so that’s what I decided to do today.
This song is what made me fall in love with the name Saskia so much that if I ever considered having kids, Saskia would be a very serious candidate for a girl. I’d never really come across that name a lot before hearing this.
The song comes from one of Cornelis Vreeswijk’s earlier albums – “Tio Vackra Visor Och Personliga Persson” (Ten Beautiful Songs And Personal Persson). There is a recording of his live performance at an Örebro jazz club called Powerhouse, which was released as an album after his death, where he says that this song was inspired by a real life Saskia he once met in his “green youth”, on the way back home to his wife with whom he was at the time (Ingalill Rehnberg I think based on the timing), he would often stop at some sort of other beer place I don’t really know, to have a few beers with his “good friends and other condemned individuals”. And one time when he was there, there was a girl called Saskia who was working there, and she apparently asked him what was Rembrandt’s wife’s name, so he said that she was called Saskia van Rijn, and then he had free beer for the rest of his stay there. How magnanimously of her… I don’t know though if what they were doing after her work according to the song is also based on facts or not really. His second wife, Bim Linnea Warne, said once that, while he was awfully jealous which is quite well-known, he was very faithful himself, although, as much as I like Cornelis, I can’t help but feel a little doubtful about that. 😀
I love Cornelis’ original version, but Pernilla Andersson also does a really great job. Her song doesn’t have the last couple of verses though.
According to the lyrics, Saskia is cross-eyed, and that’s why she is a subject of ridicule for everyone, which I’ve always found a little surprising because, perhaps I’m totally wrong at all that but I guess strabismus (I suppose that’s how it’s called in English?) isn’t an uncommon thing, it’s also not like a very disabling condition or making one somehow grossly unattractive even if it’s commonly seen as not very beautiful, so while I get that someone could be bullied due to something like this, would that really raise so much attention? In the 60’s? As I said though, I may have no clue, since I’m blind myself and don’t know how much things like that can affect one’s view of a person, it’s just something that I’ve found kind of interesting and strange.
Below is the translation of the song, I wrote it myself but I used
to help myself.
Saskia has a name with a ring to it
She works at a pub
Pours beer for the guys
The guys think she is good
The guys think
She is good
Then there is nothing more to it
Saskia, she is crosseyed, you see
Although her gaze is clear and bright
It raises ridicule in everyone
It raises ridicule
In everyone
She is quiet and unnoticeable
Her uniform is starched
But she was beautiful, and when she smiled
In a way that made you gasp
In a way that
Made you gasp
I let my eyes explore her
And it was actually worth the effort
The more they saw, the more they found
She was purely incredibly brilliant
She was purel
Incredibly brilliant
After I had strengthened myself with a beer
I said “Miss, have you noticed?
Has it not struck you yet
That I have been observing you?
That I have been
Observing you”
She said “Sir, it is true
The reason is unknown to me”
Then I mustered up the courage and said
“When are you free, Saskia?
When are you free, Saskia?”
We watched a romantic movie
Then we drank coffee at a café
I followed her to her house
A light was burning in our hearts
A light was burning
In our hearts
Saskia had a sleeping alcove
And she was beautiful when she slept
And we were awake more than enough
Then her alarm clock went off
Then her alarm
Clock went off
Saskia is a name that has a ring to it
She works at a pub
Her eyes are crossed, wherever she looks
But she is beautiful when she smiles
Yes, she is beautiful
When she smiles