☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about the painful effects of alcohol abuse on a family.
- The child pleads with their father to stop drinking, as they can no longer bear their mother's tears.
- The lyrics depict a sad scene at home, where the father has spent his entire weekly wage on alcohol and the child is sadly standing by the window.
- The situation escalates when the father pushes the child away and hurts them. He deeply regrets his behavior.
- At the end of the song, the father promises their child to stop drinking and change their behavior.
Interpretation
The song lyrics "Ach vaderlief" by
Zangeres Zonder Naam are about the painful effects of alcohol abuse on a family. In the chorus, the child asks their father to stop drinking, as they can no longer bear their mother's tears: "Ach vaderlief toe drink niet meer. Ik vroeg het al zo menige keer. Want moesjelief huil telkens weer. Ach vaderlief toe drink niet meer."
The lyrics tell a sad scene at home, where the mother sits by the fire and the child stands sadly by the window, as the father has once again not come home. The father has spent his entire week's wages on alcohol. Then, the child runs out into the cold and hears the father's voice from a pub. They plead with the father and touch his sleeve: "Dan rent plots het kind door de kou. En hoort in ?n kroeg vaders stem. 'T pakt 'm bedeesd bij z'n mouw. En vraagt dan met bevende stem."
As the song progresses, the situation escalates when the father pushes the child and they fall to the ground, hitting their head. The father is shocked to see the child injured and bleeding. Remorsefully, he takes his child home and tends to the injury, while feeling ashamed of his behavior: "De man stoot het kind van zich af. Dat valt met 'n smak op de grond. Dan ziet hij vol schrik tot z'n straf. Het hoofdje is bloedend verwond. Vol schaamte brengt hij dan z'n kind. Terug naar z'n huis en z'n vrouw. Terwijl ze het hoofdje verbind. Zegt vader vol innig berouw."
At the end of the song, the father promises their child to stop drinking: "Je vaderlief die drinkt niet meer. Je vroeg het al zo menige keer. Dus moesjelief kom huil niet meer. Want vaderlief die drink niet meer." They ask their wife not to cry anymore, as they will change their behavior. The lyrics depict the destructive impact of alcohol abuse on a family and the hope for change.