“Some contain top, top players”
– Joy In Leeuwarden (We Are Ready) discussed
Ongoing chat about the lyrics to Half Man Half Biscuit's 2011 song Joy In Leeuwarden (We Are Ready) from 90 Bisodol (Crimond). Got differing opinions on what the lyrics are? Want to make any observations about any of them? Feel free to contribute your thoughts, and be as pedantic as you like.
Thanks to Gregg Z and Third Rate Les for the original lyrics transcription effort.
✉ Letters Sent (146)
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(1 year ago by Persian Rug Vendor)
Charles Exford
‘Joy In Leeuwarden (We Are Ready)’ would seem to refer very specifically not just to the European Korfball championships, but because of the nationalities mentioned to Group A which took place from In Leeuwarden from 22-24 October last year.
I’m probably barking after the wrong squirrel but do I smell an Olympics pisstake?
18 August 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
Dobrodosli, isten hozott, willkommen, mein herr.
Welcome (Serbian), Welcome (Hungarian), Welcome (German), Sir
Removes Babel fish from ear.
18 August 2011
Norbert D
Is anyone actually familiar with korfball? I’ve just been looking at the Wikipedia page, and the “Rules” and “History” sections could almost have been penned by NB himself. I might have to watch a bit on YouTube and see if it looks as bizarre as it sounds.
16 September 2011
Simon
So, the sleeve notes would have us believe that Joy In Leeuwarden is a version of somebody else’s song. True or an elaborate NB hoax?
16 September 2011
gordo
I had the misfortune to see a demonstration of korfball during the half time interval at Tranmere away game at the MK Dons (double misfortune). It looked a truly attrocious sport. As far as I could see it was just like netball except the net doesn’t have a hole in it.
16 September 2011
Mac
LoveNJoy, in Leeuwarden, is a brothel.
I add that I have no personal knowledge just used Google.
17 September 2011
Charles Exford
I suspect Mac’s info, though in away a delightful coincidence, is of doubtful relevance when we consider the ethos of the Dutch folk duo who (according to the CD cover) allegedly wrote the song. Corien and Henny perform as “Novelle”. Although their website is in Dutch, the music and videos are in English. I note they had gigs in England last year. Nothing on there is about korfball, but (@Simon) it rings true that yes they did write it.
By the way, Mrs. E and I decided that since there are only 5 songs on the record that haven’t been on the radio, the delights of the others we’d ration to one every two days, overcoming the urge to do otherwise by leaving the CD in the car for now. The ones that have been on the radio we can enjoy as often as we desire of course.
I’ve had this brilliant album now exactly 48 hours so the rules are unclear as to whether I can now go out down the street (it’s that kind of street where nobody has a parking place) to the car and listen to JiL.
17 September 2011
Hedley Verity
Have to agree that Joy In Leeuwarden is a highlight.
As to whether the sleeve notes are an elaborate hoax, all of those named do exist – Ferd Crone is the “Burgemeester” of Leeuwarden and Henny Wassenaar and Corien Steenstra seem to be folk singers so if it is a hoax then it is a bloody good one.
17 September 2011
Toerag
Could it be that Novelle are, in fact, a Biscuit “side project”?
Interesting to speculate the new on line “handles” generated by the new album.. My guess is that “Gok Wan Acolyte” will be the first to post!
18 September 2011
Charles Exford
@ Toerag – looking at all the different social fretworking sites the dulcet duo are on, all in Dutch, with posts dating back to many years ago, I doubt it.
I must say I think posting before actually listening to a song, as I did last night, above, adds a whole new level of possibilities to the picky pedantry in which we all revel.
I’d only heard the Amazon sample before, but having now heard the whole song, I think we can perhaps assume that the key is in the sleeve notes’ mention of “the original version of the song”. I imagine this to be a substantially different version lyrically and musically, with some deliberately literal translation and some deliberately very loose translation, both with extremely humorous and yes, at one particular point tea-spitting-out-through-nose, results.
18 September 2011
Charles Exford
It may also be noted that ‘We are Ready’ was an Official Olympics 2008 song. A song which at first appears to contain a chorus that goes “We are ready, my washing machine can do Tai Chi, we are ready, happy we’ll be to see Chelsea”, but then you remember it’s in Mandarin and there’s no need to do a Lyrics Project on it.
18 September 2011
stevie lucas
I’ve sent Henny Wassenaar and Corien Steenstra a message through YouTube to ask about the Korfball song. No reply as yet! I think it probably is a NB hoax but you never know.
26 September 2011
Charles Exford
Yeah, I sent them a message about 10 days ago too, no reply yet :-)
26 September 2011
Gregg Z
[Ed’s note – this was Gregg’s posting of the complete lyrics, now snipped, but I’ve left this comment here because people are now going to discuss it…]
5 October 2011
John Anderson
Could it not be sixteen CAMPS of hope, as in the perennielly misguided “hopes are high in the England camp.”
5 October 2011
Gregg Z
Now we’re getting somewhere! I’m glad I started things rolling, so that we can bang this into shape.
I agree– it must be “16 camps of hope”.
Not knowing what Korfball was until hearing the song, I probably suspected fans wore brightly-colored caps, corresponding to the team they supported.
I told you things would get funny, once we got the Yank transcribing the lyrics!
5 October 2011
Peter Gandy
Nice one Gregg. As well as camps I would change Vandermeer to Van der Meer, although Alice’s of both spellings turn up in a google search. Uncle Rudy could also possibly be Uncle Ruudi – take your pick as to the spellings.
5 October 2011
BrumBiscuit
Yep, seems almost spot on to me with the above edits. Even a good pronunciation of “Isten Hozta”, though, to be very picky, there should be an exclamation mark after “Hozta”.
5 October 2011
gordo
Joy in Leeuwarden is so much in my head, that I dreamt about Korfball last night as well as much singing of the aformentioned song
5 October 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
‘Break off from grouting, Willy’ must surely be a nod in the direction of Wally Grout, who would most probably have represented Australia at Korfball as well as kept wicket for them, if he hadn’t done gone and died 10 years before they joined the International Korfball Federation.
5 October 2011
Nick Walters
“Dobrodosli, Isten Hozta, Willkommen, Mein Herr”
I can’t help hearing that as:
“Dobrodosli, Isten Hozta, will cum in my hair.”
What there is of it…
Help already sought.
5 October 2011
Charles Exford
@Gordo …and I didn’t realise that the song was so stuck in my head that just now, before 5-a-side when we having a brief planning discussion for a football event, I found myself trying and failing to stop myself singing, under-my-breath-but-nonetheless-out-loud: “Some contain top top players, Some are just a crock of shit” …and continuing to do so on several occasions during the game itself.
The last tournament we organised did indeed have 16 camps of hope, and Mrs. Exford was tournament DJ, so it’s a pity the song wasn’t out last year.
5 October 2011
Third Rate Les
That’s a top spot there Vendor. Good sporting knowledge.
5 October 2011
John Burscough
I suppose it’s appropriate to start the JiL discussion now that October’s rolled on. In which case, some intriguing pool games here…
6 October 2011
Charles Exford
What seems especially intriguing there is that there are two separate pool stages, and that in the tussle for the coveted ‘Crock of Shit’ trophy, Scotland first lost to Turkey in the second group stage and then beat them in the final play off to avoid the ignominious 16th place. The Tartan Army must have been dancing in the streets of Rotterdam that night.
6 October 2011
Mr Larrington
Surely the singer is Dutch and thus would be painting his face orange rather than red, white and blue?
6 October 2011
Third Rate Les
The Dutch flag is red white and blue. No doubt they’d be wearing some Orange too, perhaps one of those charming Wehrmacht orange helmets which caused a bit of a stir in the 2006 Weltmeisterschaft (the football one).
So the usual moral victory for Scotland eh, Exxo? I wonder who Korfball’s equivalent of Archie Gemmill is?
6 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
All I know is that it’s rumoured to be going off big-time, on the ‘ordinary’ to Leeuwarden’, according to one of Korfball’s Serbian ‘top-boys’ I ‘talk’ to online……
6 October 2011
John Anderson
Not much joy in Waregem or Gent though. Further research reveals that Belgium have played in eight Korfball World Championship finals and lost seven of them.
6 October 2011
John Anderson
These should be worn at the next gig.
6 October 2011
John Burscough
Here’s the Dutch team after their triumphant match to win EK 2010 – definitely orange (not sure what colour their away kit is though).
6 October 2011
Charles Exford
It’s about the facepaint, not the team colours though isn’t it?
6 October 2011
Paddy
If we assume that the narrator in JiL is Dutch shouldn’t Willy be pronounced Villy?
6 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
That’s how Steve McLaren pronounced it when he managed Twente (ordinary to) Enschede.
6 October 2011
John Burscough
@Paddy: These are deep waters, Watson. Willy (or Willi) would be pronounced with a ‘ v ‘ in the south of Holland, but Friesland (of which Leeuwarden is the capital) has lost its voiced fricatives, so it’s ‘ w ‘, as in the town itself (click on ‘listen’ here). NB57 is pronouncing it correctly (though they tend to roll their ‘ r ‘s more in Leeuwarden than they do on the Wirral).
7 October 2011
John Burscough
Famous natives of Leeuwarden include M C Escher, Rembrandt’s wife and Mata Hari. (Just thought you’d like to know.)
7 October 2011
Paddy
John thanks a million for clarifying excellent info. And a dunces hat for me for ever doubting Nigel’s pronunciation. The first two minutes of R+Rifobw is my highlight of the album (closely followed by many others) JiL in my top ten songs ever. Joint third favourite album with Actung Bono and after VTTBOTR and the, in some quarters, maligned TOB.
7 October 2011
Sanchez
By whom is TOB maligned? Show me and I will fight them
8 October 2011
Neil G
In Improv Workshop Mimeshow Gobshite, we are informed that:
How many of yous lot know
That song by Blackfoot Sue
“I’m Standing In The Road”
Was penned by the burly physio
Of non-league Farnborough Town
This is untrue, as the song was written by members of the band, who have never been involved with Farnborough Town. I suspect that this song was not written by those who we are told it was written by either. I think the ‘crock of shit’ gives it away as well.
8 October 2011
Paul Rodgers medodgers
Surely we know by now that the sleevenote always contains some form of lie or hoax? Producers and engineers often have more infamous namesakes.
For me the best bit of the “16 camps of hope” refrain is the twee innocence with which it is sung, making it sound exactly like an amateur song entered in a competition to become the official song of a championship. One minute you’re hearing the Dutch St Winifred’s School Choir, the next they’ve been invaded by John Davidson.
9 October 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
172?
9 October 2011
Third Rate Les
“Rudi”. Won’t fail.
9 October 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
“Rudie”. Can’t Fail.
9 October 2011
John Burscough
Another famous ex-resident of Leeuwarden here.
9 October 2011
BrumBiscuit
“isten” should have a capital letter, as it means “God”. I also think there should be a comma after “Willkommen, mein Herr” as VendoroQN stated in post 2. “Herr” is a noun, so needs a capital first letter.
My Hungarian missus is questioning the use of Isten hozta! as the correct translation of “welcome”, but her suggestion has so many Hungarian characters that I can’t (be bothered to) type that I’ll let it stand. It’s not as if it’s relevant in the context anyway.
9 October 2011
John Burscough
And another famous resident (taken from Taylor Parkes’ excellent Quietus review)…
10 October 2011
stevie lucas
Got a message back from Henny Wassenaar and Corien Steenstra. Here it is…
Hi Steve,
Sorry I didn’t write a song about Korfball, but I did perform with a friend during the breaks of the European Korfball Champions in Leeuwarden…
You can find our music on http://www.novellemusic.com.
Why would you like to know?
Greets,
Corien
10 October 2011
Chris The Siteowner
Oh well done Stevie. She sounds as bemused as Jemma Guntrip. Now that you’ve established a line of communication, I hope you’ll point her in the direction of our discussions on this page and get some feedback …although you may need to do a bit more explaining from first principles! I’ve had a Dutch friend doing some homework on the story, and she’s found nothing about it online at all. The hoax-ometer has well and truly swung into the red.
10 October 2011
stevie lucas
I’ll point her in this direction. Hope she has a sense of humour!
10 October 2011
Chigley Skin
Should it not be “bells a-ringing” in the first line?
10 October 2011
Norbert D
This plot is thickening fast, eh?
11 October 2011
Third Rate Les
Interesting. So they are indeed musically linked with the Korfball tournament, so while the song credit may be a hoax, it’s an extremely well researched one.
Suspect Chigley might be right with “bells-a-ringing”. Seconded.
11 October 2011
Charles Exford
Pointless, I know, since we now now know it’s a hoax, but somewhat piqued that I have waited in vain for my own reply from Corien and Henny these past three and a half weeks, I have taken matters to a higher authority by e-mithering Burgemeester Ferd Crone himself.
Meanwhile, having no kids of secondary (or any other) age myself, I’m wondering if I can persuade a nephew or a niece or two to start entering Olympics song competitions such as _this_ one with lyrics that feature the line “Some are just a crock of shit.”
http://www.arsenaldoubleclub.co.uk/fun-zone/competition/
11 October 2011
Floreat Ultonia
To Neil G:
Nowt to do with JiL, but 60s Euroballad ‘Days of Pearly Spencer’ was written and sung (and a hit in the Netherlands on three separate occasions) by Linfield’s reserve goalkeeper.
11 October 2011
John Burscough
I understand *Wikipedia face* he had a trial with them between the posts. (Pearly’s wits weren’t 100%, by all accounts.)
11 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
Exxo; I understand that the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (‘The Ombudsman’) may accept your complaint – about delays on the part of messrs Corien and Henny – for investigation, if you are unable to elicit a satisfactory response from Crone.
11 October 2011
Peter Gandy
Surely Misses Corien and Henny.
11 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
Eek! Thanks Peter. Bit of casual misogyny from me there. I need an awareness week for awareness weeks, methinks.
12 October 2011
Charles Exford
Yes, I know we know by now it’s a total hoax, and I know I could just ask the songwriters or something (and I know that in any sentence with so many ‘nows’ and ‘knows’ I am at severe risk of typoes – sorry about the one in the previous post).
But it’s so much more in the spirit of the thing I think to e-mail off to the alleged songwriters as Stevie did, or to the mayor of a Dutch city and get a mystified response from his spokesman, although he isn’t really answering the question I asked, which was mainly whether there actually was a song competition for the EKK 2010.
Anyway, thanks to Erik Krikke who has replied promptly on behalf of the mayor, breaking all known records for number of Ks in a relatively short name, even if we discount his association with the EKK.
“Dear Mr. Shaw,
Leeuwarden and the organisation of the EK Korfball has no connection with the band Half Man Half Biscuit. We have never heard about them.
Erik Krikke
Gemeente Leeuwarden”
12 October 2011
Charles Exford
Erik is efficiency personified, and has replied to my reply within an instant.
“Dear Mr. Shaw,
No, there was no song competition for EK Korfbal 2010.
Best wishes,
Erik Krikke.”
I shall waste no more of his valuable time …. well not until there’s a decent YouTube link to send him for ‘Joy in Leeuwarden’, that is.
12 October 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
I think Geoff should put him out of his misery and post off the whole CD.
12 October 2011
John Burscough
Nothing much on YouTube for JiL yet, but there is this Promotiefilm for EKK 2010, with what might have been the winning theme tune (if they’d had a competition).
12 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
Can I just say that Erik Krikke’s responses are quite magnificient. Speedy, to the point, and eminently proportionate to the issue in question. The Ombudsman would doubtless approve.
12 October 2011
John Burscough
Since we’re on the subject, two recent posts have referred to ‘the Ombudsman’ (capital O). Should this not be the case for “When The Evening Sun Goes Down” verse 1? And while I’m on that subject, isn’t there a Van Morrison reference in the title? And while I’m on that subject…
12 October 2011
Paul Rodgers (Crimond)
A pedant writes. I dispute Mr Krikke’s claim:
“Dear Mr. Shaw,
Leeuwarden and the organisation of the EK Korfball has no connection with the band Half Man Half Biscuit. We have never heard about them.
Erik Krikke
Gemeente Leeuwarden”
Now if he had written “We HAD never heard about them until receiving your email.” that would be closer to the truth.
More investigation is needed. He must have something to hide. When it comes to publicity the only people who try to distance themselves from Half Man Half Biscuit when the halogen lamp is shining their way are Half Man Half Biscuit themselves.
Is there an Ombudsman for Ombudsmen?
12 October 2011
Dave Wiggins
Any remedy, following the Ombudsman, Paul, would possibly have to come via the Courts. BIOA (British and Irish Ombudsman’s Association) could no doubt confirm this for us. Very good point you make though. John Burscough – capital ‘O’ for the Ombudsman is an excellent spot.
12 October 2011
BrumBiscuit
Can I just say that I stayed on a campsite in Wassenaar in 1980? Rather bizarrely, we ended up in a country & western club getting hammered at a Dutchman’s expense until I got freaked out and thought he was going to get us pissed (he succeeded) & bum us (he didn’t try!).
Sorry, we don’t have time…
14 October 2011
Mark Boyle
“Some contain top, top players”
Shouldn’t that read “Some contain top Korf players”?
Just wondered
14 October 2011
Third Rate Les in his Burberry fez
There’s a definite “t” on that second “top” there.
“top Korf players” is good but it’s not right.
14 October 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
And Chris would REALLY hate you if you were right, Mark.
14 October 2011
Chris The Siteowner
Oooh, Spencer, you’ve been around this site long enough to know that the pickier the correction, the more I love it!
14 October 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
Yes but I remember the Frasier Chorus angst …
14 October 2011
micky (the hoss)
Just posted on our Bentleys Roof message board :-)
16 October 2011
Hagerty F.
I wanted to back up Chigley Skin and Third Rate Les – I’ve been hearing ‘bells a-ringing’ too.
16 October 2011
Chris The Siteowner
Three of you. That’s certainly good enough for me.
16 October 2011
Daryl
This is my ‘Ode to Joyce’ song of the new album as it never fails to make me smile, although I can’t help thinking that the middle eight cost them ultimate victory in the song contest.
20 October 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
Listening on headphones, I’m sure I detect Nigel permitting himself a smile as he finishes singing ‘crock of shit’.
20 October 2011
2 Chevrons
Surely England would be the ‘crock of shit’. Going to a tournament with high hopes and as usual, we are a crock of shit.
20 October 2011
Brumbiscuit
It’s official: the “Isten” in “Isten Hozta” is not pronounced correctly according to the (Hungarain) missus. It should be “‘Ish-ten”/
31 October 2011
John Burscough
That’s not how I would spell Hungarian.
10 November 2011
Charles Exford
I noticed that a year on from Leeuwarden, it was the Korfball World Championship Final in China last weekend. No prizes and no surprises as to who beat who in the final, but it was perhaps mildly surprising that Ingerlund managed the heady heights of 5th place & even got a the honour of a player being chosen for the “Tounament Select VIII”. Wonder if this song got a play at the tournament … even on someone’s iPod ?
10 November 2011
Charles Exford
I only wrote that as a preeamble to say that Wales beat South Africa 14-13 in the tournament’s coveted Crock of Shit game.
10 November 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
Can you hear the Bianzhong ringing, Zhang Chunqiao ?
Are you wondering what the hue and cry’s about Gweilo?
Hurry now and run along to the public square
Break off from searching Zheng He
Lay down your Tangram Li Peng
Korfball’s coming to town
In a dodgy email write it down
Roll on October, hip hip hooray!
Joy in Shaoxing for sure
Of course Korfball world championship 2011 will ultimately be remembered for the lack of Serbians and Hungarians everywhere.
10 November 2011
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
My minimal research into the subject reveals that England have consistently been among the losing quarter-finalists at World and European championships. Am currently trying to establish whether their manager is Swedish.
10 November 2011
Third rate Les in his Burberry fez
Chapeau, Vendor!
Spencer – I also heard that the Korfball authorities introduced new, lighter balls that fly unpredictably towards the, erm, Korf, which the German Korfballbund introduced as standard several years previously but which seemed to come as a surprise to the English K.A.
11 November 2011
Nigel
Dobrodosli, Isten hozta!, willkommen, mein Herr!
A bit picky this one, but….. if you have an exclamation mark after a word you don’t need a comma as well and the next word should start with a capital letter. Isn’t it??????
13 November 2011
Pete Langdale
“Lay down your puzzle Jan” – I’ve not seen it mentioned yet, but I assume this is a nod towards Jan van Haasteren?
20 November 2011
Chesneywold
Jan van Haasteren jigsaw puzzles – to save everyone time – some good stuff there
i blinking love this song, makes me grin just to think that such a thing can exist. i always assumed that the puzzle line was referring to the sort of thing that eurokids are always depicted as doing in certain types of tv show which always makes them seem a bit alien to us, slightly old-fashioned like. The whole song feels along those lines to me.
I really like the line ‘joy in leeuwarden for sure’. The chewy stiltednes of the ‘for sure’ smacks either of a slightly difficult translation into english, or a europop band’s use of non-native english.
I also came across a painting called Uncle Rudi the other day at a gerhard richter exhibition, and the one thing you could say about it, for sure, is that above his SS uniform he he did have a smile on his face. Don’t think it can be relevant though, just couldn’t get it out of my mind.
21 November 2011
John Burscough
“Break off from grouting, Willy” – a nod to Willie Grout, Civil War hero commemorated in the Thanksgiving song ‘The Vacant Chair’? (Probably not.)
28 November 2011
Paul F
If you’ve ever met any Dutchmen, you’ll know that “For sure” is more common than “yes” as an affirmative response to a question.
29 November 2011
Paddy
In at number 19.
http://www.dandelionradio.com/2011festive50.htm
1 February 2012
John Burscough
Strong again (better than last appearance with National Shite Day at 21 in 2008).
1 February 2012
John Burscough
Another possible identity for Willi the grouter here: a Wigan tiler who may be the same Willi Schmitz who had 8 games for Fortuna Köln in 1981/82. Or may not.
1 February 2012
MIKE IN COV
Ein Pedant schreibt: capital ‘W’ in “Willkommen”, it’s a noun, and so requires one, as in the old-fashioned “sei Willkommen!”, “may you be welcome”. Note the obligatory exclamation mark to mark an imperative, correctly placed after “Herr” in the present version of the lyrics.
I want “He emended the case of a single letter” on my tombstone.
And it hadn’t occurred to me before, but Paul F is dead right about Dutchmen and “for sure”.
4 July 2012
Charles Exford
Blimey, it’s worse than I thought. An imperative noun, eh? No wonder I find it so impossible to auf Deutsch sprechen.
4 July 2012
MIKE IN COV
@Charles. It’s the verb “sei” which is imperative. Just as if I should say “Off!” in response to your polite request to learn some pedestrian etiquette, the verb is implied.
As for your “auf”, I’ll silently strike it out in red ink. As I will your “so”.
Fifteen-love.
4 July 2012
Michael Grayer
Must say I’ve been very much enjoying this discussion, especially the speculation about who the top top players and who the crocks of shit are. Can’t shed any light on who Alice, Willy and Jan are, but perhaps “Uncle Rudy” is Rudy Ramaekers, top Belgian player and former GB coach.
I also know some of the players who played in that championships quite well personally. In fact, I won a bronze medal playing on the same team as the current England captain in the UK University Korfball Championships back in 2008. Absolutely lovely bloke, and a truly top top player. Me, I fell fairly and squarely into the latter category, though I did score a wonderfully comical goal in the first knock-out game where the aforementioned player pretended he’d caught the ball, all the defenders sped off and guarded him, meanwhile the ball fell into my hands, completely unmarked, about a metre from the goal.
Only just discovered the song after a tip-off from a HMHB fan friend of mine. Love it. Also, it is eerily accurate, particularly the bit about “more intrigue in the pool games”.
Best wishes,
An actual korfball player from London.
3 September 2012
Would-be Korfball WAG, Leeuwarden
you areeally being the Michael Grayer of Mitcham KC??!! I’m sure I’m not being the only one on here who’s a bit starstrucked. You’ll be regretting using your own name on here if our korfball groupies catch up with you, but joy in Leeuwarden for sure, we are loving the intrigue in the pool with the English players. You are absolutely so cute in your profile on the QM research page for sure, but I am must be saying your profiles on Mitcham KC webpage are making you not yet even one year old.
http://www.mitchamkorfball.co.uk/playerinfo.aspx?key=154
Be in touch with us for sure.
5 September 2012
Michael Grayer
I’ll see you in the public square next time I’m in Leeuwarden.
(Thanks also for the reminder to sort out the club website…)
7 September 2012
Michael Grayer
Oh, and one more piece of korfball trivia for you:
One of the referees from that European Championships was a German lady by the name of Sandy Anus.
http://www.worldkorfball.org/games/933.html
For sure.
7 September 2012
ACIDIC REGULATOR
The remarkable thing is that Sandy Anus is just about as silly a name in German and Dutch as it is in English (sandy = sandig, zandig). Joy in Leeuwarden for sure.
I doubt we can ever have too much korfball trivia, @Michael. I trust you’ve taught the song to your teammates?
7 September 2012
jaeneas
leicesterkorfball.org.uk – Coming to town!
5 October 2012
Jonesy, NL
One of the most bizarre discussions I have come across in a long time. It truly is a crck of shite, though thoroughly enjoyable. I’d like to add that I’ve been to that camp site in Wassenaar too, but nobody paid for me to get drunk.
13 October 2012
BrumBiscuit
I wonder if Sandy Anus has ever been here: http://www.sandyballs.co.uk/
14 October 2012
ACIDIC REGULATOR
“Family fun … This summer with FREE swimming, entertainment and so much more!”
I think you overlooked a PBR, @Brumbiscuit.
15 October 2012
fisheswilllaugh
“Top, top players” shows a keen ear for linguistically-challenged football pundits; Paul “Merse” Merson on Soccer Saturday is particularly fond of this form of superlative, as in “…they’ve got some top players, I mean some top, top players.”
Also, being of Servo-Croat descent, I was mildly let down by the slight mis-pronunciation of (the correctedly spelled in the lyrics here) dobro došli, which should be pronounced “dobro doshly” but instead Nigel seems to sing “dobro dolshy” – still, a good effort, and I’m clearly nit-picking.
Incidentally, I’m writing this on a train from East Croydon to Brighton, where I’m stood next to a Scottish female and Northern Irish male, who by their shirts I can see are members of the Highbury Korfball Club, who just got on the wrong train and are therefore going to be late for their pool game against Cambridge. Oh, the intrigue…
5 May 2013
Bush grabber
As someone who has travelled to the Netherlands for a korfball tournament, it’s hard to convey how much this song sums up Dutch people who play korfball. Every Dutch person I’ve met who has played korfball has been a geek, with the exception of “Jay from Rotterdam” who can get you best MDMA this side of Eindhoven apparently.
11 June 2013
Alanis maisonnette
Yesterday an all staff email went around at work declaring that korfball was, in fact, coming to town. Unfortunately that town is Didcot. Needless to say I replied with a relevant youtube link.
14 September 2013
toastkid
Bit tangential, but I play softball (which is baseball with a soft underarm pitch, basically), and one of the things i love about it is that teams have to be an equal mix of men and women, which makes for a much less testosterone-fuelled experience (and therefore more fun, for me at least) than, eg, football. Korfball looks like it would have the same benefit.
I’ve been relistening to JIL a lot after hearing it live at Concorde2 in Brighton a couple of weeks ago. What a cracker, probably my favourite off the album.
29 October 2013
EXXO
@ Toastkid. Mrs. E & I have longed talked about starting a new sport, mostly just inspired by our own experiences of enjoying mixed football, but partly inspired by korfball, and partly inspired by the way they play a fair amount of mixed sports in the US, like softball and yes, soccer. There a quite a lot of mixed small-sided soccer leagues over there with quotas of each sex, e.g. in a seven-a-side match there might have to be either 4 blokes and 3 women, or vice versa, on each team. Each league seems to have its own rules according to local demand.
Our completely independent and new sport could be called, say “FFootball”, so that the FF*cking FA couldn’t tell us what to do. The rules would be remarkably similar to association football, except for a few revisions sufficient to distinguish them like I dunno, maybe you could dribble a corner or something, maybe pass a kick-off backwards. And there would be a quota of men and women on each side. The extra F would stand for ‘free’ from the b*stards at the tw*tting FA and mean they could do f*ck all about it (they’ve threatened to ban clubs who indulge in mixed football after the age of 12 in the past). Clearly those who were uncomfortable with the new sport would not apply, and all would proceed happily forward as they did when football and rugby splintered in C19.
As we hang up our boots in the next few years it might well go beyond pipe-dream level.
29 October 2013
Rubber Faced Irritant
Exxo – I’m pretty sure there used to be someone who posted on this site under the name Chedgzoy. At the time I assumed this was inspired by Sam Chedgzoy who played for Everton in the 1920’s and gained infamy after he dribbled a corner. This lead to the ref being surrounded by a mass of gnarled faces belonging to people who were on £1 10s 6d per week. So they changed the rules. I guess he would approve of your revisionist proposal.
30 October 2013
toastkid
Exxo – sounds like a worthy cause. I didn’t know the FA were so keen on banning mixed teams, very odd. Surely anything that gets people playing is to be encouraged?
30 October 2013
Clackers
Don’t know if it has been mentioned but I wonder if the line ‘Dobrodosli, Isten hozta!, Willkommen, mein Herr!’ is a deliberate echoing of Wilkommen in Caberet.
8 November 2013
Toastkid
I’ve got the opening lines of this going round my head now, but to the tune of Trumpton Riots, and vice versa. Try it, it works. “All of our songs sound the same”
25 November 2013
toastkid
Found myself singing this to a bemused teammate at a softball tournament at the weekend, after he told me he plays Korfball indoors during the winter. He was very polite about it.
13 May 2014
Dr Desperate
I asked my brother-in-law’s Dutch mate if he was into korfball and he was pathetically pleased that anyone in England had even heard of it. (My lady friend managed to drag me away before I could even get to the bells a-ringing.)
13 May 2014
toastkid
It seems to have a reasonable player base in East Anglia (where my teammate lives), which i believe has some historical ties or at least influence with/from the Netherlands, so maybe that’s why.
14 May 2014
Charlie
I think you’re right Toastkid. Over a pint at the weekend, a pal casually mentioned that they played in the same korfball team as Gonch from Grange Hill (whilst at the UEA). Insert own joke.
14 May 2014
dickhead in quicksand
You can get prosecuted for shooting a House sparrow in Leeuwarden. Quite right too.
26 December 2014
Glynos
One of the funniest HMHB songs!!!!
4 June 2015
Dr Desperate
Alice van der Meer met haar blokfluiten (with her recorders), which she studied at the conservatory in Groningen, 60km from Leeuwarden.
http://www.lauwersland-online.com/beeldbank/000/lauwersland-online-klankkleur-op-zuurdijk-2.jpeg
2 July 2015
Hubert de sAnderling
A bit after the event, but I’ve just been reliably informed that ‘Meer’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘dear’; it’s pronounced more like ‘mare’.
11 August 2015
dickhead in quicksand
“Dobrodosli, Isten hozta!, Willkommen, mein Herr!”
“Dobrodosli” is Croatian; it should be “Dobrodoshli” (Serbian, добродошли in Cyrillic).
IMO the first comma should be an exclamation point, to separate the Serbian and Hungarian greetings.
13 February 2016
dr desperate
Team of Korfballers on ‘Only Connect’ tonight.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mzk9g
15 August 2016
dr desperate
Sorry, wrong link there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07pj7sb
15 August 2016
brumbiscuit
In the course of my duties today I met an Anastasia van der Meer who looked rather confused when I asked her if she had a relation called Alice. That was almost as exciting as educating my cow-orkers that The Scream was soiled by bird shit.
17 October 2016
bryan
still pinching myself today.went out last night and met a girl from holland,when i asked where she was from,imagine my amazement when she said leeuwarden i
had to ask her again to confirm the answer. then i tried to explain to her that the band on my shirt had song a song about the korfball championships being played in said town.sadly she said she had never heard of korfball and was not aware of the event ever being hosted in the town.totally surreal.
21 October 2016
0902FriendS
Charles Exford – The link you posted about the 2008 Olympics six years ago, it’s definitely hoax. Bonus for creativity though… Spit-out-tea hilarious.
15 February 2017
Matty Weir
Here’s a link to Wikipedia’s entry for the Dutch football song ‘Hup Holland Hup (Go Holland Go)’:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hup_Holland_Hup
Notice how, in spite of the stilted translation, Mr Blackwell has captured the quirky nature of Dutch song-writing.
As for the two chaps who wrote this ditty, could Jan de Cler be the puzzler? Is Dico van de Meer related to Alice?
Is this all a coincidence, or is it further evidence of the detailed research that went into this hoax?
17 March 2017
Mariner
Fun Leeuwarden fact that I found out today.
Fans of Heerenveen in the Netherlands call Leeuwarden ‘058’ – the area dialing code.
In fact there’s tantalising evidence that Leeuwarden fans have adopted this nickname themselves.
17 May 2017
Irish Niall
I keep an eye out for both Heerenveen and Cambuur the latter being the actual Leeuwarden team* (they’re something of a Dutch Sunderland -in seemingly perpetual yoyo mode between the top and second flight of Dutch football). But as there’s a lot of folks in the region who at least sentimentally indulge a Friesian Nationalist streak many Leeuwarders seemingly support Heerenveen as they were the colours of the Friesian flag -the blue and white diagonal stripes with those red ‘heart’ device yokes on the white.
17 May 2017
Alex
funniest thing i’ve written all day for sure :)
3 May 2018
Rien Post
Considering “Uncle Rudy/Rudi/Ruudi”, another common way to spell that name in Dutch is ‘Rudie’. So take your pick. But “Ruudi” is definitely wrong.
11 August 2018
Chris The Siteowner
Surprised nobody’s mentioned that the European Korfball Championships 2018 are under way in the Netherlands (as in 2016 and famously in song in 2010), but I guess you were all waiting for Leeuwarden to get its first pool game. Wait no more, the venue has just watched Portugal surprisingly see off the mighty Catalonians, who came third last time and clearly aren’t the crock of shit some might have imagined. Indeed, nobody is; they’ve moved all those teams to a separate B-Championship. Adam Dibble of England was the referee receiving continual criticism from the touchline.
Next up: England v 2016 runners-up* Belgium. Joy, for sure.
*Kind of like winning it really, because the Netherlands are always champions.
17 October 2018
brumbiscuit
I just searched for ‘Biscuit’ on their site and was disappointed to get no results. There’s gratitude for you!
17 October 2018
dR desperate
Anyone else think the chorus sounds rather similar to ‘There Is A Tavern In The Town’ (trad arr Rudy Vallée)?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLSqts4xis8
11 January 2019
dr desperate
OK, anyone else idly wondering why there should be a hue and cry (“a common law process where bystanders are summoned to help apprehend a criminal”)?
31 May 2019
Alison
After playing 90 Bisodol tonight with my amp set to ‘straight’ my muso friend commented that this track had a very different ambience to the rest of the album and at this setting was playing in mono. Playing it set to stereo and it feels more like the rest of the album. Any ideas why this is.
9 October 2020
EXXO
Congratulations to Cambuur Leeuwarden, promoted after being one* of the unluckiest clubs in Europe last season, runaway leaders then towards the end of their fixtures, but had their entire league cancelled due to Covid-19, so no promotion.
Lovely that their elevation back to the top flight after 5 years was confirmed today by the 4th-place team getting battered by 5th-place Go Ahead Eagles, who themselves perhaps deserve a place in the A-Z for appearing on the cover of All I want for Xmas is a DPAK.
*Dukla Prague were almost as unlucky last season – won their last 7 games to get in the play-offs, then there were no play-offs due to a sudden second wave and second lock-down – actually arguably even unluckier, ‘cos they were always unlikely to perform as well in the second tier this season.
17 April 2021
EXXO
Sorry, that should have been in the A-Z under Leeuwarden.
17 April 2021
Peter gandy
Curling’s coming to town but not longer with sex toy adverts after a US TV blackout.
11 December 2021
Aiwacat
Korfball leaps to a new higher profile this evening as it turns up as an answer on easy-watching teatime quiz Pointless. Scoring a mighty two, and providing my first ever image of the alleged sport.
2 May 2023
Alice van der meer
Alice Van Der Meer can hear the bells a’ringing because that’s me bottom right on the end of a bellrope.
https://youtu.be/jnWDvFaj_sE
7 May 2023
Hendrix-tattoo
Did any of you have the urge to use a toilet by any chance?
7 May 2023
Alice van der meer
We only rang for half an hour so it wasn’t an issue – though on Thursday (practice) night I did pop to the church lav and the lights turned off halfway through my widdle!
7 May 2023
PERSIAN RUG VENDOR
The women’s rugby world cup is coming to town, sixteen teams are taking part, some contain top top players……..
18 August 2025