Table of Contents
Claudio Ritfeld
It was close to Christmas, he searched the city
'T Liep tegen Kerstmis, hij zocht in de stad
Whether someone still had a room for him
Of iemand voor hem soms een kamer nog had
But wherever he went, people looked at him for a moment
Maar waar hij ook kwam, even keek men hem aan
Then they shook 'no', and that he should go
Dan schudde men 'nee', en dan kon-ie weer gaan
He was just a nigger, such a blacky
Hij was maar 'n neger, zo'n zwarte
You don't get something like that into your house
Zoiets haal je niet in je huis
Because then you defied fate
Omdat je 't noodlot dan tartte
Because those blacks are no good after all
Want die zwarten zijn immers niet pluis
He saw the Christmas trees through the windows
Hij zag door de ramen de kerstbomen staan
With glittering bubbles and lights on it
Met glinst'rende bellen en lichtjes eraan
He heard singing, oh so devout and devout
Hij hoorde gezang, ozo vroom en devoot
While all doors were closed properly for him
Terwijl men voor hem alle deuren goed sloot
He was just a nigger, such a blacky
Hij was maar 'n neger, zo'n zwarte
You don't get something like that into your house
Zoiets haal je niet in je huis
Because then you defied fate
Omdat je 't noodlot dan tartte
After all, those blacks are not right
Want die zwarten zijn immers niet pluis
In the church that invited him, he knelt there
In 't kerkje dat noodde, daar knielde hij neer
At the rough-wooden crib, of our Lord's
Bij 't ruw-houten kribje, van ons Lieve Heer
Then he wondered if that child so small
Toen vroeg-ie zich af of dat kindje zo klein
Would have been born only for whites
Alleen maar voor blanken geboren zou zijn
He was just a nigger, such a blacky
Hij was maar 'n neger, zo'n zwarte
You don't get something like that into your house
Zoiets haal je niet in je huis
Because then you defied fate
Omdat je 't noodlot dan tartte
Because those blacks are no good after all
Want die zwarten zijn immers niet pluis
He was only a negro [1] is a single by Zangeres Zonder Naam, but released here under her “own” first name Mary. It was written by Johnny Hoes with a textual contribution by Fred van Dam. She is accompanied by the Telstar Orchestra conducted by Jean Kraft. It also appeared on the Christmas album Merry Christmas in 1966
The song is partly sung, partly spoken. [2] The song, which opposes racism, is a modern take on the Christmas story and tells the story of a black man who is not let in anywhere because he is black. [3]
In 1998 a cover by Rob Muntz followed, which caused quite a stir. This version was boycotted by almost all radio stations. [4]