This month we released a very special song called “The Appletree.”
This is the song about Roel Heij’s life. It is a tale of restlessness and finding peace. About a kid that cannot be contained within the walls of his garden and of a man whose feet have since walked thousands of kilometres during his pilgrimages.
It is made doubly special as his daughter has commissioned a special video for it, transcribed by a sign language performer. This way, even as the world around her grows quieter, she will still be able to enjoy the song about her father.
She had this to say about the song and this video:
“The Appletree” by Bart Zeal is a special song about the life of my father, Roel Heij. Bart’s music is not entirely accessible to me. Receiving music in the shape that Bart intended is only available to everyone with a good ear.
When you start to hear less and less, like me and many others, music changes. The sounds within the music distort. The lyrics become sounds, rather than words.
I hear the song, but I’ve no real way of knowing how much it differs from the way Bart envisioned it. I have no idea if I connect to the emotions that I’m supposed to feel through the soundscape of the music and Bart’s voice.
By repeatedly reading the lyrics, I have managed to understand Bart’s voice and lyrics when listening to “The Appletree,” because my brain has started to combine the sounds with the lyrics I’ve read as plain text. The experience of the song is completed by my hearing aids and the frequencies I’m still able to hear.
Because sound as I know it is disappearing from my life ánd since I’m fluent in sign language, I’ve asked Hanneke de Raaff to translate “The Appletree” into Dutch Sign Language with subtitles.
Because of her efforts, I can now experience and enjoy all aspects of this beautiful song about my father. This is a different way of listening, a way that I can enjoy even when my world is getting quieter.
In a way, it fits charmingly with the song itself; to not stay where you are, but to get out there and explore. Meet new people and discover new possibilities. These activities change and enrich your life as a human being!
LYRICS
He gave me the apple tree
So, in that sense, they were right
For it tempted me to make the leap
Kick-off and then take flight
And I was just over the garden wall
When I heard the soft wind sing
The outside, it touched my soul
So I never flew back in
And YES, I am leaving now!
YES, I am leaving town!
And I’ll be coming back someday
But now I’ve got to go
For I must walk in foreign places
Meeting all these different faces
Today will be my compass
To guide me tomorrow
With just a backpack and an apple
Unknown where I’ll sleep tonight
I went from church to chapel
Meeting folks, now friends of mine
When I’m on a pilgrimage
I rarely walk alone
And the prejudices plummet
As the strangers become known
And YES, I am leaving now!
YES, I am leaving town!
And I’ll be coming back someday
But now I’ve got to go
For I must walk in foreign places
Meeting all these different faces
Today will be my compass
To guide me tomorrow
The more you’ll learn…
the more you’ll see!
So YES, I am leaving now!
YES, I am leaving town!
And I’ll be coming back someday
But now I’ve got to go
For I must walk in foreign places
Meeting all these different faces
Today will be my compass
To guide me tomorrow
I said
Today will be my compass
To guide me tomorrow
CREDITS
Tom de Munck: Electric Guitar & Mix
Ruben Isarin: Master Engineer
Bart Mesman: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Songwriting
Bart the Bard 