This month we released “I Saw Her There”, a song for and about the love I feel for my fiancée! It is about love at first sight, love that lasts, and a cosy loving future together; a special Valentine’s Day release!
The song takes place in Wageningen, our hometown. Wageningen is a small town that is surrounded by nature on all sides. I love exploring the floodplains of the river Rhine on one side, where you’ll also find ‘wild’ horses roaming the nature reserve De Blauwe Kamer. If you walk up the hill, you’ll end up in a forested part of Wageningen, where we love to walk on sunny autumn days and collect things like chestnuts and mushroom. It opens up to the wide flatness and far horizons of the quiet area of ‘Binnenveld’ on yet another side, which is perfect for when you want to leave the busy everyday life and find a moment of peace together.
I arrived here in 2011, studying at Wageningen University, which is famous for its agricultural and sustainability fields. My fiancée grew up here. We both know the town inside-out, but both in a very different way, which has a certain magical charm in its own sense; we could still show each other new things inside a town we both thought we already knew through and through. This song is as much a statement of my love for her as it is for our happy times here in this town.
The Verses
The lyrics of the first verse describes a romanticization of our meeting; running into her in this lovely little town and being swept away by her eyes; sparkling green irises with a golden-brown ring around the pupils. A moment of love at first sight, so fitting for Valentine’s day. This first verse describes the first moments together, while verse two continues with an impatient eagerness of commit myself to her.
The phrase “With butterflies hanging from her ears and flowers in her hair” refers to a set of earrings I bought in Wageningen, which were made out of actual butterfly wings. I gifted them and it still makes me happy to see her wear them. This verse describes the significant role of nature in our lives and convictions. It predicts a hopeful future where we may be wed, which continues in verse three.
This last verse describes our desires to buy a house of our own, which we may then furnish in a way that reflects us as a couple and where we may grow food in a spacious garden. If I could have it my way, it’d be one of the houses at the outskirts of this little town, near the floodplains, perhaps. The verse extends our love for each other and the natural world around us. It is about a place where we could happily and peacefully grow old together and make a real home for ourselves till the end of our days.
Love
In this case, the song is about a romantic love, but I find that there are also many other and different kinds of love to be found in the natural world and in small things in our lives. It is important to keep noticing these things of beauty, especially in these times when the world is becoming a harder and grey place.
So, I wish you lots of love, today and in the rest of your days and I hope you’ll enjoy this song. If you feel anything in particular while listening or if the song reminds you of your own experience with love, I’d be happy to hear your thoughts! If you decide to share your thoughts online, do tag me so I can read about them or reach out and contact me. I’d love to hear from you!
LYRICS
As I was going up to town
I saw her standing there
As I was walking up and down
I saw a lady fair
And I saw her with
Her eyes of green
And golden hue within
I saw her there and she saw me
No place I’d rather been
No place I’d rather been me boys
Than right here in this town
I find it hard to wait until
She wears her wedding gown
With butterflies hanging from her ears
And flowers in her hair
I saw her there and she saw me
My wife and lady fair
And when we’re wed as we shall be
We’ll buy a little house
And all the while she will remain
My one and only spouse
We’ll grow our food
And we’ll grow old
In lands here far away
Then our time will come
And our souls must rest
Until the end of days
CREDITS
Production by Ruben Isarin.
Composition and Lyrics by Bart Mesman
Dulcimer and Vocals by Bart Zeal
Bart the Bard 