This is it: the public-inspired song for king Willem-Alexander

A song for the new king, inspired by texts contributed by members of the public, had its first airing on Friday, sung by the likes of Marco Borsato and Trijntje Oosterhuis and with a rap from Lange Frans.

The music of the song for king Willem-Alexander was composed by John Ewbank and has been criticised for its similarity to Matt Redman’s 10.000 Reasons.

The song will be sung at a concert in the Ahoy stadium on April 30 to celebrate Willem-Alexander’s investiture.

Initial reactions to the song have been negative so far. On Twitter it has been described as ‘horribly pretentious’, as sounding like a Eurovision Song Contest entry and a good reason for Willem-Alexander to move to Argentina.

This is an unofficial translation

Song for the King

So there you are
Everyone has a task to fulfill in this life
Done everything to prepare yourself, and there you are
You promise that you will give your all
Every step you took led to this moment
Look around you
We are walking by your side through the rain and the wind
Shall I remain at your side
I will protect you against everything that comes at you
I shall stand guard as you sleep
I’ll protect you from the storm
Keep you safe as long as I live,

Rap
One battle two lives
United we stand, not to be broken
One flag, two lions
Together in the sun and the rain
Side to side, chests out
Proud as a peacock, this is our sound
And no matter how small we are
Our deeds are great
Don’t fall down
For you, my child
For my dad, for my mum
Walk ahead of you through the wind and the rain
And will stand behind you
I carry a penant with your name
Believe in you for as long as we are
I will build a dyke with my bare hands
And keep the water away from you

Tell me what you dream of
What your heart desires
I will not rest until it has come true
And if you ever lose your way
I will be your beacon in the night
I will point you to the harbour in the darkness
I will fight like a lion
Until you have everything
Keep you safe as long as I live

Rap
The W for Willem
Three fingers in the air, come on, come on
The W for Willem is the W for we
All of Oranje is side by side
The W for water we won’t give way to
We’ll drain it and build dykes
The W for welcome among us
No matter what god you pray to
The W for Willem
The W from wake up, eat stamppot
Millions of coaches who know better
The W for always wanting to win
And that is where we are coming from
The W from we all together
Shoulder to shoulder
And so today we shout…

Through the wind and the rain
I will stand next to you
I will protect you against everything that comes at you
I shall stand guard as you sleep
I’ll protect you from the storm
Keep you safe as long as I live,
Tell me what you dream of
What your heart desires
I will not rest until it has come true
And if you ever lose your way
I will be your beacon in the night
I will point you to the harbour in the darkness
I will fight like a lion
Until you have everything
Keep you safe as long as I live

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