In 1963 the Dutch singer and songwriter Jules de Corte released a song titled “Ik zou well eens willen weten” (I would really like to know). The words and music and the wistful way he recorded It made a lasting impression on me. The following are the lyrics or it:
I would really like to know
Why are the mountains so high?
Perhaps to gather the snow
Or to keep the valley from the cold
Or perhaps as a safe support for the arch of the sky
That is why the mountains are so high
I would really like to know
Why are the seas so deep?
Perhaps for the happiness of the fish
Who can hardly do without the water
Or for the greater glory of God who created the world
That is why the seas are so deep
I would really like to know
Why are the clouds so fast?
Perhaps it is a lesson for man
That teaches him how fictitious a boundary is
Or perhaps it is simply an angelic game
That is why the clouds are so fast
I would really like to know
Why are people so tired?
Perhaps from their hunting and chasing
Or perhaps from their ten thousand questions
And they have been on their way to peace for so long
That is why people are so tired
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Julius “Jules” de Corte (29 March 1924–16 February 1996) was probably one of the most famous blind singer-songwriters from the Netherlands. I happened to catch a glance of him a few times when he sat behind the piano in his living room when walking by his house on the way to the pub in 1962 when I was stationed on the airbase Ypenberg during my mandatory 2 year military service in the Netherlands