In sifting through old emails, I recently rediscovered a traditional Dutch song called “Kaap’ren Varen,” as re-imagined by the 1970’s folk-rock group Fungus.  I learn from the internet that they came from Eindhoven, and that they played and wrote songs mostly for werkend en werklose mannen – working and out-of-work men.

I can imagine that this song – whose lyrics I didn’t understand when it was first played for me – found a happy audience among the young working men of the 1970s.  The vocabulary is all old Dutch, but the basic idea of the song is that only men with beards are allowed to fare the seas.  The refrain lays it out in the following way:

Jan, Piert, Joris en Corneel
Die hebben baarden, die hebben baarden
Jan, Piert, Joris en Corneel
Die hebben baarden, zij varen mee

Although Dutch grooming was probably quite different in the ‘70s, and was obviously different for the members of Fungus, I have to say that beards are not the prevalent form of facial hair that I notice on today’s Jan, Piert, Joris en Corneel.  Dutch men seem to favor being completely shaven (heads too), or sporting elaborate mustaches.

According to the song, other activities allotted exclusively to the bearded include: deftige pijpkens smoren (smoking stylish pipes) en de walrus killen (killing the walrus).  (Note that in the old Dutch of the song, “killen” is used instead of “dood maken” – English and Dutch are never too far apart.)