Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
“Hy Waak Oor My” was born out of the kind of week where your body is tired, your thoughts won’t slow down, and even small decisions feel heavy. I caught myself doing that familiar scan — looking left and right for help, for certainty, for someone to say, “You’re safe.” But the more I searched, the more I realized I was trying to carry tomorrow with today’s strength.
Psalm 121 has always felt like a road song to me — something you sing while you’re still walking, not after everything is fixed. In the Karoo, you learn what it means to look up: the horizon is endless, the nights are wide, and you feel very small in a way that’s honest. That landscape became the backdrop of this lyric — deep, earthy, unpolished — because the message is not a glossy escape. It’s a grounded promise.
This song reminds me that God’s care is not fragile or intermittent. He doesn’t drift. He doesn’t lose focus. He doesn’t fall asleep while I wrestle through the dark hours. The chorus is intentionally repetitive because anxiety repeats itself — and I needed a truth that could outlast the loop.
“Hy Waak Oor My” is for the mornings when faith feels quiet, and for the nights when fear feels loud. It’s a simple confession set to a steady rhythm: I am kept. I am seen. I am not alone.
ISRC Number: QZK6J2642075
Lyrics & story: Dirk Koen • Vocal: AI-assisted instrument • Production: Dirk Koen
Psalm 121:1–8
When I feel unstable, Psalm 121 pulls me back to bedrock: God does not slip, and He does not sleep. His care stays steady when mine feels thin. HY WAAK OOR MY is a sung reminder that even in my busiest thoughts, the Keeper of Israel remains alert over me.
Intro (Guitar riff)
(Instrumental)
Verse 1 (Afrikaans)
Wanneer die nagligte flou oor die pad lê
En die wêreld so groter as ek voel
As die nuus weer my hart vol vrees maak
En ek wonder of U my nog sien
Op die grond sien ek skaduwees groei
In my kop hoor ek stemme van twyfel
Maar U Gees fluister diep in my siel
Kyk op, My kind, jy is nie alleen nie
Pre-Chorus (Afrikaans)
En ek weet, ek weet, al sien ek dit nie nou
U hand hou die hemel én my hart vas
Chorus 1 (Afrikaans)
Ek slaan my oë op na die berge
Waar sal my hulp vandaan kom
My hulp kom van die Here
Skepper van hemel en die aarde
U laat my voete nooit gly nie
U slaap nie, U sluimer nooit
My hulp kom van die Here
Hy waak oor my, Hy waak oor my
Verse 2 (Afrikaans)
As ek ry op daai lang grondpaaie
Tussen dorpe se dowwe ligte
Wanneer sirenes in die stad weer huil
En die wêreld gebroker as ooit lyk
In die hitte van al my vrae
Wanneer antwoorde ver en stil voel
Kom U nader soos ’n sagte Karoo bries
En U fluister: “Moenie vrees nie, Ek is hier”
Pre-Chorus 2 (Afrikaans)
En ek weet, ek weet, al voel ek nog so klein
U arm is nie te kort om my vas te hou nie
Chorus 2 (Afrikaans)
Ek slaan my oë op na die berge
Waar sal my hulp vandaan kom
My hulp kom van die Here
Skepper van hemel en die aarde
U laat my voete nooit gly nie
U slaap nie, U sluimer nooit
My hulp kom van die Here
Hy waak oor my, Hy waak oor my
Bridge (Afrikaans)
U is my skadu in die helder Karoo son
U is my skild in die diepste nag
U bewaar my uitgaan en my ingaan
U hou my lewe in U hand
Bridge (English)
You are the shade at my right hand
You are the peace in my midnight hour
You keep my coming and my going
You are my Keeper, You are my power
Final Chorus (Afrikaans – bigger ending)
Ek slaan my oë op na die berge
Ek wéét waar my hulp vandaan kom
My hulp kom van die Here
Skepper van hemel en die aarde
U laat my voete nooit gly nie
U slaap nie, U sluimer nooit
My hulp kom van die Here
Hy waak oor my, Hy waak oor my
Hy waak oor my, Hy waak oor my
Outro (Instrumental fade)
(Instrumental)