Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
Merweville, Karoo, Western Cape
“Oud Maar Nog Nie Koud Nie” is a Karoo story with two faces: an old, forgotten train station… and a person who, with the passing years, can also feel “passed by.” It carries the same emotional spirit as “Die Ou Hoekwinkel,” just with a different setting: not a corner shop’s little light, but a station’s silence.
In its best days, Prins Albert Weg Station was a centre of life. There was movement in every whistle, every brake, every call of people arriving and leaving. Steam trains cut across the plains with the smell of coal heavy in the air. Metal wheels groaned on steel and smoke hung like a banner over the platform. The station mattered — not only as a place, but as a symbol of connection, purpose, and community.
Then the world changed. Routes shifted. Priorities moved on. The next “big thing” called. Slower things became “irrelevant.” And suddenly only broken structures remained: rust, quiet, and the occasional train that passes without stopping.
That’s where the metaphor bites — because the same can happen to people. You were once needed, seen, involved. Later it can feel like you were only a stepping stone for the next generation. No thank you. No “are you okay?” Just the silence after the last train.
This is not a complaint song. It’s a wake-up song. It says: stop, listen, look, remember. Because even in ruins there is life: swallows still build nests in the cracks. And even if the world forgets you, God does not. You can still stand. Still carry warmth. Still be a beacon in storms.
ISRC Number: QT6G92539408
Lyrics & story: Dirk Koen • Vocal: AI-assisted instrument • Production: Dirk Koen
Isaiah 46:4; Psalm 92:12–14
This song rests on God’s promise to carry us through every season, even when the world rushes on. Isaiah 46:4 says that even to old age and grey hairs, God will sustain and carry us. Psalm 92 says the righteous still bear fruit in old age; they remain fresh and flourishing. The hope is simple: your value is not measured by being “new and shiny.” Your value is held in God’s hands — and He can still make you a light, even if others treat you as forgotten.
Intro riff
(Instrumental)
Verse 1
Toe Prins Albert Weg nog asemhaal, was daar lewe op die perron,
mense kom en mense gaan, met hul drome vroeg en laat gespon.
Stoomtrein fluit oor oop Karoo, kole-reuk so swaar en rou,
metaalwiele byt in staal, rook hang soos ’n vaandel blou.
Daar was hande, daar was groete, daar was hoop in elke rit,
en die stasie was ’n hartklop waar die dorp se storie sit.
Chorus 1
Die ou vergete stasie, maar my spore loop nog ver,
oud maar nie koud nie — ek het storms leer trotseer.
Die ou vergete stasie, al jaag hul verby my heen,
ek bly staan hier in die wind… ’n baken in alleen.
Verse 2
Nou’s dit roes en net die stilte wat my kamers stadig vul,
ligte flits verby in verte, maar hul stop nie meer by nul.
Net die wind deur leë vensters fluister sag: “Onthou jy my?”
en die ou klok in my mure tik: “Die tyd vergeet… maar ek bly.”
Bridge
Net soos jy en net soos ek was daar dae vol klank en kleur,
toe ons middelpunt was vir ander, elke dag ’n vars geur.
Nou jaag hul na die volgende blink — en trap ons drome plat,
geen “Dankie”, geen “Is jy nog reg?” — net stilte ná die pad.
Maar luister mooi: onder stof en roes lê steeds ’n vuur wat brand,
want waarde lê nie in die nuut nie… dit lê in wie jy was.
Final Chorus / Outro
Die ou vergete stasie, soos ’n mens wat stil verdwyn,
oud maar nie koud nie — daar’s nog lig wat in my skyn.
Swaeltjies bou hul neste veilig in my krake, stil en klein,
en in storms wys ek vir dié wat dwaal: jy’s nie alleen, jy’s myne.
Moenie jou wortels ooit vergeet nie, moenie jou hart laat breek,
selfs ’n ou vergete stasie kan nog hoop in donker steek.