Many of the lyrics are sketches of provincial everyday life: a young bird falling from its nest, a famous person in the village, a local funeral, scenes from the local pub or just waking up with a hangover.
Established in 1985, the band called themselves The Legendary Texas Four until Jack Poels joined as the new frontman. He joined on the condition that he wanted to add at least one song in the Limburg dialect to the band's repertoire. The other members agreed. Rowwen Hèze was born.
Rowwen Hèze translates loosely as 'Rough Hesen' and was the nickname of a notorious character from the village, Christiaan Hesen (1853-1947). Under this new name, the band started covering songs from Thin Lizzy. The band also wrote Dutch party songs for the annual carnival in the southern Netherlands.
The band saw two members leave in the early years. Mart Deckers (drums) and Geert Hermkes (accordeon) left the band. The line-up that was formed in 1991 is still intact today and has been unchanged for 29 years and counting.
- Jack Poels (lead singer, guitar)
- Tren van Enckevort (accordeon, piano, trombone)
- Jan Philipsen (bass)
- Theo Joosten (guitar, mandoline, tin whistle, percussion)
- Jack Haegens (trumpet, trombone, percussion)
The band's 1992 performance at Limburg's Pinkpop Festival was a breakthru moment. The band's set was shown live on Dutch television. At the time, the band had four studio albums under its belt: Rowwen Hèze (1987), Blieve loepe (1990), Boem (1991) and the live album, In de weiIn De Wei (1992). Their party anthem, Bestel mar (1992) hit #13 in the Dutch Top 40, still their highest charting single.
This pattern of three studio LPs and a live album repeated itself in the 1990s: Station America (1993), Zondag in het Zuiden (1995) and Water, lucht en liefde were followed by a 1999 live album entitled 't Beste van 2 werelden (1999), this time a recording of Rowwen Hèze semi-acoustic theatre incarnation.
The steady stream of albums continued in the 21st century.
Studio albums
Vandaag (2000)
Dageraad (2003)
Rodus & Lucius (2006)
Zilver (2010)
Manne van staal (2011)
Geal (2012)
Hemel op aarde: De liedjes (2013)
Vur altied: Ballades & Beer (2016)
De liefde, de muziek, de herinnering (2017)
Voorwaartsch (2019)
Onderaan beginne(2021)
Live albums:
D.A.D.P.G.S. (2003)
Andere wind (2004)
Saus (2008)
Wear of gen wear: Slotconcert 2019 (2019)
Compilation album:
Kilomeaters: 't beste van 20 joar Rowwen Hèze (2005)
Official site: www.rowwenheze.nl
't Greune monster
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oaver 'n monster dat ik ken
Ik zuj 't met mien wurd wille verdrieve
Ik zuj 't slachte met mien pen
Want woar ik noeit mie zal liere leave
Is dat dat monster altied van meej wint
Als ik mien hart an iemand wil goan geave
Als geej meej vertelt oaver die andere
Allein 'n woard, 'n zin hoe leuk 't waas
Ik kan d'r echt niks an verandere
Dan is dat biest heer binne wir d'n baas
'T kiekt meej aan en groeit gemeine vlamme
Greune kop op zienne slangennek
'T wil meej met zien sluipend gif verlamme
En 't kwijlt oet zienne valse bek
Zien tong is scherp, zien oege zien gesplete
Als 'n mes dat blinkt vurdat 't stukt
Als 'n gewear net vurdat 't giet schete
'T moment dat alles in meej brukt
Mar ik lach 'm oet en schrieuw
Todat ie wankelt en 'ie velt
Ik griep 'm vast en break zien botte
Tot'ie oetgeteld vur meej op de grond
Zienne ware aard lut zeen
Achterdochtig schepsel
Schrompelt langzaam in
En 't zal nar boete kroepe
Ik wil 't van mien leave noeit mier zeen
Ik zal neet drinke op mien oaverwinning
Ik trek meej oet, drei an de werme kraan
Ik spuul meej af met stroale van bezinning
En met ow hiel dicht teage meej aan
The lyrics of "t Greune monster" by Rowwen Hèze refer to a personal struggle that the singer faces with a "green monster" that they know well. The monster represents jealousy or envy that the singer cannot seem to defeat. The lyrics describe how the monster always wins over the singer, even when the singer tries to give their heart to someone else. The monster is depicted as a vile creature with a green head on a snake-like neck, and it taunts and paralyzes the singer with its venomous fangs and sharp tongue.
The singer of the song explains that they would like to write a song about this monster and how they would like to defeat it with their words. The monster grows stronger whenever the singer hears about another person, and they become powerless against it. However, the singer eventually manages to overcome the monster by laughing at it and shouting until it wobbles and falls. They then break its bones and reveal its true, suspicious nature. The singer's victory is not celebrated with a drink, but rather with solitude, reflection, and the warmth of a loved one's embrace.
Line by Line Meaning
Ik zuj zo gear 'n liedje schrieve
I'd love to write a song about a monster I know, and I want to use my words to defeat it.
Oaver 'n monster dat ik ken
It's about a monster that I'm acquainted with.
Ik zuj 't met mien wurd wille verdrieve
I want to vanquish it with my words.
Ik zuj 't slachte met mien pen
I'll slaughter it with my pen.
Want woar ik noeit mie zal liere leave
I've learned that the monster always wins against me.
Is dat dat monster altied van meej wint
No matter how hard I try, the monster always emerges victorious.
Als ik mien hart an iemand wil goan geave
Whenever I try to give my heart to someone,
'T gevecht vanzelf wir begint
the fight with the monster inevitably starts again.
Als geej meej vertelt oaver die andere
When you talk to me about others,
Allein 'n woard, 'n zin hoe leuk 't waas
just a word, a phrase, how fun it was,
Ik kan d'r echt niks an verandere
I can't change anything about it,
Dan is dat biest heer binne wir d'n baas
then the monster is once again in control of me.
'T kiekt meej aan en groeit gemeine vlamme
It stares at me and ignites vicious flames.
Greune kop op zienne slangennek
Green head on his snakelike neck.
'T wil meej met zien sluipend gif verlamme
It wants to paralyze me with its creeping poison,
En 't kwijlt oet zienne valse bek
and drools from its false mouth.
Zien tong is scherp, zien oege zien gesplete
Its tongue is sharp, its eyes split,
Als 'n mes dat blinkt vurdat 't stukt
like a knife that glimmers before striking,
Als 'n gewear net vurdat 't giet schete
like a gun before firing,
'T moment dat alles in meej brukt
the moment when everything in me breaks.
Mar ik lach 'm oet en schrieuw
But I laugh at it and shout,
Todat ie wankelt en 'ie velt
until it staggers and falls.
Ik griep 'm vast en break zien botte
I grab it and break its bones,
Tot'ie oetgeteld vur meej op de grond
until it's out for the count on the ground before me,
Zienne ware aard lut zeen
Its true nature is revealed,
Achterdochtig schepsel
a suspicious creature,
Schrompelt langzaam in
slowly withering away,
En 't zal nar boete kroepe
and it will crawl back into the depths,
Ik wil 't van mien leave noeit mier zeen
I never want to see it again in my life.
Ik zal neet drinke op mien oaverwinning
I won't drink to my victory,
Ik trek meej oet, drei an de werme kraan
I withdraw, turn on the warm tap,
Ik spuul meej af met stroale van bezinning
I wash myself off with streams of contemplation,
En met ow hiel dicht teage meej aan
and with you very close to me.
Writer(s): jack poels
Contributed by Cameron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
R Joosten
Een van de beste nummers.👍
0412 Elzen
weer een topper van deze band