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
Altied Op Zeuk
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
alles wat ik deej en alles wat ik schreef
steeds als iemand an meej vroog woar ik nou toch wir bleef
heb ik an ow gedocht
hoe ik keek en hoe ik leep of ik wakker waas of sleep
droeme denke als ik 'm duchtig kneep
heb ik an ow gedocht bij alles wat ik deej
refrein: ik kos neet sloape, mien hart bleef oape
mien oege zochte en bleeve hoape
altied op zeuk nar 'n gedicht
denke oaverdaag en denke 's oaves laat
vroage woar ik nou toch wir met mien gedachte zaat
steeds wir an ow gedocht
't is steeds 'n ander end of 'n nij begin
altied mar dat iene woard altied mar die zin
mar ik blief op vannacht tot geej wir beej meej bint
refrein
The lyrics of Rowwen Hèze's song Altied Op Zeuk can be interpreted as being about unrequited love. The singer has constantly been thinking about the person they are in love with, even when doing mundane tasks or dreaming at night. They cannot sleep because their heart is open, and their eyes are constantly searching for the object of their affection. It seems that the singer is consumed by their feelings, as they are always looking for a way to express their emotions through poetry or some form of art. Despite the fact that the object of their love seems to be distant, the singer remains hopeful that they will be together again one day.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, as it shows just how deeply the singer is in love. They cannot sleep, and their heart remains constantly open, hoping for the person they love to return to them. The repetition of the line "mien oege zochte nar ow gezicht" (my eyes search for your face) emphasizes just how important this person is in the singer's life. The idea of constantly searching for a poem or a way to express their emotions shows that the singer is creative and sensitive, and they use their art to cope with the pain of unrequited love.
Overall, Rowwen Hèze's Altied Op Zeuk is a beautiful and emotional song about the pain of unrequited love. The singer is consumed by their feelings, and they cannot sleep or focus on anything else but the object of their affection. Despite this, they remain hopeful that they will be reunited one day, and they use their creativity to express their emotions and cope with their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
alles wat ik deej en alles wat ik schreef
Everything I did and everything I wrote
steeds als iemand an meej vroog woar ik nou toch wir bleef
Whenever someone asked me where I had been
heb ik an ow gedocht
I thought of you
hoe ik keek en hoe ik leep of ik wakker waas of sleep
How I looked and how I walked whether I was awake or asleep
droeme denke als ik 'm duchtig kneep
Dreaming thoughts when I squeezed it tightly
heb ik an ow gedocht bij alles wat ik deej
I thought of you in everything I did
refrein: ik kos neet sloape, mien hart bleef oape
Chorus: I couldn't sleep, my heart remained open
mien oege zochte nar ow gezicht
My eyes searched for your face
mien oege zochte en bleeve hoape
My eyes searched and continued to hope
altied op zeuk nar 'n gedicht
Always searching for a poem
denke oaverdaag en denke 's oaves laat
Thinking during the day and thinking late at night
vroage woar ik nou toch wir met mien gedachte zaat
Wondering where my thoughts were leading me
steeds wir an ow gedocht
Still thinking of you
't is steeds 'n ander end of 'n nij begin
It's always a different end or a new beginning
altied mar dat iene woard altied mar die zin
Always that one word, always that sentence
mar ik blief op vannacht tot geej wir beej meej bint
But I'll wait until you're with me again tonight
refrein
Chorus
Contributed by Brody T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@royscouttrompet
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