Rowwen Hèze is a Dutch folk rock band fronted by Jack Poels. They hail from… Read Full Bio ↴Rowwen Hèze is a Dutch folk rock band fronted by Jack Poels. They hail from the small town of America in the southern Dutch province of Limburg. Rowwen Hèze are known for Poels' poetic lyrics as well as upbeat folk songs in a Tex-Mex vein, sung in the Limburg dialect. Their music is heavily influenced by Tex-Mex and polka music.

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

Bertje
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Jack Poels)
ze haj 'm gebeld
ze haj 'm verteld
ze heeld nog steeds van eum
ze vulde zich rot
ze woj 'm ni kwiet
haj van alles spiet
en Bertje haj gewacht en haj allien mar gezagd

refrein: geej het 't fout gedoan
meej in de kelt loate stoan
meej loate wachte op ow
meej loate denke an ow
meej veur de ganse tied
gezurgd dat ik meej verwiet
geej het 't fout gedoan
ik bin 't allemoal kwiet
't haj joare gedeurd
van alles gebeurd
hoe ze leep te sjanse vur de rest van de welt
en bert doch elleke kier
dat flikt ze ni mier
mar toen ze haj gebeld haj heej allien mar verteld
refrein
bertje is weggegoan
heej leep zichzelf in de weg
heej kos gen glaas loate stoan
heej zoop ze allemoal leg
heej zoop de ganse daag
heej zoop de ganse nacht
totdat 'ie eur neet mier zaag

vergoot dat heej haj gezacht
refrein

Overall Meaning

The song "Bertje" by Rowwen Hèze is a sad and reflective song about a relationship that has ended badly. The singer of the song receives a call from someone who tells him that she still loves him and regrets letting him go. Despite her words, she has moved on and has been living life to the fullest, while Bertje has been left alone, waiting and thinking about her. The chorus of the song repeats the idea that she did him wrong by making him wait and causing him regret, ultimately resulting in Bertje's self-destructive behavior of excessive drinking.

The lyrics paint a picture of heartbreak and betrayal, but also of lingering love and the weight of regrets. Bertje is left feeling alone and lost, blaming the woman for his own troubles, but also recognizing his own role in the relationship's downfall. The song's mournful melody and the haunting harmonica solo reinforce the melancholic mood of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

ze haj 'm gebeld
She called him

ze haj 'm verteld
She told him something

ze heeld nog steeds van eum
She still loves him

ze vulde zich rot
She felt terrible

ze woj 'm ni kwiet
She didn't want to lose him

haj van alles spiet
She was sorry for everything

en Bertje haj gewacht en haj allien mar gezagd
And Bertje had waited and only said

geej het 't fout gedoan
You did it wrong

meej in de kelt loate stoan
Left me out in the cold

meej loate wachte op ow
Made me wait for you

meej loate denke an ow
Made me think of you