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

De Lamp Ging Oet
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Jack Poels)
zonder glaas, waas ie d'n allerbeste vent din d'r waas
sterk en altied werk en altied lache
mar als ie dronk dan ging d'r wat fout dan vloog d'r 'n vonk
dan woord ie blind ging dor 't lint dan woj ie vechte
ik wiet 't nog good ik zaag 'm stoan
ik haj beater nar hoes toe kunnen goan toen heej meej aankeek
refrein: zwiet en twiejje meater bried en met zien vol gewicht

heej keek meej aan en boem ik zaat zonder licht
't weide toen ie langzaam dreide ik denk ik halt meej groet
mar heej keek meej aan en boem de lamp ging oet
't woord wat werm en ik woord bijna geplet in zien erm
gouwe tand, zien groete hand en alles krakte
mien oege dicht ik vulde ziene oajem in mien gezicht
en ik zocht nar 'n bitje locht nar 'n bitje leave
heej zei menneke wodde geej soms al goan
nog efkes beej Wielke blieve stoan dan goan we lache
refrein
we koste allebei al neet mier stoan
't waas al laat toen ik ben weggegoan en heej mos lache

refrein
refrein

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rowwen Hèze's song "De Lamp Ging Oet" describe a man who was well-liked and respected when he was sober, but when he drank, he would become violent and get into fights. The singer recalls seeing him in this state before and how he narrowly escaped a confrontation. The chorus describes the moment when the man, after drinking too much, looked at the singer and accidentally knocked over a lamp, causing the room to go dark. In the darkness, the singer was nearly crushed by the man's weight, but eventually managed to escape unharmed.

The lyrics are poignant and capture the painful reality of alcoholism and its harmful effects on individuals and the people around them. The song reminds us of the dangers and negative consequences of excessive drinking and how it can lead to serious problems such as violence and accidents.

Overall, "De Lamp Ging Oet" is a powerful and moving song that showcases the band's ability to tell stories through their music.

Line by Line Meaning

zonder glaas, waas ie d'n allerbeste vent din d'r waas
Sober, he was the best man there was.

sterk en altied werk en altied lache
Strong and hardworking, always laughing.

mar als ie dronk dan ging d'r wat fout dan vloog d'r 'n vonk
But when he drank, something went wrong, sparks flew.

dan woord ie blind ging dor 't lint dan woj ie vechte
He would go blind with rage, start fighting.

ik wiet 't nog good ik zaag 'm stoan
I remember it well, I saw him standing there.

ik haj beater nar hoes toe kunnen goan toen heej meej aankeek
I could have gone home better when he looked at me.

refrein: zwiet en twiejje meater bried en met zien vol gewicht
Chilling and two meters wide, with his full weight.

heej keek meej aan en boem ik zaat zonder licht
He looked at me and boom, I was in the dark.

't weide toen ie langzaam dreide ik denk ik halt meej groet
It got quiet when he slowly turned around, I thought he would greet me.

mar heej keek meej aan en boem de lamp ging oet
But he looked at me and boom, the lamp went out.

't woord wat werm en ik woord bijna geplet in zien erm
It was warm and I nearly got crushed in his arm.

gouwe tand, zien groete hand en alles krakte
Golden tooth, his big hand and everything cracked.

mien oege dicht ik vulde ziene oajem in mien gezicht
Eyes closed, I felt his breath on my face.

en ik zocht nar 'n bitje locht nar 'n bitje leave
And I searched for a little air, for a little love.

heej zei menneke wodde geej soms al goan
He said, little man, are you already leaving?

nog efkes beej Wielke blieve stoan dan goan we lache
Stay a little longer at Wielke's place, then we'll laugh.

refrein
Chilling and two meters wide, with his full weight. He looked at me and boom, I was in the dark. It got quiet when he slowly turned around, I thought he would greet me. But he looked at me and boom, the lamp went out.

we koste allebei al neet mier stoan
We could no longer stand properly.

't waas al laat toen ik ben weggegoan en heej mos lache
It was already late when I left and he had to laugh.

Contributed by Eliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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