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

Dichtbeej
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

'T Waas zomer, 't waas druk
Ik keek nar ow per ongeluk
En geej keek nar meej
Geej leept weg um weg te goan
Um te zien of ik bleef stoan
'T rakte meej aan
En owwe bloete erm
Vulde zo werm, zo dichtbeej

Enne sleutel, enne gang
Dik tapijt en slecht behang
En 'n groet schilderij
In enne vals verlichte stad
Ik heb 't in mien hand gehad
'T rakte meej aan
En owwe bloete erm
Vulde zo werm, zo dichtbeej
En nou wiet ik wal
Lat alles nou mar blieve
Zoeals 't oeit waas
'T giet allemoal vurbeej
'N bekend verhaal
'T keumt noeit mier terug
Net als toen
Wat ware we dichtbeej

'T waas zomer, 't waas druk
Oaveraal hing 't geluk
'T lachte nar meej
De oavend gans in 't begin
Veul verlange um meej hin
En 't rakte meej aan

En owwe bloete erm
Vulde zo werm, zo dichtbeej

Overall Meaning

The song 'Dichtbeej' by Rowwen Hèze is a nostalgic and bittersweet reflection on a past love. The opening verse describes a summer evening, where the singer accidentally catches the eye of their love interest, who quickly walks away to see if they will follow. The physical attraction between the two is palpable, with the warmth of their bare arm filling the singer as they stand close together.

The second verse moves the scene to a dimly lit city with a grand painting on the wall. The singer had held this moment in their hands, however fleeting it was, and it had also touched them deeply. The chorus reflects on the passage of time and how things can never be the same again. The singer knows that everything must be left as it was before, and although they will never experience that intimacy again, it will remain a cherished memory.

Overall, the song beautifully captures the feeling of looking back at a past love with a mixture of longing, sadness, and acceptance.

Line by Line Meaning

T Waas zomer, 't waas druk
It was summer, it was crowded

Ik keek nar ow per ongeluk
I looked at you by accident

En geej keek nar meej
And you looked at me

Geej leept weg um weg te goan
You ran away to see if I would stay

Um te zien of ik bleef stoan
To see if I would stay put

'T rakte meej aan
It touched me

En owwe bloete erm
And your bare arm

Vulde zo werm, zo dichtbeej
Felt so warm, so close

Enne sleutel, enne gang
A key, a hallway

Dik tapijt en slecht behang
Thick carpet and bad wallpaper