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
Dichter Bij Ow
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ik loep dor 'n groete stroat
in enne gruwlijk groete stad
ik hoap dat niemand met meej prat
ik loep mar door 'k wiet ni woarhin
ik wiet mar amper woar ik bin
ik heb 't nog noeit zo kalt gehad
't is als koorts in miene kop
ik wil dichter bij ow zien
al ow trekjes die ik ken
zelfs die woar ik mar neet aan wen
mis ik elke daag wat mier
ik wil wir veule hoe 't waas
ik wil nar hoes ik ruuk 't graas
ik wil dichter bij ow zien
The lyrics to Rowwen Hèze's song "Dichter Bij Ow" describe the feelings of homesickness and longing for someone or something familiar. The singer is walking through a large city, feeling cold and detached, hoping to go unnoticed. He feels lost and uncertain of his whereabouts, but his desire to be closer to his loved one is the only thing driving him forward. He misses even the small, everyday things about this person, the things he may not have appreciated before. He wants to experience everything about being close to them again, down to the smell of their home and the feel of the grass around it.
Overall, "Dichter Bij Ow" is a heartfelt and relatable portrayal of missing someone or something deeply, a feeling that many people experience at some point in their lives. The lyrics effectively convey the singer's sense of disorientation and emotional longing, while also touching on universal themes of familiarity, comfort, and the human need for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
ik loep dor 'n groete stroat
I walk through a big street
in enne gruwlijk groete stad
In a terribly big city
ik hoap dat niemand met meej prat
I hope nobody talks to me
ik loep mar door 'k wiet ni woarhin
I just keep walking without knowing where I'm going
ik wiet mar amper woar ik bin
I hardly know where I am
ik heb 't nog noeit zo kalt gehad
I've never been this cold
't is als koorts in miene kop
It's like a fever in my head
't dreund mar door 't hult neet op
It keeps pounding and doesn't stop
ik wil dichter bij ow zien
I want to be closer to you
al ow trekjes die ik ken
All the characteristics of yours that I know
zelfs die woar ik mar neet aan wen
Even the ones that I don't like
mis ik elke daag wat mier
I miss them a little bit more every day
ik wil wir veule hoe 't waas
I want to feel again how it was
ik wil nar hoes ik ruuk 't graas
I want to go home and smell the grass
ik wil dichter bij ow zien
I want to be closer to you
Contributed by Sophia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@EricCartmanstotch
Respect voor dit liedje respect voor je vader Rest In Peace
@klavertje3110
ik krijg er kippenvel van, heel veel sterkte!!
@klavertje3110
Word eigenlijk helemaal gek van dit liedje, daardoor wil ik naar daarbove, naar mn opa terug naar hoe het was om een klein meisje te zijn.. Maar tis zo mooi dat ik niet kan stoppen om het te luisteren..
@TheChris199302
Geweldig dit nummer heb ik heel veel geluisterd toen mijn oom overleed en nu een meisje die ik niet vergeten zal
@marjabrugman3261
vind ik 1 van de mooiste nummers
@pauluzzzzzz
moeiste nummer van Rowwen Heze, nou ja Blieve Loepe en de Brug meuge d'r auk zien!
@EricCartmanstotch
@bebbelke Mooie keuze het is echt een ontroerend nummer sterkte
@tonnesgorgels3515
❤️
@bebbelke
dit liedje hebben we op pap zijn crematie gedraait het was pap zijn liedje hij wou naar huis hij ruikte het gras pap ik mis je
@johnroox7747
eederein wilt wal dichter beej eemand zeen.....ik auk maar soms geit det gewoan neet en dan mosse gewoan accepteren dat det neet geit ....dan mosse dig vasthalden aan ut feit dat we allemaol aan de beurt komme en we mekaar weer teruk zeen....thats life i guess.....