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
Kerstmis
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verwerming hoeg, onder de raam
Ierste sniej, zo lang gelijje
Dat heer rust, nar binne kwaam
Haleluja, vrede op aarde
Teminste heer vur dit moment
De roeie wien, din ik bewaarde
Smakt lichter dan twellef procent
Winters wear, winterse buuje
Winters geveul, vur meej gemakt
Lat vandaag, de klok mar luuje
Lat mar vreeze dat 't krakt
Ierste sniej, kan 't nog moeier
Dit waas 't allemoal wert
En de wien, di smakt nog roeier
Nog roeier dan twellef procent
Oh, Kerstmis went
Groete hond, gromt tevrijje
Dikke kop, leet op de vloor
En ik zij boete, wal auto's rijje
Mar 't geluid, dringt neet mier door
Kleine werlt, kan 't nog moeier
Dit waas 't allemoal wert
En de wien di smakt vul roeier
Vul roeier dan twellef procent
Oh, Kerstmis went
En ik zit heer ik fantaseer
Oaver alles wat ik deej
Deepe zucht d'n hond bewugd
Alwir 'n joar vurbeej,
Dat klinkt bekend
Oh,'t leave went
Ierste sniej, velt nar benijje
Verwerming hoeg, onder de raam
Ierste sniej, zo lang gelijje
Dat heer rust, nar binne kwaam
Haleluja, vrede op aarde
Teminste heer vur dit moment
De roeie wien, din ik bewaarde
Smakt lichter dan twellef procent
Oh, Kerstmis went
The lyrics of Rowwen Hèze's song "Kerstmis" reflect on the Christmas season and the feelings and memories it brings. The first snow falls, and the warmth inside contrasts with the cold outside. The singer praises the peace of Christmas, although it may be temporary. The red wine that he has saved tastes smoother than usual, and he enjoys the moment.
Throughout the second verse, the singer embraces the winter weather, and although the wind intimidates him, the snow makes everything look beautiful, and the red wine tastes even more delicious. In the last verse, the singer sits back and reflects on the memories of the year. He finds comfort in the familiarity of his life, and the dog snores next to him. Christmas is a time for remembering fondly and enjoying the present moment.
Overall, the song describes the atmosphere of Christmas and the feelings associated with it, such as peace, tranquility, and reflection.
Line by Line Meaning
Ierste sniej, velt nar benijje
The first snowfall is coming down gently
Verwerming hoeg, onder de raam
The warmth inside is seeping through the windowsill
Ierste sniej, zo lang gelijje
It feels like it has been snowing forever
Dat heer rust, nar binne kwaam
The stillness and peace of the snow has come inside
Haleluja, vrede op aarde
Hallelujah, there is peace on earth
Teminste heer vur dit moment
Or at least, for this moment
De roeie wien, din ik bewaarde
The red wine that I saved
Smakt lichter dan twellef procent
Tastes lighter than 12% alcohol
Oh, Kerstmis went
Oh, Christmas is passing by (quickly)
Winters wear, winterse buuje
Winter clothes, winter storm
Winters geveul, vur meej gemakt
Winter feeling, made for me
Lat vandaag, de klok mar luuje
Let the clock chime today
Lat mar vreeze dat 't krakt
Let's just hope it doesn't break
Ierste sniej, kan 't nog moeier
The first snowfall could not be more beautiful
Dit waas 't allemoal wert
This was all worth it
En de wien, di smakt nog roeier
And the wine tastes even more red
Nog roeier dan twellef procent
Even more red than 12% alcohol
Oh, Kerstmis went
Oh, Christmas is passing by (quickly)
Groete hond, gromt tevrijje
Big dog growls leisurely
Dikke kop, leet op de vloor
Thick-headed, lies on the floor
En ik zij boete, wal auto's rijje
And I said outside, cars are driving by
Mar 't geluid, dringt neet mier door
But the sound doesn't penetrate anymore
Kleine werlt, kan 't nog moeier
Small world, could not be more beautiful
En de wien di smakt vul roeier
And the wine tastes very red
Vul roeier dan twellef procent
Even more red than 12% alcohol
Oh, Kerstmis went
Oh, Christmas is passing by (quickly)
En ik zit heer ik fantaseer
And I sit here, I fantasize
Oaver alles wat ik deej
About everything that I did
Deepe zucht d'n hond bewugd
Deep sigh, the dog stirs
Alwir 'n joar vurbeej,
Another year has passed
Dat klinkt bekend
That sounds familiar
Oh,'t leave went
Oh, life is passing by (quickly)
Contributed by Chloe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.