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

Liefde
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We hebben geslapen, gevreeën, gepraat urenlang aan een stuk
We droomden 't dak naar beneden, de wegen warm van geluk
We lachten, we leefden, we baalden, waren moe of we hadden 't druk
We merkten niet hoe we verdwaalde, de wegen warm van geluk
De wegen warm van gelalalala

Alleen ik, alleen ik was de reden, waarom maak ik alles stuk?
Waarom niet gewoon dik tevreden? Tevreden hier met dit geluk

Ik dacht alleen aan jouw in m'n armen, als ik jouw tegen mij aandruk
Dan zal ik jouw voor altijd verwarmen, en val ik uiteen van geluk
En val ik uiteen van gelalalala

Ik keek veel te diep in jouw ogen, ik raakte compleet van m'n stuk
Ik gaf alles in m'n vermogen, voor een moment van geluk
Now droem ik van ów in mien ermen, van hoe ik ow tegen meej aandruk
Ów wil ik vur altied verwermen, altied en een bietje geluk
Veur altied en een bietje geluk

Lalala

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Liefde" by Rowwen Hèze which translates to "Love" in English. The song describes a romantic relationship between two people who have spent a lot of time together. The first verse talks about the different experiences they have shared such as sleeping, talking, laughing, and feeling tired. They were so absorbed in their happiness that they didn't realize they were losing track of time. The phrase "de wegen warm van geluk" means "the roads warm with happiness" which is a poetic way of describing their memories as warm and comforting.

The second verse takes a more introspective turn as the singer reflects on his behavior in the relationship. He wonders why he always manages to ruin things and why he can't just be content with the happiness he has. The line "alleen ik was de reden" means "only I was the reason" which implies that he was the one causing problems. Despite his insecurities, he still loves his partner deeply and wishes to hold them close and keep them warm forever.

The chorus repeats the phrase "gelalalala" which is a nonsensical but catchy way of emphasizing the feeling of joy and bliss that the singer is experiencing.

Overall, the song "Liefde" is a bittersweet reflection on a past romance filled with both happiness and regret. It captures the essence of what it means to love someone deeply but also struggle with personal demons and insecurities.

Line by Line Meaning

We hebben geslapen, gevreeën, gepraat urenlang aan een stuk
We spent hours sleeping, making love, and talking without interruption

We droomden 't dak naar beneden, de wegen warm van geluk
We dreamed of the roof falling down and the roads being filled with warmth and happiness

We lachten, we leefden, we baalden, waren moe of we hadden 't druk
We laughed, we lived, we felt down, tired, or busy

We merkten niet hoe we verdwaalde, de wegen warm van geluk
We didn't realize how lost we were, while experiencing the warmth of happiness in our lives

De wegen warm van gelalalala
The roads filled with warmth and joy

Alleen ik, alleen ik was de reden, waarom maak ik alles stuk?
I was the only reason why everything fell apart, why did I do this?

Waarom niet gewoon dik tevreden? Tevreden hier met dit geluk
Why not just be content? Content here with this happiness

Ik dacht alleen aan jouw in m'n armen, als ik jouw tegen mij aandruk
I only thought of you in my arms, as I held you close to me

Dan zal ik jouw voor altijd verwarmen, en val ik uiteen van geluk
I will warm you forever, and fall apart from happiness

Ik keek veel te diep in jouw ogen, ik raakte compleet van m'n stuk
I looked too deeply into your eyes, and I completely lost my composure

Ik gaf alles in m'n vermogen, voor een moment van geluk
I gave everything in my power, for a moment of happiness

Now droem ik van ów in mien ermen, van hoe ik ow tegen meej aandruk
Now I dream of you in my arms, of how I hold you close to me

Ów wil ik vur altied verwermen, altied en een bietje geluk
I want to warm you forever, forever and a bit of happiness

Veur altied en een bietje geluk
Forever and a bit of happiness

Lalala

Contributed by Austin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.