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
Manne Van Staal
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
's murges vroeg ik loep noar beneje
In de garage zeen ik ouw stoan
't is alwir bijnoa un dik joar geleje
Kom loate we goan
't geet nog neet hard
We motte nog winne
En pap in de bein
't is rustig op stroat
Gein mins te bekinne
Weej allein
Wej moage der zin
Niemand vertille
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Gei en ik, manne van staal
Vol in de zon
De spake die blinke
De schaduw dea vilt
Over de weeg
En ich weit nou al
Wat ich wil drinke
Straks in eine kier leeg
't stuk wind ien
We motte flink kneije
Der rent unne haas of knien
De jas op 't stuur
De trappers die dreije
Ein veur ein
Wej moage der zien
Niemand vertille
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Gei en ik, manne van staal
Lala lalala
Los los loat alles mehr los
Op 't terras aan de rand van 't bos
De welt is veur ow
En de welt is veur meij
En de wolke die weje aan os veurbie
He he wej moage der zien
Niemand vertille
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Gei en ik
Wej moage der zien
Niemand vertille
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Gei en ik, manne van staal
The song "Manne Van Staal" by Rowwen Hèze is a cheerful and uplifting ode to friendship and freedom. The lyrics describe two friends who go for a bike ride early in the morning, reminiscing about their past and looking forward to their future adventures. They enjoy the simple pleasures of cycling together, feeling the sun on their faces, the wind in their hair, and the freedom of the open road. Despite the challenges they may face, they remain optimistic and determined to succeed, as they are "manne van staal" - men of steel.
The song captures the spirit of the Dutch province of Limburg, where Rowwen Hèze hails from. The band's lead singer, Jack Poels, wrote the lyrics in the Limburgian dialect, which adds to the song's authenticity and charm. The song's catchy melody and sing-along chorus make it a crowd favorite at concerts and festivals. The song's message of positivity and resilience resonates with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Lala la lalala
The song begins with a cheerful melody.
's murges vroeg ik loep noar beneje
In the early morning, I looked out the window.
In de garage zeen ik ouw stoan
I saw your car in the garage.
't is alwir bijnoa un dik joar geleje
It's almost been a year ago.
Kom loate we goan
Let's go.
't geet nog neet hard
We're not going too fast yet.
We motte nog winne
We still have to win.
De zael dea zit los
The hall is not crowded.
En pap in de bein
We're feeling energized.
't is rustig op stroat
There's no one on the street.
Gein mins te bekinne
No one is around.
Weej allein
We're alone.
Wej moage der zin
We're enjoying ourselves.
Niemand vertille
No one can stop us.
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
We two together can do it.
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
We continue straight ahead, without any distractions.
Gei en ik, manne van staal
You and I are strong men.
Vol in de zon
In the bright sunshine.
De spake die blinke
The spokes are shining.
De schaduw dea vilt
There's a shadow on the road.
Over de weeg
On the road.
En ich weit nou al
And I already know.
Wat ich wil drinke
What I want to drink.
Straks in eine kier leeg
In one gulp later.
't stuk wind ien
We're riding against the wind.
We motte flink kneije
We have to pedal hard.
Der rent unne haas of knien
A rabbit or a hare runs by.
De jas op 't stuur
Our jackets are on the handlebars.
De trappers die dreije
We're pedaling away.
Ein veur ein
One by one.
Los los loat alles mehr los
Let it all go.
Op 't terras aan de rand van 't bos
On the terrace at the edge of the woods.
De welt is veur ow
The world is yours.
En de welt is veur meij
And the world is mine.
En de wolke die weje aan os veurbie
And the clouds pass us by.
He he wej moage der zien
Hey, we're enjoying ourselves.
Niemand vertille
No one can hold us back.
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Together, we can do it.
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Straight ahead, without any distractions.
Gei en ik
You and I.
Wej moage der zien
We're enjoying ourselves.
Niemand vertille
No one can stop us.
Wej twieje same, wej komme der waal
Together, we can do it.
Rech veuroet, gein toeters, gein belle
Straight ahead, without any distractions.
Gei en ik, manne van staal
You and I are strong men.
Contributed by Lila Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@wubsje1
Hoe vaker ik luister zoveelste mooier wordt ie!
@purrroudbeauty
Profetisch gehalte, deze video clip. Dank manne!
@Moonlightj
Geweldig nummer, perfecte clip. I love RH!
@MisterZammag2011
Oh prachtig lied, echt schoën!
@bluedjules
Even een voorbeeld om voor altijd te laten zien dat Fries en Limburgs echt aparte talen zijn en enorm van elkaar verschillen. NL: "Ik herinner me." FR: "It mei my tinke." LI: "Iech rappeleer of herinner miech
@19AJAX00
Top cd ook weer!
@coolman007ify
het was geweldig @rhsc11 en mooie clip
@vifie
Echt een leuk liedje, En vooral een super lachwekkende clip!! Groetjes, Vivian
@bluedjules
Leuk dat je dat opvalt. Hoewel het accent in de loop der eeuwen enorm verandert is tussen elkaar zijn Fries en Limburgse beide Nederfrankische talen, dat kun je vergelijken met Spaans en Portugees; beide Iberische talen. Ze hebben dus dezelfde oorsprong, een stuk of vijf eeuwen geleden, uit het uiterste westen van Duitsland (Rijnland en Nedersaksen) en hebben zich later los van elkaar ontwikkeld. Maar je kunt inderdaad horen dat het ooit dezelfde taal was.
@Biffclurton
Nieuwe Nor.......Heëele.......zin an !!!!