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
Vechte valle en opstoan
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drukke minse, corazon
Ik woj ligge in de branding
Ik keek ni oet, en ik veel
Dat ik doar niks an oaver heel
Kwaam dor ‘n hiele zachte landing
En toen kwaam ik oeg in oeg
Met ‘n harde Spaanse vloor
Ik vulde niks ik rolde door
Als enne bal di half slap
Langzaam stuitert van de trap
Leaggeloepe, half vol
Eindigt teage enne poal
Niks gebroake niks gescheurd
‘T waas meej al zo duk gebeurd
‘T waas eigenlijk wal lekker
De alde stroat die vulde werm
Ving meej op met oape erm
En toen inens als enne wekkerrrr
‘R zwarte hoar, ‘t goud dat blonk
En ‘r stem zoeals ze klonk
En ‘r oege toen ze zei:
Ik leas ow toekomst, kom mar mei
Doar zate weej teageoaver elkaar
Enne glaze bol in ‘t midde
Ze makte nog ierst 'n exotisch gebaar
Toen vroog ik an eur: wat zidde?
En ze zei: ik zij, ik zij
Geej begint altied opnij
Vechte, valle en opstoan
Ik knikte en ik keek ‘r aan
‘T begint altied van veur af aan
Vechte, valle en opstoan
Hand an de ploog, ik kreeg wat ik vroog
De rug recht, de schouders d'r onder
Ni zeure, begin, ‘t het genne zin
Ge wacht tevergeafs op ‘n wonder
D'r kwaam muziek dor de stroate
De zon, dor ‘t glaas in loed
We bleve same nog wat proate
En toen ware weej d'r oet
Ik laag op de Spaanse grond
En de cirkel di waas rond
We woste zeker: ‘t bestiet
Dat ‘t verder giet
Altied, wat ge ok dut, blief ‘t vertrouwe beware
Vergeate, verloate, bedroage of blut
Noeit mier d'n hoap loate vare
Hand an de ploog, ik kreeg wat ik vroog
De rug recht, de schouders d'r onder
Ni zeure, begin, ‘t het genne zin
Ge wacht tevergeafs op ‘n wonder
Hand an de ploog, ik kreeg wat ik vroog
De rug recht, de schouders d'r onder
Ni zeure, begin, ‘t het genne zin
Ge wacht tevergeafs op ‘n wonder
The lyrics to Rowwen Héze's song "Vechte valle en opstoan" tell a story of personal growth and resilience. The singer finds themselves in Barcelona, surrounded by busy people and feeling disconnected. They express a desire to lie on the beach and take a moment to relax. However, they slip and fall, unexpectedly finding comfort in this unexpected landing.
The imagery of a bouncing ball is used to describe the singer's journey. They compare themselves to a ball that bounces slowly down the stairs, ending up against a pole. Despite feeling half-empty and worn out, they are not broken or torn. This experience, which has happened to them many times before, is surprisingly enjoyable.
The singer then encounters a mysterious person with black hair and a shining gold, and they hear her voice and see her eyes. She claims to be able to read their future and invites them to sit across from each other, like a crystal ball in the middle. They make an exotic gesture, and the singer asks her what she sees. She responds with a recurring theme in the song, emphasizing that life is always about fighting, falling, and rising again.
The singer nods and maintains eye contact, understanding that life always starts anew. They continue to fight, fall, and rise again. The lyrics suggest that they have learned the importance of perseverance and how it is an integral part of life. They acknowledge that they will face challenges but will always overcome them.
Overall, "Vechte valle en opstoan" is a song about embracing the constant cycle of struggle and growth in life and finding strength through resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
Barcelona, ‘t station
In Barcelona, at the train station
Drukke minse, corazon
Busy people, my heart
Ik woj ligge in de branding
I wanted to lie in the surf
Ik keek ni oet, en ik veel
I wasn't paying attention, and I fell
Dat ik doar niks an oaver heel
That I didn't come out of that unscathed
Kwaam dor ‘n hiele zachte landing
Ended up with a very soft landing
Vur ‘n moment ging ik umhoeg
For a moment, I went up
En toen kwaam ik oeg in oeg
And then I came face to face
Met ‘n harde Spaanse vloor
With a hard Spanish floor
Ik vulde niks ik rolde door
I felt nothing, I just rolled on
Als enne bal di half slap
Like a half-deflated ball
Langzaam stuitert van de trap
Bouncing slowly down the stairs
Leaggeloepe, half vol
Limping, half full
Eindigt teage enne poal
Ends up against a pole
Niks gebroake niks gescheurd
Nothing broken, nothing torn
‘T waas meej al zo duk gebeurd
It had happened to me so many times before
‘T waas eigenlijk wal lekker
It was actually quite enjoyable
De alde stroat die vulde werm
The old street filled warmly
Ving meej op met oape erm
Caught me with open arms
En toen inens als enne wekkerrrr
And then suddenly like an alarm clock
‘R zwarte hoar, ‘t goud dat blonk
Her black hair, her shining gold
En ‘r stem zoeals ze klonk
And her voice, the way it sounded
En ‘r oege toen ze zei:
And her eyes when she said:
Ik leas ow toekomst, kom mar mei
I read your future, come with me
Doar zate weej teageoaver elkaar
There we sat facing each other
Enne glaze bol in ‘t midde
A crystal ball in the middle
Ze makte nog ierst 'n exotisch gebaar
She made an exotic gesture first
Toen vroog ik an eur: wat zidde?
Then I asked her: what do you see?
En ze zei: ik zij, ik zij
And she said: I see, I see
Geej begint altied opnij
You always start again
Vechte, valle en opstoan
Fighting, falling, and getting up
Ik knikte en ik keek ‘r aan
I nodded and looked at her
‘T begint altied van veur af aan
It always starts from the beginning
Vechte, valle en opstoan
Fighting, falling, and getting up
Hand an de ploog, ik kreeg wat ik vroog
Hand on the plow, I got what I asked for
De rug recht, de schouders d'r onder
Straighten your back, shoulders to the wheel
Ni zeure, begin, ‘t het genne zin
Don't complain, start, it's pointless to wait for a miracle
Ge wacht tevergeafs op ‘n wonder
You wait in vain for a miracle
D'r kwaam muziek dor de stroate
There was music in the streets
De zon, dor ‘t glaas in loed
The sun, through the glass loud
We bleve same nog wat proate
We stayed together and talked some more
En toen ware weej d'r oet
And then we were gone
Ik laag op de Spaanse grond
I lay on the Spanish ground
En de cirkel di waas rond
And the circle was complete
We woste zeker: ‘t bestiet
We knew for sure: it exists
Dat ‘t verder giet
That it continues
Altied, wat ge ok dut, blief ‘t vertrouwe beware
Always, whatever you do, keep the trust alive
Vergeate, verloate, bedroage of blut
Forget, abandon, deceive or be broke
Noeit mier d'n hoap loate vare
Never let go of hope
Hand an de ploog, ik kreeg wat ik vroog
Hand on the plow, I got what I asked for
De rug recht, de schouders d'r onder
Straighten your back, shoulders to the wheel
Ni zeure, begin, ‘t het genne zin
Don't complain, start, it's pointless to wait for a miracle
Ge wacht tevergeafs op ‘n wonder
You wait in vain for a miracle
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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