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
Vlinder
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enne lange droem di naam 'm mei
D'r waas genne wind, genne nacht
Allien mar deze daag
En 'n groete moan die alles zaag
Elke boem en elke stroek stiet stil
'N wolk drieft dreigend
Ik halt de woarheid teage
Zolang als 't meej lukt
Tot 't moment dat alles oape brukt
Oh vlinder, vlig mar verder
Als dat giet de kers die brandt
Die langs d'n televisie stiet
Oh vlinder, is 'n foto an de moor
Droem mar verder, sloap mar door
Met de pyama in 'n tent elf joar,
Al enne groete vent hof niks mier te liere
Wet 't allemoal al lang allang
'T onbekende makt 'm bang
Mugge danse op 't druuge graas
Dezelfde daag als anders zoeals 't altied waas
'T volle licht, de schemering
D'r oavend als 't dimt en enne vlinder mei nar boave nimt
Urgens giet d'n telefoen
'T klinkt anders, harder dan gewoen
D'n hond leupt weg, heej dreid zich um nar boete
En 'ie staart nar 'n durp dat 'n geheim bewaart
The lyrics to Rowwen Hèze's song Vlinder (Butterfly) speak of a butterfly sleeping on the heath, in a long dream that consists of no wind, no night, only this day and a big moon that sees everything. Every tree and every shrub is standing still as a cloud drifts menacingly across the sky, as if it wants to say that it will hold the truth as long as it can, until everything bursts open. The chorus tells the butterfly to fly further, moving away from the burning candle that stands by the television, alone as it is with a picture on the wall. It urges the butterfly to keep dreaming and sleeping, unconsciously building its strength and resilience for whatever comes ahead.
The second verse paints the picture of an eleven-year-old boy, all grown up and sleeping in a tent wearing his pyjamas. He doesn't need to learn anything anymore and already knows everything there is to know. But he is scared of the unknown and chooses to dance with the mosquitoes on the dry grass on a day like any other with full light, twilight, and a butterfly that takes him up to the sky. The bridge then signals an impending change, as the phone ring sounds different, louder, and the dog runs outside, staring at a village that holds a secret. The lyrics paint the picture of the fragility of life, the choices that we make, the unknown that can cause fear, and the need to hold on to dreams that keep us going.
Line by Line Meaning
Vlinder leet te sloape op de hei
A butterfly was sleeping on the heath
Enne lange droem di naam 'm mei
It was having a long dream
D'r waas genne wind, genne nacht
There was no wind, no night
Allien mar deze daag
Only this day
En 'n groete moan die alles zaag
And a big moon that saw everything
Elke boem en elke stroek stiet stil
Every tree and every blade of grass stands still
'N wolk drieft dreigend
A cloud drifts ominously
Alsof ze zegge wil
As if it wants to say
Ik halt de woarheid teage
I'm holding back the truth
Zolang als 't meej lukt
As long as I can
Tot 't moment dat alles oape brukt
Until the moment everything bursts open
Oh vlinder, vlig mar verder
Oh butterfly, fly further
Als dat giet de kers die brandt
Like the candle burning
Die langs d'n televisie stiet
That stands next to the television
Oh vlinder, is 'n foto an de moor
Oh butterfly, there's a photo on the wall
Droem mar verder, sloap mar door
Just keep dreaming, keep on sleeping
Met de pyama in 'n tent elf joar,
In pajamas, at eleven years of age, in a tent
Al enne groete vent hof niks mier te liere
Although it was already a grown-up, it had nothing more to learn
Wet 't allemoal al lang allang
It already knew everything for a long time
'T onbekende makt 'm bang
The unknown scares it
Mugge danse op 't druuge graas
Midges are dancing on the dry grass
Dezelfde daag als anders zoeals 't altied waas
The same day as always
'T volle licht, de schemering
The full light, the twilight
D'r oavend als 't dimt en enne vlinder mei nar boave nimt
At night when it dims and a butterfly takes off into the air
Urgens giet d'n telefoen
The telephone rings somewhere
'T klinkt anders, harder dan gewoen
It sounds different, louder than usual
D'n hond leupt weg, heej dreid zich um nar boete
The dog runs away, turns towards the outside
En 'ie staart nar 'n durp dat 'n geheim bewaart
And it stares at a village that keeps a secret
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Simon X
I made a quite literal translation, hope it helps you.
Butterfly is sleeping on the moor
One long dream took him along
There was no wind, neither night
Only this one day
And a giant moon which saw everything
Every tree, every bush stands still
A cloud floats threatening
As if it wants to say:
"I hold back the truth,
As long as I can,
Untill the moment everything breaks open."
Oh, Butterfly, keep on flying if you can
The candle burns which stands next to the television
Oh, Butterfly is a picture on the wall
Keep on dreaming, sleep further
With pyjamas on in a tent
Eleven years old, already a big boy
You don't have to learn anyhing
You know everything already
Only the unknown scares him
Mosquitos dancing on the dry grass
The same day as always, like it always was
The full light, the twilight, the evening as it dims,
And a butterfly takes me upwards
Oh, Butterfly, keep on flying if you can
The candle burns which stands next to the television
Oh, Butterfly is a picture on the wall
Keep on dreaming, sleep further
Somewhere rings a telephone
It sounds different, harder than usual
A dog walks away, it turns around,
Outside and it stares,
To a village that keeps a secret.
Oh, Butterfly, keep on flying, further if you can
The candle burns which stands next to the television
Oh, Butterfly is a picture on the wall
Keep on dreaming, sleep further
Butterfly is sleeping on the moor
One long dream took him along
There was no wind, neither night
Only this one day
And a giant moon which saw everything
Mike Geraads
@*****
This is the whole song
The butterfly is sleeping in the fields.
A long dream took him.
There was no wind, no night, only this day.
And a big moon who saw everything.
Every tree and bush stood still.
A cloud floats like she wants to say:
I will stop the truth.
As long I can
Till the moment everything will break open.
Oh butterfly, fly further, So long that goes.
The candle that burns
Who stands next to the television.
Oh butterfly. Is a picture on the wall
Dream on, sleep on.
With his pyama in the tent.
11 years old, a big guy.
Doesn't need to learn anything more, Knows everything.
Only the unknown scares him.
Dance on the dry grass tomorrow.
The same day as always, just as it was everytime.
The bright light, the twilight, the night as it dims.
And takes a butterfly to above.
Oh butterfly, fly further, So long that goes.
The candle that burns
Who stands next to the television.
Oh butterfly. Is a picture on the wall
Dream on, sleep on.
Somewhere there rings a telephone.
It sounds different, louder than normally.
The dog walks away, and turns around
to outdoors and looks at a village what keeps a secret.
Oh butterfly, fly further, So long that goes.
The candle that burns
Who stands next to the television.
Oh butterfly. Is a picture on the wall
Dream on, sleep on.
The butterfly is sleeping in the fields.
A long dream took him.
There was no wind, no night, only this day.
And a big moon who saw everything.
Mike Geraads
@*****
Sorry for my english :)
this is the firts part of the song.
The butterfly is sleeping in the fields.
A long dream took him.
There was no wind, no night, only this day.
And a big moon who saw everything.
Every tree and bush stood still.
A cloud floats like she wants to say:
I will stop the truth.
As long I can
Till the moment everything will break open.
Oh butterfly, fly further, So long that goes.
The candle that burns
Who stands next to the television.
Oh butterfly. Is a picture on the wall
Dream on, sleep on.
GrandTheftSpotter
Wow..... Geen woorden voor dit nummer. de tekst, is zoo mooi geschreven. respect voor Rowen Heze, wat sowieso Limburg's trots is!. Sterkte aan de familie van Nicky...
SuperDragon128
Nooit zullen we het vergeten , R.I.P Nicky Verstappen en Sterkte vooor de familie.
Chantal
Eindelijk na 20 jaar gerechtigheid.. Heb er totaal geen woorden voor waarom dit vrolijke mooie lieve maar vooral onschuldig mannetje die nog een heel leven voor zich zou hebben gehad dit heeft moeten meemaken.. En voor de ouders en zus van Nicky, ik wens jullie nogmaals heel erg veel sterkte en kracht toe in de deze verschrikkelijke tijd... 😘😘😘
Paul ter Haar
Welk gerechtigheid? Er is nog steeds niemand veroordeeld.
Rob kankerboef
kan er niks aan doen maar van dit nummer springe me altijd de tranen in de ogen
Ghislaine Trienes
Ik heb pas geleden het boek gelezen over het mysterie van Nicky, maar als je dan dit nummer daarna hoort dan wordt het allemaal nog levendiger en nog meer onwerkelijkheid. Ongeloofelijk dat het mysterie rondom Nicky Verstappen nog niet is opgelost ondanks al die nieuwe technieken die er zijn. Nicky er wordt nog altijd aan je gedacht... Groetjes uit Venlo
Peter van Zetten
Wat een fantastisch nummer en band!!
w8ingforfun
Rust in vrede lieve nicky, eindelijk gerechtigheid na al die jaren.
Marten Zomer
Peter voor jou nu dit lied, bedankt voor alles.
☻🦋🖤
DirkjeA
Prachtig nummer. Verdrietige aanleiding, ik herinner me nog dat het op de televisie kwam, mijn eigen zoon was toen ook 11 jaar....