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

Werme Regen
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Jack Poels)
ik denk an 't begin
en langzaam wuurd 't stil
't is als 'n deake um meej hin
en mien verstand deud wat 't wil
't wil terug nar 't moment
nar 't ienige wat telt
als de werme regen velt

de zomer ging vurbeej
weake an 'n stuk
vur iederien mar neet vur meej
ik haj genog an 't geluk
an 't geluk van 't moment
't allermoeiste van de werlt
als de werme regen velt
ik herinner 't meej nog good
ik mos nar boete ik waas kwoad
toen inens d'n hemel brook
't water dampte op de stroat
't waas vurbeej in 'n moment

't allermoeiste van de werlt
als de werme regen velt

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rowwen Hèze's "Werme Regen" describe a nostalgic longing for a past moment of warmth and happiness. The singer reflects on the passing of the summer, as he and others around him return to work after a long period of relaxation. He notes the silence that has replaced the sounds of summer, and his mind wanders back to a moment when warm rain fell from the sky. This small moment, he claims, holds great significance in his life, as it represents a time when everything was just right.

The song's second verse tells of the singer's memory of this moment in more detail. He was angry and had stepped outside, but then the rain came suddenly, breaking the tension and diffusing his emotions. The rain is described as warm and steam rises from the pavement. The moment passes quickly, but the singer remembers it as the most beautiful thing in the world. The song's gentle melody and poetic lyrics create a wistful, dreamlike atmosphere, evoking the fleeting nature of happiness and the power of memories to provide comfort in difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

ik denk an 't begin
I am reminiscing about the past

en langzaam wuurd 't stil
Everything around me is becoming quiet and peaceful

't is als 'n deake um meej hin
It feels like a blanket covering me

en mien verstand deud wat 't wil
My mind is wandering as it pleases

't wil terug nar 't moment
It wants to go back to a specific moment in time

nar 't ienige wat telt
To the only thing that truly matters

als de werme regen velt
When the warm rain falls

de zomer ging vurbeej
The summer has ended

weake an 'n stuk
Days blend together

vur iederien mar neet vur meej
Everyone else seems to be moving on except for me

ik haj genog an 't geluk
I had enough of happiness