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

Zoveul Joar
Rowwen Hèze Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Zoveul joar, en ik heb vul te lang gewacht.
Dat ik van ow heelt, heb ik noeit teage ow gezagd.

Zoveul joar hadde geej amper wat an meej.
Of ik droemde of d'r kwam wir wat moeis vurbeej.

Zoveul joar, en als geej weg zut goan,
Waas dat d'n ierste kier, dat geej meej pien het gedoan.

Zoveul joar, en ik deej hopeloos mien best.
En geej lachte en geej deed de rest.

Zoveul joar, zonne moeie, lange tied.
Zoveul daag, en van neet iene heb ik spiet.

Zoveul joar, en als geej weg zut goan,
Waas dat d'n ierste kier, dat ge meej pien het gedoan.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rowwen Hèze's song Zoveul Joar reflect upon the regret and missed opportunities that come with waiting too long to express one's true feelings. The singer of the song has held feelings for someone for many years, but has never had the courage to tell them. He reflects upon the many years that have passed, during which time he had no significance to the person he loved, and he was left alone with his feelings or moments of hope when something good happened, but it was always just a dream.

The sorrowful tone of the song is heightened when the person he loves finally leaves, causing him unbearable pain for the first time. The singer had hoped that his years of trying would pay off, but ultimately, the object of his affections remained uninterested, perhaps even oblivious to his love, and ultimately, it caused him great emotional pain. The song beautifully showcases the pain of unrequited love and the regret that comes with not taking action sooner.

Line by Line Meaning

Zoveul joar, en ik heb vul te lang gewacht.
I have waited too long for so many years.

Dat ik van ow heelt, heb ik noeit teage ow gezagd.
I never told you that you healed me.

Zoveul joar hadde geej amper wat an meej.
For so many years, you hardly cared about me.

Of ik droemde of d'r kwam wir wat moeis vurbeej.
Whether I dreamed or something beautiful passed by.

Zoveul joar, en als geej weg zut goan,
So many years, and if you were to leave,

Waas dat d'n ierste kier, dat geej meej pien het gedoan.
It would be the first time you hurt me.

Zoveul joar, en ik deej hopeloos mien best.
For so many years, I did my best hopelessly.

En geej lachte en geej deed de rest.
And you laughed and did the rest.

Zoveul joar, zonne moeie, lange tied.
So many years, such a beautiful, long time.

Zoveul daag, en van neet iene heb ik spiet.
So many days, and I regret none.

Zoveul joar, en als geej weg zut goan,
So many years, and if you were to leave,