Gerungen is the past participle of the verb ringen, which means to wrestle, struggle, or contend. It's a strong, evocative word that suggests a physical or intense mental struggle.
In this song, the artist sings, "Ich habe mit Engeln und Teufeln gerungen" (I have wrestled with angels and devils). This powerful imagery immediately grabs attention, implying a deep, epic struggle against both good and evil forces, making it a memorable and intriguing word choice.
Have you ever felt like you can handle the biggest, most dramatic challenges in life, but stumble when it comes to the small, everyday stuff? This song is for you. The singer, Dota Kehr, describes a life of epic struggle and achievement. She says, „Ich habe mit Engeln und Teufeln gerungen“ (I have wrestled with angels and devils) and was „Genährt von der Flamme, geleitet vom Licht“ (Nourished by the flame, guided by the light). It sounds like she's a character in a fantasy novel!
She even claims, „selbst das Unmögliche ist mir gelungen“ (I even succeeded at the impossible). But here's the funny and relatable twist. After all that, she admits, „Aber das Mögliche schaffe ich nicht“ (But I can't manage the possible). It's a fantastic contradiction. She can conquer the impossible, but the ordinary, possible things are just too hard. Maybe it's easier to fight a demon than to do your laundry.
Dota Kehr, known simply as Dota, is a German singer-songwriter and producer born in West Berlin in 1979. Before music, she trained and worked as a physician, and she still brings that same precision to her lyrics today.
She grew up in Berlin, picked up the saxophone as a teenager, and started out busking on the street before learning guitar in her early twenties. Under the name Kleingeldprinzessin she built a following with songs influenced by bossa nova, before founding the band Dota und die Stadtpiraten, now known simply as Dota. Her music blends jazz and bossa nova grooves with sharp, socially aware German lyrics, and she has released her albums independently through her own label, Kleingeldprinzessin Records.
One of her recurring projects sets the poetry of Mascha Kaléko, the celebrated German-Jewish poet, to music, at times joined by guest musicians on individual tracks. It's a quieter, more literary side of her catalogue, letting Kaléko's words about love and loss carry each song.