Ich Steine, Du Steine Lyrics in English Peter Fox

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Ich Steine, Du Steine by Peter Fox from German to English.

I climb up, rocks are rolling

And they crash right down on you

You see them coming, you don't step aside

You thought you'd catch them

You reach for my hand

We sink into the sand

I hold you tight as best I can

But we don't move ahead

You look me in the face

I see everything, just not you

Together alone 'cause we have no alphabet

That we both share

The track behind us keeps us together

But it crumbles too someday

I know the ground beneath us will soon give way

I can't live with or without you

Maybe better without you

You cooked, there were rocks

Now they're sitting in my gut

They're heavy, I'm alone

Please, who's gonna cut me open

The game's brand-new

You're cold and I'm numb

My heart full, my head empty

Yesterday it was the other way round

You're towering on the horizon

I look at you as you come closer

See how you are and how we are

And that we're not satisfied

We walk a bit away and back

And we realize perfect bliss

Was, is and stays a fever dream

And we're real

I can't live with or without you

But above all not without you

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SONG MEANING

“Ich Steine, Du Steine” is Peter Fox’s poetic way of saying “You and I are nothing but rocks.” From the very first line, stones tumble, crash, and even get served for dinner. These rocks are the grudges, misunderstandings, and emotional weight that pile up between two people who still cling to one another. The singer and his partner try to climb, catch, and even swallow those stones, yet every attempt drags them deeper into the sand. It is a rocky love story in the truest sense: both feel stuck, unable to move forward together, but also terrified of splitting apart.

At its core, the song asks a simple, painful question: can you love someone you can’t live with? The pair share no common “alphabet,” meaning communication breaks down and they keep hurting each other. One moment the heart is full and the head is empty, the next it is flipped. Fox admits that their dream of “perfect happiness” was only a fever dream, yet the bond remains real and raw. The chorus sums it up perfectly: Ich kann nicht mit und nicht ohne Dich — I can’t be with you, but I can’t be without you either. Like carrying stones in your stomach, this relationship is heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to let go, but the song’s driving beat turns that struggle into a powerful anthem of honesty. Who knew a pile of rocks could groove so hard? 🎶

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Peter Fox Ich Steine, Du Steine Lyrics