Junge – Bilingual Lyrics German/English

• By: die ärzte

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of German punk rock with Die Ärzte's iconic song "Junge." This track isn't just a catchy tune; it's a witty and insightful social commentary on family dynamics and generational divides. By exploring its authentic lyrics, you'll grasp colloquial German expressions, understand cultural nuances, and experience the band's signature blend of humor and critical observation, making it a truly special way to deepen your German language skills.

[English]

America's West, the vast prairie

And in the middle: A small house

And inside: A worried mother

Boy (Boy)

Why haven't you learned anything? (Learned anything)

Look at Dieter (Dieter, Dieter)

He even has a car (A car, car)

Why don't you go to Uncle Werner's workshop?

He'll give you a permanent position if you ask him

Boy (Boy, Boy)

And the way you look again, holes in your pants, and always this noise

(What will the neighbors say?)

And then your hair, I'm at a loss for words

Do you really have to dye it? (What will the neighbors say?)

You never come home, we don't know what to do anymore

Boy (Boy)

Don't break your mother's heart

It's not too late to enroll at the university

You used to be so interested in animals, wouldn't that be something for you?

A practice of your own, boy

And the way you look again, holes in your nose, and always this noise

(What will the neighbors say?)

Electric guitars, and always these lyrics, nobody wants to hear that

(What will the neighbors say?)

You never come home, such bad company

We will disinherit you (What will the tax office say?)

Where will all this end? We're really worried

And you were such a sweet child

And you were such a sweet child

And you were such a sweet child

You were so sweet

And always your friends, you're all doing drugs, and always this noise

(What will the neighbors say?)

Think of your future, think of your parents

Do you want us to die?

...

[German]

Amerikas Westen, die weite Prärie

Und mittendrin: Ein kleines Haus

Und darin: Eine besorgte Mutter

Junge (Junge)

Warum hast du nichts gelernt? (Nichts gelernt)

Guck dir den Dieter an (Den Dieter an, den Dieter an)

Der hat sogar ein Auto (Ein Auto, Auto)

Warum gehst du nicht zu Onkel Werner in die Werkstatt?

Der gibt dir 'ne Festanstellung, wenn du ihn darum bittest

Junge (Junge, Junge)

Und wie du wieder aussiehst, Löcher in der Hose, und ständig dieser Lärm

(Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?)

Und dann noch deine Haare, da fehlen mir die Worte

Musst du die denn färb'n? (Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?)

Nie kommst du nach Hause, wir wissen nicht mehr weiter

Junge (Junge)

Brich deiner Mutter nicht das Herz

Es ist noch nicht zu spät, dich an der Uni einzuschreiben

Du hast dich doch früher so für Tiere interessiert, wäre das nichts für dich?

Eine eigene Praxis, Junge

Und wie du wieder aussiehst, Löcher in der Nase, und ständig dieser Lärm

(Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?)

Elektrische Gitarren, und immer diese Texte, das will doch keiner hör'n

(Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?)

Nie kommst du nach Hause, so viel schlechter Umgang

Wir werden dich enterb'n (Was soll das Finanzamt sagen?)

Wo soll das alles enden? Wir machen uns doch Sorgen

Und du warst so ein süßes Kind

Und du warst so ein süßes Kind

Und du warst so ein süßes Kind

Du warst so süß

Und immer deine Freunde, ihr nehmt doch alle Drogen, und ständig dieser Lärm

(Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?)

Denk an deine Zukunft, denk an deine Eltern

Willst du, dass wir sterb'n?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Prärie /prɛˈʁiː/ B1	noun - prairie, large open grassland
Haus /haʊs/ A1	noun - house, building for habitation
Mutter /ˈmʊtɐ/ A2	noun - mother, female parent
Junge /jʊŋə/ A2	noun - boy, young male
lernen /ˈlɛʁnən/ A2	verb - to learn, acquire knowledge
Auto /ˈaʊto/ A1	noun - car
Werkstatt /ˈvɛʁkʃtat/ B1	noun - workshop, repair shop
Festanstellung /ˈfɛst·ʔanˌʃtɛlʊŋ/ B2	noun - permanent employment
Herz /hɛʁt͡s/ A2	noun - heart
Zukunft /ˈtsuːkʊnt/ B1	noun - future
Herstellen /hɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlən/ C1	verb - to restore, to recover

Key Grammar Structures

• Warum hast du nichts gelernt?

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense (Präteritum) with 'nichts' as a negation.

  ➔ This uses the Präteritum tense (a simple past tense) of 'lernen' (to learn). "Hast du gelernt" would mean 'Did you learn?'. Adding "nichts" changes it to 'Did you learn nothing?' or, more naturally, 'Why haven't you learned anything?'

• Guck dir den Dieter an

  ➔ Imperative form with accusative case

  ➔ "Guck" is the imperative form of "gucken" (to look). "Dir" is the dative pronoun indicating the recipient of the action, but here, it's reflexive (look at *yourself* in a way). "Den Dieter" is in the accusative case because he's the object being looked at. It's 'look at Dieter'.

• Was soll'n die Nachbarn sagen?

  ➔ Modal verb 'sollen' in subjunctive mood (Konjunktiv II) expressing expectation or concern, shortened form of 'sollen'

  ➔ 'Sollen' here doesn't mean 'should' in the sense of obligation. In the Konjunktiv II form, it expresses a question about what others *might* say or think. "Was sollen die Nachbarn sagen?" means "What will the neighbors say?" or "What are the neighbors going to think?", expressing worry about their potential judgment. The 'n' at the end of 'sollen' is often dropped in colloquial speech.

• Musst du die denn färb'n?

  ➔ Modal verb 'müssen' (must/have to) in combination with the infinitive 'färben' (to dye), interrogative sentence structure, use of 'denn' for emphasis.

  ➔ 'Musst du' means 'Do you have to?'. 'Färben' means 'to dye'. 'Die' refers to 'Haare' (hair), which is plural but used with a singular article here. 'Denn' is used to add emphasis or exasperation to the question, implying 'Why on earth do you have to dye them?'

• Wir werden dich enterb'n

  ➔ Future I tense with 'werden' (will), separable verb 'enterben' (to disinherit)

  ➔ 'Werden' is used to form the future tense. 'Enterben' is a separable verb, meaning the prefix 'enter-' separates from the verb 'erben' (to inherit) in certain sentence structures. Here, 'enterb'n' is placed at the end, as it should be in future tense. 'We will disinherit you'.

• Willst du, dass wir sterb'n?

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'dass' clause indicating indirect speech or a wish/desire, shortened form of 'sterben'.

  ➔ 'Willst du, dass...' introduces a subordinate clause expressing a wish or question about someone else's intention. 'Dass wir sterben' means 'that we die'. The phrase 'Willst du, dass wir sterben?' implies 'Do you want us to die?' The 'n' at the end of 'sterben' is often dropped in colloquial speech, especially in song lyrics.