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Keine Grenzen / Żadnych granic

Ich Troje · 2003

Poland's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Riga, finishing 7th of 26 with 90 points. A bold multilingual anthem sung in German, Polish, and Russian — the three languages reflect the song's message of a borderless world.

Lyrics & Translation

Polski English
Verse 1 (German)
Ich wär so gerne mal ein Astronaut Der von dort oben auf die Erde runter schaut Denn alle, die dort oben einmal warn Sie alle sagen, es ist wunderbar
I wish I were an astronaut Who looks down to the earth from up there Because all those who already were up there They all say it's wonderful
Verse 1 (Polish)
Poczujesz tu płynący wolniej czas Ciszę i spokój, którego tak brakuje nam I u nas też tak mogłoby dziś być Jesteśmy mali, lecz nie koniecznie źli
Here you'll feel time slower passing by Silence and peace that we miss so much And here today it could also be this way We're small, but not necessarily bad
Chorus (German)
Keine Grenzen, keine Fahnen Von dort oben ist die Welt einfach nur schön Keine Länder, keine Völker Keine Kriege kann man von dort oben sehn
No borders, no flags From up there, the world is just beautiful No countries, no nations No wars can be seen from up there
Verse 2 (Polish / German)
Każdy z nas powinien dotrzeć tam By zrozumieć, że w tej walce sensu brak Vielleicht nimmt uns das unsern dummen Grössenwahn Und statt zu labern, fangen wir zu lieben an
Everyone should go there at least once To realise this struggle doesn't make sense Perhaps it will take our stupid megalomania And instead of talking, we begin to love
Chorus (Polish)
Żadnych granic, żadnych flag Nie ma głupich waśni, nie ma różnych ras Żadnych wojen, żadnych państw Keine Kriege kann man von dort oben seh'n
No borders, no flags No stupid quarrels, no different races No wars, no states No wars can be seen from up there
Bridge (Russian)
Bezgranichnyj (Bezgranichnyj) Mir bez flagov (Mir bez flagov) S vysoty granitsy vovse ne vidny Bezgranichnyj (Bezgranichnyj), neprivychnyj Bez razdorov, vzryvov, zlosti i vojny Von dort oben ist die Welt einfach nur schön
Unlimited (Unlimited) Peace without flags (Peace without flags) From the height, borders can't be seen anymore Unlimited (Unlimited), unusually Without quarrels, explosions, rage and wars From up there the world is just beautiful

  • Vocabulary

    • żadnych — no / none of (genitive plural — żaden)
    • granica — border / boundary (żadnych granic = no borders)
    • waśń — quarrel / feud
    • rasa — race (różnych ras = of different races)
    • brakuje — is missing / is lacking (brakuje nam = we lack)
    • sens — meaning / sense (sensu brak = there is no sense)
    • dotrzeć — to reach / to get there (perfective)

    Grammar note

    "Żadnych granic" uses the genitive plural: żaden → żadnych, granica → granic. The preposition-less genitive here expresses total negation ("no borders whatsoever"). Compare "nie ma żadnych granic" (there are no borders at all) — the genitive is required after negated "mieć" and "być".

    Cultural context

    Ich Troje ("The Three of Them") were one of Poland's biggest pop acts of the early 2000s. Their deliberate choice to sing in German, Polish, and Russian — the three major languages of 20th-century Central European conflict — turned the performance into a statement about post-Cold War reconciliation. They finished 7th at Eurovision 2003 in Riga with 90 points.

    Intermediate popeurovisioncontemporarylisteningculture

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