“Drei Uhr Nachts” is a collaboration between German singer Mark Forster and German singer/songwriter LEA. It is the third single released off of Forster’s fifth studio album Musketiere. It reached number 8 on the German radio hits chart and number 15 on the German singles chart.
‘nachts’ – This is an adverb meaning ‘at night’. However in English we wouldn’t say ‘three at night’, we would say ‘three in the morning’.
‘Schiss haben’ – Literally translating as ‘to have sh*t’ or ‘to have feces’, this phrase means ‘to be afraid’.
‘sich fragen’ – Literally translating as ‘to ask oneself’, this phrase means ‘to wonder’.
‘sich ablenken’ – Literally translating as ‘to distract oneself’, this phrase means ‘to take one’s mind off things”.
‘das Grelle und das Schnelle und das Bunte’ – These are examples of how, in German, an adjective can be turned into a noun. Nouns made in this manner are always neuter. If used with the definite article ‘das’ the letter ‘e’ will be added to the end of the adjective. However, if the noun does not have an article then the letters ‘es’ will be added to the end of the adjective. For example, the adjective ‘alt’ becomes ‘das Alte’ or ‘Altes’. Following are the examples seen in this song:
**Note that ‘grell’ and ‘schnell’ both have established noun forms which are both feminine, however the formula for creating nouns from adjectives was used in this song.**
Compound Words
‘irgendjemand’ – This pronoun meaning ‘someone’ or ‘anyone’ is made from the adverb ‘irgend’ meaning ‘any’ or ‘some’ and the pronoun ‘jemand’ meaning ‘someone’.
‘ablenken’ – This verb meaning ‘to deflect’, ‘to turn away’, ‘to avert’ or ‘to distract ‘ is made of the preposition ‘ab’ meaning ‘from’ and the verb ‘lenken’ meaning ‘to direct’, ‘to guide’, ‘to influence’, ‘to lead’ or ‘to steer’.
‘durchgehen’ – This verb meaning ‘to go through’, ‘to walk through’, ‘to pass through’, ‘to run through’, ‘to be allowed’, ‘to be tolerated’ or ‘to go straight through’ is made up of the preposition ‘durch’ meaning ‘through’ and the verb ‘gehen’ meaning ‘to go’ or ‘to walk’.
Activities
We’ve created flashcards, games, and exercises to practice vocabulary and grammatical concepts found in this song. Check out our Activities Page to take your learning further!
Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown
Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.
Dreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singNachtsnachtsat night | adv
[Intro] Esesit, he, she, him, her | pron | third pers sing neut or impers, nom or accistseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomruf’anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | first pers sing presjedenjedereach, every, any; everyone, anyone | pron | acc masc singan,anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | separable prefixdenderthat, him, that one, whom, which | pron | dem or rel, acc masc singichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomkenn’kennento know, be acquainted with, recognize | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (kenne) Die*diethe | art, def | nom and acc fem sing and plganzenganzwhole, entire, complete, intact | adjNamenName (pl Namen)name, reputation | noun | masc plininin, at, to; into to | prep | takes dat or accmeinemmeinmy | adj, poss | dat masc and neut singHandyHandy (pl Handys)cell phone, mobile | noun | neut sing Istseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presnochnochstill, even, yet; eventually, one day; (only) just | advirgendjemandirgendjemandsomebody, anybody | pron | indefwach?wachawake, alert | adj IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nombinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presalleinalleinalone, lonely | adjhier,hierhere, now | advdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv
[Verse 1] Nur,nuronly, just | advwennwennwhen, if | conjichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomsososo; as; like this/that | advhartharthard, tough; stiff, strong; firm; violent | adjrenne,rennento run | verb, irreg | first pers sing presdassdassthat, so that | conjichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomWindWind (pl Winde)wind | noun | masc singimin + demin the | prep + def art | dat masc and neut singGesichtGesicht (pl Gesichter)face; look, appearance; sight | noun | neut singhab’habento have, to get | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (habe) Nur,nuronly, just | advwennwennwhen, if | conjesesit, he, she, him, her | pron | third pers sing neut or impers, nom or accvollvollfull; whole, complete | adjistseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presundundand | conjlaut,lautloud, noisy, loudmouthed; out loud, aloud | adjbinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomsichersichercertain, sure; safe, secure | adj Duduyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nombistseinto be | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presderderthe | art, def | nom masc, gen and dat fem, gen plGrund,Grund (pl Gründe)ground, land; bottom; reason, cause | noun | masc singwarumwarumwhy | advichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomwachwachawake, alert | adjbleib’bleibenstay, remain | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (bleibe)undundand | conjnichtnichtnot | advschlaf’schlafento sleep, stay (overnight) | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (schlafe) Undundand | conjjederjedereach, every; everyone, anyone | pron | nom masc sing and gen/dat fem singmeinermeinmy | adj, poss | gen and dat fem sing, gen plFreundeFreund (pl Freunde)friend (male); boyfriend | noun | masc plgradgeradenow, at the moment; just, a short while ago; only; exactly | adv | alt coll formumumaround, at, by, for, because | prep | triggers accmichmichme, I | pron | acc of ich (first pers sing)bisschenbisschena little, a bit of | adjSchissSchiss (no pl)shit, feces (vulgar) | noun | masc sing | Schiss haben = be afraidhathabento have, to get | verb, irreg | third pers sing pres | Schiss haben = be afraid Nur,nuronly, just | advwennwennwhen, if | conjichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomrollerollento roll | verb, reg | first pers sing presdurchdurchthrough | prep | triggers accdiediethe | art, def | nom fem sing and plNachtNacht (pl Nächte)night | noun | fem sing Ohneohnewithout | advKontrolleKontrolle (pl Kontrollen)control; check, supervision, safeguard; checkpoint; inspector | noun | fem singdurchdurchthrough | prep | triggers accdiediethe | art, def | nom and acc fem sing and plStadtStadt (pl Städte)town, city; city council | noun | fem sing Allallall; every | adjmeinemeinmy | adj, poss | nom and acc fem sing and plKraftKraft (pl Kräfte)strength, power, force, energy | noun | fem singverpulvertverpulvernto squander | verb, reg | pphab’habento have, to get | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (habe) | aux verb used with pp to form perf Danndannthen, next, afterwards; at that time; in that case | advwirstwerdento get, become | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presduduyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nommanchmalmanchmalsometimes | advininin, at, to; into to | prep | takes dat or accmirmirme, to me | pron | dat of ich (first pers sing)neina, an | art, indef | masc or neut singbisschenbisschena little, a bit of | adjblassblasspale; faint, vague, dim, colorless; sheer. pure | adj
[Pre-Chorus] IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomschreib’,schreibento write | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (schreibe)„IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomvermiss’vermissento miss | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (vermisse)dich“dichyou, yourself | pron | acc of du (sec pers sing) Dochdochbut, however, yet | conjnein,neinno | advichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomschick’sschicken + esto send + it | verb, reg + pron | first pers sing pres + third pers sing neut or impers | alt ich formnichtnichtnot | adv Frag’fragento ask | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (frage) | sich fragen = to wondermich,michme, I | pron | acc of ich (first pers sing)wowowhere | advbistseinto be | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presdu?duyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nom Wowowhere | advbistseinto be | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presdu?duyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nom
[Chorus] Esesit, he, she, him, her | pron | third pers sing neut or impers, nom or accistseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomruf’anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | first pers sing presjedenjedereach, every, any | adj | acc masc singan,anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | separable prefixdenderthat, him, that one, whom, which | pron | dem or rel, acc masc singichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomkenn’kennento know, be acquainted with, recognize | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (kenne) Die*diethe | art, def | nom and acc fem sing and plganzenganzwhole, entire, complete, intact | adjNamenName (pl Namen)name, reputation | noun | masc plininin, at, to; into to | prep | takes dat or accmeinemmeinmy | adj, poss | dat masc and neut singHandyHandy (pl Handys)cell phone, mobile | noun | neut sing Istseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presnochnochstill, even, yet; eventually, one day; (only) just | advirgendjemandirgendjemandsomebody, anybody | pron | indefwach?wachawake, alert | adj IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nombinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presalleinalleinalone, lonely | adjhier,hierhere, now | advdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomkannkönnenbe able to do, know how to do; be allowed to | verb, mod | third pers sing preswiederwiederagain | advnurnuronly, just | advananon, at, in; by, near; with; during | prep | triggers dat or accdichdichyou, yourself | pron | acc of du (sec pers sing)denkendenkento think, believe | verb, irreg | infin Versuch’versuchento try, attempt; to temp | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (versuche)michmichme, I | pron | acc of ich (first pers sing)irgendwieirgendwiesomehow | advabzulenkenablenkento deflect, turn away, avert; distract | verb, reg, sep | infin with part 'zu' | sich ablenken = to take one's mind off things Undundand | conjalleallall; every | pron | nom/acc fem sing, nom/acc plNummernNummer (pl Nummern)number | noun | fem pldurchzugeh’ndurchgehento go through, walk through, pass through, run through; be allowed, be tolerated; go straight through | verb, irreg, sep | infin + part 'zu' Nurnuronly, just | advumumaround, at, by, for, because | prep | triggers accdeinedeinyours | adj, poss | nom and acc fem sing and plnichtnichtnot | advzuzuto | part | used with verb infinitiveswähl’nwählento choose, select, pick; dial; elect, vote for | verb, reg | infin
[Verse 2] IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomgeh’gehento go, walk; leave; work, function; be possible | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (gehe)wiederwiederagain | advunterunterunder, below; among | prep | triggers acc or datLeute,Leutepeople | noun | pl onlyichichI | pron | first pers sing, nombrauch’brauchento need, require; have to; use; use up, consume | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (brauche)LuftLuft (no pl)air; breath; breeze; room, space | noun | fem singininin, at, to; into to | prep | takes dat or accmeinermeinmy | adj, poss | gen and dat fem sing, gen plLungeLunge (pl Lungen)lungs, lung | noun | fem sing IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomsuch’suchento search for, look for | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (suche)dasdasthe | art, def | nom and acc neut singGrellegrellshrill, piercing; glaring, dazzling; garish, gaudy, flashy | adj | noun made from adjundundand | conjdasdasthe | art, def | nom and acc neut singSchnelleschnellfast, quick | adj | noun made from adjundundand | conjdasdasthe | art, def | nom and acc neut singBuntebuntcolored, colorful; multicolored; varied | adj | noun made from adj IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomred’redento speak, talk; say; talk about, discuss | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (rede)sososo; as; like this/thatvielvielmuch, a lot | pronundundand | conjbinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presdiediethe | art, def | nom and acc fem sing and plLautestelautloud, noisy | adj | superlativederderthe | art, def | nom masc, gen and dat fem, gen plRundeRunde (pl Runden)company; walk, turn, round, rounds; lap; surroundings; group/circle (of friends) | noun | fem sing Nurnuronly, just | advausausout of; from; of, made of | prep | triggers datAngst,Angst (pl Ängste)worry, fear, anxiety; phobia | noun | fem singwaswaswhat; that which; what, how much, why | pron | interr or relpassiert,passierento happen; pass, cross | verb, reg | ppwennwennwhen, if | conjesesit, he, she, him, her | pron | third pers sing neut or impers, nom or accstummstummmute, silent, nonspeaking | adjwirdwerdento get, become | verb, irreg | third pers sing pres
[Pre-Chorus] IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomschreib’,schreibento write | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (schreibe)„IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomvermiss’vermissento miss | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (vermisse)dich“dichyou, yourself | pron | acc of du (sec pers sing) Dochdochbut, however, yet | conjnein,neinno | advichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomschick’sschicken + esto send + it | verb, reg + pron | first pers sing pres + third pers sing neut or impers | alt ich formnichtnichtnot | adv Frag’fragento ask | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (frage) | sich fragen = to wondermich,michme, I | pron | acc of ich (first pers sing)wowowhere | advbistseinto be | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presdu?duyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nom Wowowhere | advbistseinto be | verb, irreg | sec pers sing presdu?duyou | pron | sec pers sing inform, nom
[Chorus] Esesit, he, she, him, her | pron | third pers sing neut or impers, nom or accistseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomruf’anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | first pers sing presjedenjedereach, every, any | adj | acc masc singan,anrufento shout to; to call, phone, make a phone call; to appeal to; send for | verb, irreg, sep | separable prefixdenderthat, him, that one, whom, which | pron | dem or rel, acc masc singichichI | pron | first pers sing, nomkenn’kennento know, be acquainted with, recognize | verb, irreg | first pers sing pres (kenne) Die*diethe | art, def | nom and acc fem sing and plganzenganzwhole, entire, complete, intact | adjNamenName (pl Namen)name, reputation | noun | masc plininin, at, to; into to | prep | takes dat or accmeinemmeinmy | adj, poss | dat masc and neut singHandyHandy (pl Handys)cell phone, mobile | noun | neut sing Istseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presnochnochstill, even, yet; eventually, one day; (only) just | advirgendjemandirgendjemandsomebody, anybody | pron | indefwach?wachawake, alert | adj IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nombinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presalleinalleinalone, lonely | adjhier,hierhere, now | advdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nomkannkönnenbe able to do, know how to do; be allowed to | verb, mod | third pers sing preswiederwiederagain | advnurnuronly, just | advananon, at, in; by, near; with; during | prep | triggers dat or accdichdichyou, yourself | pron | acc of du (sec pers sing)denkendenkento think, believe | verb, irreg | infin Versuch’versuchento try, attempt; to temp | verb, reg | first pers sing pres (versuche)michmichme, I | pron | acc of ich (first pers sing)irgendwieirgendwiesomehow | advabzulenkenablenkento deflect, turn away, avert; distract | verb, reg, sep | infin with part 'zu' | sich ablenken = to take one's mind off things Undundand | conjalleallall; every | pron | nom/acc fem sing, nom/acc plNummernNummer (pl Nummern)number | noun | fem pldurchzugeh’ndurchgehento go through, walk through, pass through, run through; be allowed, be tolerated; go straight through | verb, irreg, sep | infin + part 'zu' Nurnuronly, just | advumumaround, at, by, for, because | prep | triggers accdeinedeinyours | adj, poss | nom and acc fem sing and plnichtnichtnot | advzuzuto | part | used with verb infinitiveswähl’nwählento choose, select, pick; dial; elect, vote for | verb, reg | infin
[Outro] IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nombinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presalleinalleinalone, lonely | adjhier,hierhere, now | advdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv Istseinto be | verb, irreg | third pers sing presnochnochstill, even, yet; eventually, one day; (only) just | advirgendjemandirgendjemandsomebody, anybody | pron | indefwach?wachawake, alert | adj IchichI | pron | first pers sing, nombinseinto be | verb, irreg | first pers sing presalleinalleinalone, lonely | adjhier,hierhere, now | advdreidreithree | adjUhrUhr (pl Uhren)clock, watch; o'clock | noun | fem singnachtsnachtsat night | adv
*In context the article ‘die’ is sung at the end of the previous line, however for clarity of meaning I have placed it on this line.
Lyrics with Translation
Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.
Drei Uhr Nachts Three o’clock in the morning
[Intro] Es ist drei Uhr nachts It’s three o’clock in the morning Ich ruf’ jeden an, den ich kenn’ I call everyone I know Die* ganzen Namen in meinem Handy All the names in my cell phone Ist noch irgendjemand wach? Is anyone still awake? Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts I’m alone here, three in the morning
[Verse 1] Nur, wenn ich so hart renne, dass ich Wind im Gesicht hab’ Only when I run so hard that I have wind in my face Nur, wenn es voll ist und laut, bin ich sicher Only when it’s full and loud, am I sure Du bist der Grund, warum ich wach bleib’ und nicht schlaf’ You’re the reason I stay awake and don’t sleep Und jeder meiner Freunde grad um mich bisschen Schiss hat And each of my friends around me now is a bit scared Nur, wenn ich rolle durch die Nacht Only when I roll through the night Ohne Kontrolle durch die Stadt Without control through the city All meine Kraft verpulvert hab’ I’ve wasted all my strength Dann wirst du manchmal in mir ‘n bisschen blass Then sometimes you pale a little in me
[Pre-Chorus] Ich schreib’, „Ich vermiss’ dich“ I write, “I miss you” Doch nein, ich schick’s nicht But no, I don’t send it Frag’ mich, wo bist du? I wonder, where are you? Wo bist du? Where are you?
[Chorus] Es ist drei Uhr nachts It’s three o’clock in the morning Ich ruf’ jeden an, den ich kenn’ I call everyone I know Die* ganzen Namen in meinem Handy All the names in my cell phone Ist noch irgendjemand wach? Is anyone still awake? Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts I’m alone here, three in the morning Ich kann wieder nur an dich denken I can only think of you again Versuch’ mich irgendwie abzulenken I’m trying to take my mind off it somehow Und alle Nummern durchzugeh’n And go through all the numbers Nur um deine nicht zu wähl’n Just so as not to dial yours
[Verse 2] Ich geh’ wieder unter Leute, ich brauch’ Luft in meiner Lunge I’m going back among people, I need air in my lungs Ich such’ das Grelle und das Schnelle und das Bunte I look for the bright and the fast and the colorful Ich red’ so viel und bin die Lauteste der Runde I talk so much and am the loudest of the group Nur aus Angst, was passiert, wenn es stumm wird Just out of fear of what will happen if it goes silent
[Pre-Chorus] Ich schreib’, „Ich vermiss’ dich“ I write, “I miss you” Doch nein, ich schick’s nicht But no, I don’t send it Frag’ mich, wo bist du? I wonder, where are you? Wo bist du? Where are you?
[Chorus] Es ist drei Uhr nachts It’s three o’clock in the morning Ich ruf’ jeden an, den ich kenn’ I call everyone I know Die* ganzen Namen in meinem Handy All the names in my cell phone Ist noch irgendjemand wach? Is anyone still awake? Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts I’m alone here, three in the morning Ich kann wieder nur an dich denken I can only think of you again Versuch’ mich irgendwie abzulenken I’m trying to take my mind off it somehow Und alle Nummern durchzugeh’n And go through all the numbers Nur um deine nicht zu wähl’n Just so as not to dial yours
[Outro] Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts I’m alone here, three in the morning Ist noch irgendjemand wach? Is anyone still awake? Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts I’m alone here, three in the morning
*In context the article ‘die’ is sung at the end of the previous line, however for clarity of meaning I have placed it on this line.
Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song
Possessive Adjectives:
Die ganzen Namen in meinem Handy
Und jeder meiner Freunde grad um mich bisschen Schiss hat
Ich geh’ wieder unter Leute, ich brauch’ Luft in meiner Lunge
All meine Kraft verpulvert hab’
Nur um deine nicht zu wähl’n
Accusative:
Ich ruf’ jeden an, den ich kenn’
Und jeder meiner Freunde grad um mich bisschen Schiss hat
Nur, wenn ich rolle durch die Nacht
Ohne Kontrolle durch die Stadt
All meine Kraft verpulvert hab’
Ich schreib’, „Ich vermiss’ dich“
Frag’ mich, wo bist du?
Ich kann wieder nur an dich denken
Versuch’ mich irgendwie abzulenken
Und alle Nummern durchzugeh’n
Nur um deine nicht zu wähl’n
Dative:
Die ganzen Namen in meinem Handy
Dann wirst du manchmal in mir ‘n bisschen blass
Ich geh’ wieder unter Leute, ich brauch’ Luft in meiner Lunge
Genitive:
Und jeder meiner Freunde grad um mich bisschen Schiss hat
Ich red’ so viel und bin die Lauteste der Runde
Irregular Verbs:
sein:
Es ist drei Uhr nachts
Ist noch irgendjemand wach?
Nur, wenn es voll ist und laut, bin ich sicher
Ich bin allein hier, drei Uhr nachts
Ich red’ so viel und bin die Lauteste der Runde
Du bist der Grund, warum ich wach bleib’ und nicht schlaf’
Frag’ mich, wo bist du?
Wo bist du?
haben:
Nur, wenn ich so hart renne, dass ich Wind im Gesicht hab’ (habe)
All meine Kraft verpulvert hab’ (habe)
Und jeder meiner Freunde grad um mich bisschen Schiss hat
schlafen:
Du bist der Grund, warum ich wach bleib’ und nicht schlaf’ (schlafe)
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