Etymology
Ton Steine Scherben's literal English translation is "Clay Stones Shards"; in German, "Ton" can mean "sound" as well, so the band's name may be considered to be an amphibology. "Ton Steine Scherben" also sounds like "Blut Schweiß und Tränen", blood sweat and tears. Singer Rio Reiser usually told journalists the name was taken from a description by pioneer archeologist Heinrich Schliemann of what he saw when he first came to the site of ancient Troy. Other members of the band claim in the biography "Keine Macht für Niemand - Die Geschichte der Ton Steine Scherben" (No power for nobody - the story of Clay Stone Shards") that it is a play on the name of the West German labor union Bau-Steine-Erden (Construction-Stones-Earths). The band name is also a tribute to The Rolling Stones and to "Die roten Steine" (The red stones), a trainee theatre group from Berlin.
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