About

Rock and Stone is a salute and in-game dialogue that every dwarf in the video game Deep Rock Galactic uses in order to show respect to one another. Since the game's release in early 2018, the catchphrase has been used on social media and elsewhere online as a copypasta response or reference in comment sections and as a source for various memes. Other prevalent in-game emotes or cheers commonly seen online include "Rock and Stone, To The Bone," "For Karl" and "If You Don't Rock and Stone, You Ain't Comin' Home."

Origin

On February 28th, 2018, the early access version of Deep Rock Galactic was released on Windows and Xbox One. On July 21st, 2020, YouTuber^[6] Syncourt posted most of the in-game dialogue (shown below) in which the characters said the catchphrase "Rock and Stone," among others. The video amassed over 15,000 views and 320 likes in three years.

A few months after the early access was released, on March 4th, 2018, one of the earliest mentions of the in-game phrase said by the dwarfs "rock and stone, to the bone" was posted on Reddit^[1] by user u/lokthurala10. The post (shown below) garnered over 50 upvotes and 10 comments in five years.

The catchphrase "Rock and Stone" is considered a tagline for the game’s universe to express a wish for good fortune or bravery, similar to Star Trek's memorable quote “Live Long and Prosper.”

Spread

Online, the phrase was popularized among fans of the game following its release, who created video compilations and memes using the memorable quote, as well as commenting with it under a wide array of posts. For instance, on October 30th, 2021, YouTuber^[2] eaglesix6585 posted a scene from the Zootopia movie in which the wolf security guards are howling the phrase "Rock and Stone" (shown below, left). The video amassed more than 50,000 views and 2,700 likes in two years.

On January 1st, 2022, YouTuber^[3] YellowStick posted a video (shown below, right) titled "Rock and Stone Sound Effects," which garnered over 16,000 views and 230 likes in a year.

The phrase is also featured in numerous memes created by fans of the game. For example, on January 10th, 2022, iFunny^[4] user JubeJube posted a strip about a baby's first words being the catchphrase "rock and stone" (shown below, left), which amassed over 34,000 likes and 1,000 comments in a year. 9GAG^[5] user sothisxk posted a meme about the phrase on December 8th, 2022 (shown below, right), garnering more than 2,800 likes and 160 comments in roughly a year.

Rock and Stone Song

Aside from memes and other references to the iconic in-game emote, the catchphrase was transformed into various songs and received a number of remixes on social media.

For instance, on February 24th, 2021, YouTuber^[7] MatZenkMusic posted a video titled "Rock & Stone (Mining Shanty)" featuring music inspired by the phrase. The video (shown below, left) amassed over 569,000 views and 15,000 likes in two years. On September 6th, 2021, YouTuber^[8] DoomerDRG posted another remix titled "DEEP ROCK SHANTY" (shown below, right), which amassed over 2 million views and 44,000 likes in two years.

Various Examples

Sound Effect

Search Interest

External References