Ummm...I'm not sure why you're posting this. But you've got an outdated version. There was some editing done post-WWII. The stanzas that begin "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" are now omitted.
For the non-German speakers, that's because the Germans very accurately realized that the sentiments expressed in those stanzas were not so popular anymore:
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt,
Wenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze
Brüderlich zusammenhält,
Von der Maas bis an die Memel,
Von der Etsch bis an den Belt -
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt.
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
Über alles in der Welt.
Germany, Germany above everything,
Above all else in the world,
Whenever we stand together
As brothers in defense and defiance
From the Maas to the Memel, [rivers bordering German-speaking areas on the west and east, beyond the current national borders]
From the Etsch to the Belt [rivers bordering on the north and south, the Belt is w/in Germany's current borders but the Etsch is not]
Germany, Germany above everything
Above all else in the world.
The lyrics are from a poem written in the mid-1800s, before Germany was even a united country. It was just a loose collection of principalities (for the U.S. history buffs, less organized than we were under the Articles of Confederation) So the nationalistic sentiments were more of a "let's join together as one nation" NOT "let's conquer all of our neighbors and kill millions of innocent Jews, Gypsies, Poles, homosexuals, and anyone else we don't like." But given the historical context, the lyrics just don't sound appropriate anymore.
Now, the remaining stanzas are not so objectionable. The 3rd stanza beginning "Einigheit und Recht und Freiheit" is encouraging the Germans to join together in brotherhood to seek unity, justice, and freedom. This is pretty much the only part that is sung anymore. The 2nd stanza is an ode to "German women, German loyalty, German wine and German songs."
Ok, enough history lessons. Ever now and then, I like to find some little way to make myself feel that I actually learned something in college.
But I still wonder Billy, why the heck did you post this? Especially the old "politically incorrect" version???
Hybrid Mode
