Das Lied der Deutschen

Historically, Germany as a country didn't exist before 1871. While other European nations, England and France for example, lived in long-established nation-states, the German nation was split into, at times literally, hundreds of little states. The notion German nation itself was very fuzzy: some considered only people living in approximately present day Germany as Germans while others counted all of present day Germany and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire as German, too.

After the Napoleonic wars, and particularly from the mid-19th century on, there was a strong drive among Germans to unite all German states into one country. Hoffmann von Fallersleben expressed these sentiments in the poem Lied der Deutschen.

Today, the third stanza of the Lied der Deutschen is the text of the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland). There are, unfortunately, quite a few people who would prefer the first stanza, because of its territorial claims and the belligerent undertones; but those people are what's usually called a Neo-Nazi. When Fallersleben wrote the Lied der Deutschen these territorial claims were a lot less controversial than they are today.

So, here it is, unabridged, Das Lied der Deutschen, usually sung to the melody of the second movement of Joseph Haydn's Kaiserquartett. Ironically, this melody used to be the anthem of Austria, sung to the words Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God save Franz, the Emperor).

Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt,
Wenn es stets zum Schutz und Trutze brüderlich zusammenhält,
Von der Maas bis an die Memel, von dem Etsch bis an den Belt -
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, Über alles in der Welt!

Deutsche Frauen, deutsche Treue, deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang,
Sollen in der Welt behalten Ihren alten schönen Klang,
Uns zu edler Tat begeistern, unser ganzes Leben lang -
Deutsche Frauen, deutsche Treue, deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang!

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit für das deutsche Vaterland.
Danach lasst uns alle streben brüderlich mit Herz und Hand.
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit sind des Glückes Unterpfand -
Blüh' im Glanze dieses Glückes, blühe, deutsches Vaterland!