But there is another Kaxon for the idea that it was called “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles”, the real name of the anthem is: Deutschlandlied or “Das Lied der Deutschen” or “The Song of the Germans”.
It gets bonus points from me for also not mentioning God or religion at all.
I fucking hate our (South African) national anthem, linked above, for that reason. It’s based on an out-and-out Christian hymn and I loathe that Nkosi Sikelel’i is the most well-known Struggle song. For all its bad associations, at least the commonly sung first verse of the old national anthem (still partly incorporated in the new one) was about how geographically awesome our country is.
Annd don’t forget The European Union which adopted Ode to Joy from Beethoven 9th. I am not sure if anyone uses Schiller’s words.
Freude!
Freude!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
O friends, no more of these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs,
More songs full of joy!
Joy!
Joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Within thy sanctuary.
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary.
Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Except the fourth and fifth verses speak of fighting with swords and blood shed in defense of the land. It’s also the first poem in the Tales of Ensign Stål, a cycle of poems about the war of 1808-1809, considered important in the establishment of Finnish Nationalism.
Indirect, sure, but it’s not entirely pacifistic, either.