Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden

Oosterhuis wrote the text in Dutch, "Zolang er mensen zijn op aarde"[1] in 1959,[2] when he was a priest for students.[3] The melody was composed by Tera de Marez Oyens the same year.[2][4] Dieter Trautwein's translation from 1966, revised in 1972,[2][4] was included in the German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob as GL 425,[1] in the section "Leben in Gott - Vertrauen und Trost" (Life in God – trust and consolation).[2] It was also printed in the Protestant hymnal of 1995 Evangelisches Gesangbuch, as EG 427.[1] The song is part of many songbooks.[5]

The text is in five stanzas of four lines each which rhyme in Dutch, but not in the translation.[3] It is based on Matthew 6:26–30, about God's care for creations as small as birds and flowers.[1][6] It begins with thanks to God, who is addressed as a personal "du" (You), for having given life to people and fruits.[7] It alludes to the promise from Genesis 8:22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."[3] God has nourished birds and made flowers beautiful, as the third stanza says. The second stanza reminds of God's word calling for peace ("solang dein Wort zum Frieden ruft").[7] The fourth stanza addresses God as Light and giver of life, with his Son the bread uniting the believers.[3] The final stanza calls all who owe their life to God to stay in communication.[3]

The melody has been described as simple (schlicht), with a forward-moving steady rhythm. All four short lines are similar.[7] Its irregular dancing beat has been compared to a tango.[3]

The song has been used in the context of preservation of natural environment and peace movement, because the "solang" (as long), often repeated in the text, is a reminder that the state of both the environment and peace are fragile.[7][3]

• Gotteslobvideo (GL 425): Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden on YouTube