Als die Waffen schwiegen [English translation]

It was cold in Flanders, an Christmas day,

After so much war,

In the year 1914, Winter of the world,

When the weapons were silent

From the trenches*, opposed to the death,

sounded a simple song,

In many languages, "Silent Night"

created a miracle.

When all the weapons were silent,

and silence broke,

a song from the trenches*

promised peace,

for a moment, no more desire for victory,

the soldiers were also human**

when the weapons were silent.

A sea of candles along the trenches*,

Lit the night,

And bold guards, lifting their hands,

Abandoned their posts,

Soon, they sang together,

Enemies, soldiers,

Out of the trenches*,

Celebrating Christmas,

During the war, with death and with dirt

When all the weapons were silent,

and silence broke,

a song from the trenches*

promised peace,

for a moment, no more desire for victory,

the soldiers were also human**

when the weapons were silent.

In the moment, so much hope,

In the moment, so much luck,

The moment was a promise,

but the path led back

Back to cold trenches*,

Back to suffering and death

All hope was extinguished,

The next morning.

When the weapons were silent ...

*The word "trenches" appears six times in the English, but there are two words use in the German. The first and final times the word "Schützengräben" is used. The middle four times the word "Gräben" is used. "Schützengräben" is made of two parts "Schützen," meaning protection, and "Gräben," meaning graves. So the middle four instances of "trenches" is literally the word "graves" in the German.

**Meaning the soldiers were not simply soldiers anymore, but they had their humanity returned.

• Artist:Saltatio Mortis
• Album:Zirkus Zeitgeist - Ohne Strom und Stecker