Peace by Order
The singer-songwriter Yann Song King makes it clear: the only thing that ought to truly “stand still” in all of the future to come are weapons.
A Chinese man who has strayed into Saxony? Or perhaps simply a fellow named Jan who confidently touts himself as the “Song King,” the king of songs? Yann Song King still poses a number of riddles.
But anyone who has seen one of the artist’s many appearances at demonstrations and peace events knows: here you also get musically well-crafted songs about the issues that really weigh on us today. Issues that many a German-rock veteran prefers to steer clear of, out of fear of media backlash. Naturally the warmongering has reached the King’s ears as well — and he had to push back against it. His proposal: to beat the military with its own weapons.
I remember the Munich Peace Festival of 1 September 2024 in Munich well. Among others, the song-poet Yann Song King performed — I had already experienced him in Berlin on the fringes of a Corona demo — and he sang his song „Versprechen“.
Here is the almost magical, wittily earnest text: [1]
Original
„In einem Land, das glaub ich jeder kennt,
regierte mal ein leicht dementer Präsident.
Etwas morsch und löchrig war sein Geist,
sodass er manchmal etwas durcheinander schmeißt.
Bei einer Militärparade kam
es zu ’nem folgenschweren Versprecher dann.
Am Teleprompter war die Schrift zu klein,
und der Präsident fing, an einen Befehl zu schrei’n,
den die Soldaten noch nicht kannten:
Alle Waffen stillgestanden!
Daraufhin fragt ihn ein Journalist,<
ob und wann diesem Befehl zu folgen ist.
Die Welt schaut zu, was jetzt geschieht,
als er aus seiner Tasche einen Zettel zieht.
Man ist gespannt auf’s Präsidentenwort,
und auf dem kleinen Zettel steht:
‚unverzüglich und sofort‘.
Die Telegrafendrähte brannten:
Alle Waffen stillgestanden!
Die Menschen hören auf der ganzen Welt,
dass nunmehr der Befehl zum Waffenstillstand gilt.
Die Diener und Vasallen mussten nun
dem Befehl des Herren schnell Genüge tun.
Die Leute sahen schon nach Tagesfrist,
dass durch den kleinen Fehler jetzt der Frieden ausgebrochen ist,
wie ihn die Menschen gar nicht kannten:
Alle Waffen stillgestanden!
Ja, ihr sagt, das wär nur Spinnerei
und dass so ein Versprecher kein Versprechen sei.
Doch vielleicht sollte man mal probier’n,
ob unsre Herrscher besser auf Befehlston reagier’n.
Fest entschlossen schreien Milliarden Kehlen,
dass sie den totalen Frieden auf der Welt befehlen
– jedem Kommandanten:
Alle Waffen stillgestanden!““
Übersetzung
„In a country that I think everyone knows,
there once reigned a slightly demented president.
Somewhat rotten and full of holes was his mind,
so that at times he tosses things about in a muddle.
At a military parade there came
then a fateful slip of the tongue.
On the teleprompter the script was too small,
and the president began to shout out an order
that the soldiers did not yet know:
All weapons, stand still!
Thereupon a journalist asks him,
whether and when this order is to be obeyed.
The world looks on at what happens now,
as he pulls a slip of paper from his pocket.
Everyone waits, tense, for the presidential word,
and on the little slip it says:
‚at once and immediately‘.
The telegraph wires were ablaze:
All weapons, stand still!
People all over the world hear
that from now on the order for a ceasefire holds.
The servants and the vassals now had
to swiftly do the master’s bidding.
Within a day’s span the people already saw
that through this small mistake peace had now broken out,
such as the people had never known:
All weapons, stand still!
Yes, you say that this is nothing but nonsense,
and that such a slip of the tongue is no promise made.
But perhaps one ought to try
whether our rulers respond better to a tone of command.
Firmly resolved, billions of throats cry out
that they command total peace upon the world
– to every commander:
All weapons, stand still!““
One US election of November 2024 later, the song-writing visionary from Saxony may turn out to be truly right, at least with regard to the war in Ukraine. Were and are some poets once again ahead of their time? Not only they demanded, over the past three years, an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine — many did so [2]. Now it may be coming within reach. Surely this couldn’t lead to serious peace negotiations? At a time when one must almost fear peace …
Successful peace negotiations, and the peace that would then follow between Russia and Ukraine, increase the likelihood of avoiding a looming open military confrontation between NATO and Russia, or between European states and Russia. Whether anyone in „Berlin“ understands this and is willing to face it?
As a sign of good will, all the renewed rearmament plans of March 2025 should be suspended at once — as a signal to Moscow and the world. Not only their discussion in the new Bundestag will, in a realistic reassessment of the threat to our country, have to give room to all the voices that point to alternatives. There are voices enough, there are alternatives enough. The marked exaggeration of a Russian threat can be walked back.
The federal government's position hitherto should — indeed absolutely must — be adapted to the new situation, so that an independent German peace policy can be developed and then made visible.
Taking into account the probable instability of the federal government still to be formed, the following thoughts are also addressed to a conceivable transitional government or a government of national responsibility, led by and involving persons of integrity and capable of peace with proven expertise for the portfolios they are to answer for.
The development of an independent German position is conceivable. We are witnessing right now how quickly the wind can turn, even if one must suspect strategically calculating motives on all sides. Peace-promoting ideas could gain further ground in this country, for example the possibility:
- of a fundamental declaration of neutrality by the German government in the name of the German people, while preserving a readiness to help on humanitarian matters,
- of converting NATO membership into a membership dormant for the time being, with the option of an orderly winding-down or transformation of NATO in due course,
- of a suspension of the „Operationsplan Deutschland“ with the reinstatement of the previously valid rules for the case of defence,
- of a strategic realignment of the Bundeswehr as a purely defensive army under the conditions of altered, „modern“ warfare, also as a proposal to the former NATO partners for their respective strategic adjustments,
- of an agreement with the USA on ending its military presence in Germany, with reference to the given possibilities of self-defence,
- of an independent diplomatic initiative for the establishment of lasting world peace, for example by means of a globally valid non-aggression treaty, possibly set in motion through unilateral fulfilment,
- of a visible embrace and affirmation of all peace-promoting positions of China, Russia, the USA and other countries such as Brazil, Hungary and India,
- of a demand to Russia, the USA, France and Great Britain for binding guarantees renouncing the use of nuclear weapons worldwide, in Europe and against Germany as a first step, and then their complete dismantling,
- of the suspension of all sanctions against Russia, then their complete lifting,
- of the resumption of the direct supply of energy sources from Russia,
- of the planning and the beginning of an exemplary conversion of the domestic military industries?
We will witness to what extent those responsible now and in the future resolutely seize these possibilities, and the ones still developing, which have arisen above all through the changed foreign policy of the USA regarding its relations with Russia — possibly modified with regard to China as well. Probably they will miss this opportunity too, or won’t they? What will happen then? Will we let ourselves be subjected to a rearmament policy that endangers and ruins us, when a policy of détente is so obviously possible and necessary?
Let us seize the moment for a renewal of our country out of a comprehensive effort for lasting peace, here at home, in Europe and worldwide! In this we can by no means, and do not want to, rely on the political actors; peace-effective action has many facets. The deeper causes of the real, induced crises on our planet must continue to be examined and eliminated. For this, as is well known, more is needed than peace negotiations that put an end to mutual military threat. But after an observed ceasefire, they would be and are a step on the way toward an indispensable order of world peace, one that can arise only out of overcoming the spiritual crisis of humanity!
Alle Waffen still gestanden – Yann Song King – Demo für Frieden in Weissenfels am 25.09.2024 Teil 1
Sources and notes:
Fußnoten
- Song lyrics by Yann Song King, https://www.yannsongking.de/ ↩
- Among others, myself as well, in a text dated 15 February 2023, https://www.manova.news/artikel/die-letzte-chance-3. ↩
