When a darkness lay once more upon the earth
And it seemed inevitable
That it must get ever darker,
A man spoke: "The world shall change!

Take heart, the darkness must abate
And a light shall once more shine for you and me,
If we stretch our hands out to each other,
For the world, the world, is changed by US!"

Was it not wishful thinking [and]1 dreaming
And a lovely, unbelievable belief?
To clean up the rubble of time
Takes the strength of a giant.

It was asked, "Who is this giant?"
The man spoke: "All of us, you and me,
When we dare to dream and to speak
This sentence: The world shall change!"

There was a path to be seen in the darkness,
Though to many it seemed to be still impassable.
There was a way to be walked through the darkness,
Which had been preceded by a dream.

Where the dead lie under the rubble,
Still in fear of the darkness,
They stand, risen from the mountain of rubble:
Other people of another time.

Risen from the silence of the rubble,
The people gave a meaning to life.
When works came under the ownership of the people,
This was the dawning of a new age.

Therefore, sing a song of change,
Free yourselves and become fraternal!
Lo, it is once more growing bright upon earth,
And the world, the world shall change.