Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen
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| "Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen" | |
|---|---|
| Christian hymn | |
| Written | 1988 |
| Text | by Markus Pytlik |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Irish blessings |
| Melody | by Markus Pytlik |
| Composed | 1988 |
"Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen" (May the road make us meet) is a Christian hymn written in 1988 with German text by Markus Pytlik based on Irish blessings. He also composed the melody. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including regional sections of the Catholic Gotteslob, and songbooks including ecumenical collections.
Markus Pytlik wrote "Möge die Straße uns zusammenführen" in 1988, in an effort to express faith in contemporary texts and music in a genre later known as Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL).[1] He said that he returned from vacation in Ireland in 1988 with souvenirs including a postcard with the Irish travel blessing "May the road rise to meet you", and a booklet of other Irish toasts. He tried to set the translated travel blessing to music, but realised that the text was too long for a round, and too short for a song. He therefore wrote it as a first stanza, and added thoughts from the other toasts, using the end of the blessing as a refrain.[1][2]
Pytlik wrote an English version at the same time. The song was first performed in groups, later distributed in photocopies. It became known all over Germany.[1] The song was included in regional sections of the German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob, such as GL 852 in the Diocese of Limburg and GL 833 in the Diocese of Cologne.[3] The song is part of several songbooks, including ecumenical collections.[1]