The text is attributed to Friedrich Spee and was first printed in the collection Geistlichen Psälterlein (Little sacred psalter) by Johannes Heringsdorf [de] in Cologne in 1637.

Spee often wrote sacred texts for secular melodies, intending to fight their "pestilent poison" ("pestilenzisch Gift").

[3] The song was printed with the melody in 1638, titled Hertzopffer (The heart's sacrifice) in the Cologne collection Geistlicher Psalter.

[4] Probably even sooner, the melody appeared with a text for Kindelwiegen, "Nun wiegen wir das Kindlein" (Now we rock the little child) in a manuscript tablature, which was written by Henricus Beginiker from 1623.

[3] Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio used the same melody, slightly modified, for a lullaby "Die Blümelein, sie schlafen" (The little flowers, they sleep) in 1840.