I assume you're referring to "Deutschland über alles" (Germany over everything).
It's no longer the first verse due to the Nazi history, but it doesn't come from that time.
It actually comes from the mid 1800s (IIRC) when Germany didn't exist as a unified state. People lived in many different kingdoms and principalities and many yearned for a German state.
The anthem comes from this time and this line is supposed to mean that Germany is preferable to the various smaller states of that time.
It's no longer the first verse due to the Nazi history, but it doesn't come from that time.
It actually comes from the mid 1800s (IIRC) when Germany didn't exist as a unified state. People lived in many different kingdoms and principalities and many yearned for a German state.
The anthem comes from this time and this line is supposed to mean that Germany is preferable to the various smaller states of that time.
Source: "Germany, memories of a nation" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23113270-germany