The Internationale

Sheet music for the French version.

"The Internationale" (French: L'Internationale) is a leftist anthem that has been used by various leftist countries and movements around the world. The lyrics were written by an anarchist and the music was composed by a Marxist, so it is not associated with any specific ideology. The original French version has six verses and the chorus is sung twice between each verse and at the end. It has been translated into many other languages, although most do not have all six verses.

Use

"The Internationale" was used as the anthem of the Soviet Union until its official anthem was written. It was also used by several other short-lived soviet states.

Lyrics

English version

Verse 1: Arise, you prisoners of starvation, Arise, you damned throughout the earth! For reason thunders condemnation And there's a better world in birth! It is time to seize our liberation, Arise, arise, you slaves in thrall! The earth will change at its foundation, We who are nothing shall be all! Chorus: This is our grand finale, Stand as one, each in place! The Internationale Unites the human race! (2x) Verse 2: We want no condescending saviours, No god, no king, no lord to heed. The workers ask not for their favours; For we will save ourseleves from need! We will make the thief disgorge his plunder And free the shackled from their lot. The fires in our furnace thunder, We'll strike the iron while it's hot! [Chorus] Verse 3: The system cheats in every nation, While laws and taxes drain our life. The rich are free from obligation; But for the poor is endless strife. We have languished while they lounge in beauty, The law of equals rightly cites: "No rights to those refusing duty, No claims of duty without rights!" [Chorus] Verse 4: All hideous in brutal glory, The kings of mine and rail and soil! But have you read in all their story, On how they plundered workers' toil? We will fight for the redistribution Of workers' labour, thieved by few. In working for their restitution, The people only take their due. [Chorus] Verse 5: We see through their disinformation: Attempts to lead us into war. But now the soldiers in formation Will break their ranks and fight no more. If the gruesome cannibals keep trying To sacrifice us to their pride, They soon shall hear the bullets flying, We'll shoot the generals on our side! [Chorus] Verse 6: Just we, the workers of the world-wide, The mighty party of labour, To own the planet have a true right, But for the parasites - never! For too long we've endured exploitation, Too long we've been the vulture's prey. Farewell to days of condemnation! The red dawn brings a bright new day! [Chorus]

French version

French

English literal translation

Verse 1: Debout, les damnés de la terre! Debout, les forçats de la faim! La raison tonne en son cratère, C'est l'éruption de la fin. Du passé faisons table rase, Foule esclave, debout! Debout! Le monde va changer de base: Nous ne sommes rien, soyons tout! Chorus: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain, L'Internationale, Sera le genre humain. (2x) Verse 2: Il n'est pas de sauveurs suprêmes, Ni Dieu, ni César, ni tribun, Producteurs sauvons-nous nous-mêmes! Décrétons le salut commun! Pour que le voleur rende gorge, Pour tirer l'esprit du cachot, Soufflons nous-mêmes notre forge, Battons le fer quand il est chaud! [Chorus] Verse 3: L’État comprime et la loi triche, L’impôt saigne le malheureux; Nul devoir ne s’impose au riche, «Le droit du pauvre» est un mot creux. C’est assez languir en tutelle, L’égalité veut d’autres lois: «Pas de droits sans devoirs,» dit-elle, Égaux, pas de devoirs sans droits! [Chorus] Verse 4: Hideux dans leur apothéose, Les rois de la mine et du rail, Ont-ils jamais fait autre chose, Que dévaliser le travail? Dans les coffres-forts de la bande, Ce qu’il a créé s’est fondu. En décrétant qu’on le lui rende, Le peuple ne veut que son dû. [Chorus] Verse 5: Les Rois nous saoûlaient de fumées, Paix entre nous, guerre aux tyrans! Appliquons la grève aux armées, Crosse en l’air et rompons les rangs! S’ils s’obstinent, ces cannibales, À faire de nous des héros, Ils sauront bientôt que nos balles Sont pour nos propres généraux. [Chorus] Verse 6: Ouvriers, Paysans, nous sommes Le grand parti des travailleurs; La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes, L'oisif ira loger ailleurs. Combien de nos chairs se repaissent! Mais si les corbeaux, les vautours, Un de ces matins disparaissent, Le soleil brillera toujours! [Chorus]

Verse 1: Stand up, the damned of the earth! Stand up, the convicts of hunger! The reason thunders in its crater, It is the eruption of the end. Let us wipe out the past, Slave crowd, get up! Get up! The world will change its base: We are nothing, let us be everything! Chorus: This is the final struggle Let's get together, and tomorrow, The International, Will be the human race. (2x) Verse 2: There are no supreme saviors, Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune, Producers, let us save ourselves! Let us decree the common salvation! So that the thief can be brought to justice, To pull the spirit out of the dungeon, Let us blow our own forge, Let's beat the iron when it's hot! [Chorus] Verse 3: The state suppresses and the law deceives, The tax bleeds the unfortunate; No duty is imposed on the rich, "The rights of the poor" is an empty sentence. Enough languishing in custody Equality wants other laws: "No rights without duties," it says, Likewise, no duties without rights! [Chorus] Verse 4: Hideous in their self-glorification, The kings of the mine and the railroad, Have they ever done anything else, Than robbing the labor? In the vaults of the gang, What labor created has melted away. By decreeing that it be returned to them, The people only want what is theirs. [Chorus] Verse 5: The kings made us drunk with smoke, Peace between us, war to the tyrants! Let us apply the strike to the armies, Riflesticks in the air and let's break the ranks! If they persist, these cannibals, To make heroes of us, They will soon know that our bullets Are for our own generals. [Chorus] Verse 6: Workers, peasants, we are The great party of the workers; The land belongs only to men, The idle ones will go and live elsewhere. How much of our flesh is eaten! But if the crows, the vultures, One of these mornings disappear, The sun will still shine! [Chorus]

Russian version

Russian

English literal translation

Verse 1: Вставай, проклятьем заклеймённый, Весь мир голодных и рабов! Кипит наш разум возмущённый И в смертный бой вести готов. Весь мир насилья мы разрушим До основанья, а затем Мы наш, мы новый мир построим, Кто был ничем, тот станет всем. Chorus: Это есть наш последний И решительный бой; С Интернационалом Воспрянет род людской! (2x) Verse 2: Никто не даст нам избавленья: Ни бог, ни царь и не герой! Добьёмся мы освобожденья Своею собственной рукой. Чтоб свергнуть гнёт рукой умелой, Отвоевать своё добро, Вздувайте горн и куйте смело, Пока железо горячо! [Chorus] Verse 3: Довольно кровь сосать, вампиры, Тюрьмой, налогом, нищетой! У вас вся власть, все блага мира, А наше право звук пустой ! Мы жизнь построим по-иному И вот наш лозунг боевой: Вся власть народу трудовому! А дармоедов всех долой! [Chorus] Verse 4: Презренны вы в своём богатстве, Угля и стали короли! Вы ваши троны, тунеядцы, На наших спинах возвели. Заводы, фабрики, палаты Всё нашим создано трудом. Пора! Мы требуем возврата Того, что взято грабежом. [Chorus] Verse 5: Довольно королям в угоду Дурманить нас в чаду войны! Война тиранам! Мир Народу! Бастуйте, армии сыны! Когда ж тираны нас заставят В бою геройски пасть за них Убийцы, в вас тогда направим Мы жерла пушек боевых! [Chorus] Verse 6: Лишь мы, работники всемирной Великой армии труда, Владеть землёй имеем право, Но паразиты никогда! И если гром великий грянет Над сворой псов и палачей, Для нас всё так же солнце станет Сиять огнём своих лучей. [Chorus]

Verse 1: Arise, you who are branded with a curse, The whole world of the hungry and the slaves! Our mind is boiling with indignation And ready to fight to the death. We'll tear down the world of violence Down to the ground, and then We're ours, we'll build a new world, Who was nothing will become everything. Chorus: This is our last And decisive battle; With the International The human race shall rise up! (2x) Verse 2: No one will give us deliverance: No god, no king, no hero! We'll get our deliverance By our own hand. To overthrow oppression with our own skillful hand, To reclaim our own good, Blow the horn and forge bravely, While the iron is hot! [Chorus] Verse 3: No more sucking blood, vampires, Prison, tax, poverty! You have all the power, all the goods of the world, You have all the power, you have all the world's goods! We'll build our lives differently! And that's our battle slogan! All power to the working people! And all the freeloaders down! [Chorus] Verse 4: You are despicable in your wealth, Coal and steel are kings! Your thrones, you slackers, On our backs you have erected. Plants, factories, chambers All built by our toil! It's time! We demand the return That which was taken by robbery. [Chorus] Verse 5: No more kings to please To smoke us in the fume of war! War on tyrants! Peace to the people! Strike, sons of the army! When will the tyrants make us To fall heroically for them! Murderers, then we'll point the barrels of our cannons at you! The barrels of our cannons of battle! [Chorus] Verse 6: Only we, the workers of the world's of the great army of labor, We have the right to own the land, But the parasites never! And if the great thunder rumbles Over a horde of hounds and executioners, The sun shall still shine for us Shine in the fire of its rays. [Chorus]

German version

German

English literal translation

Verse 1: Wacht auf, Verdammte dieser Erde, die stets man noch zum Hungern zwingt! Das Recht wie Glut im Kraterherde nun mit Macht zum Durchbruch dringt! Reinen Tisch macht mit dem Bedränger! Heer der Sklaven, wache auf! Ein Nichts zu sein, tragt es nicht länger Alles zu werden, strömt zuhauf Chorus: Völker, hört die Signale! Auf zum letzten Gefecht! Die Internationale erkämpft das Menschenrecht! (2x) Verse 2: Es rettet uns kein höh'res Wesen, kein Gott, kein Kaiser noch Tribun! Uns aus dem Elend zu erlösen können wir nur selber tun! Leeres Wort: des Armen Rechte! Leeres Wort: des Reichen Pflicht! Unmündig nennt man uns und Knechte, duldet die Schmach nun länger nicht! [Chorus] Verse 3: In Stadt und Land, ihr Arbeitsleute, wir sind die stärkste der Partei'n! Die Müßiggänger schiebt beiseite! Diese Welt muss unser sein! Unser Blut sei nicht mehr der Raben, Nicht der mächt'gen Geier Fraß! Erst wenn wir sie vertrieben haben dann scheint die Sonn' ohn' Unterlass! [Chorus]

Verse 1: Wake up, damned of this earth, who are constantly forced to starve! Justice, like embers in the crater's hearth now with might pushes to the breakthrough! Clear the table with the oppressor! Army of slaves, wake up! Being a nothing is no longer tolerable To become everything is rising up Chorus: Peoples, hear the signals! On to the final battle! The International fights for the human right! (2x) Verse 2: No higher power will save us, No God, no emperor, no tribune To redeem us out of misery, only we ourselves can do! Empty words: "the rights of the poor"! Empty words: "the duties of the rich"! They call us wretches and only servants, Do not tolerate the humiliation any longer! [Chorus] Verse 3: In the city and the countryside, you working people, we are the strongest of the parties! The idlers push aside! This world must be ours! Our blood isn't for the ravens Or food for the powerful vultures! Only when we have driven them out the sun will shine without ceasing! [Chorus]

Chinese version

Chinese

English literal version

Verse 1: 起来，饥寒交迫的奴隶， 起来，全世界受苦的人！ 满腔的热血已经沸腾， 要为真理而斗争！ 旧世界打个落花流水， 奴隶们起来起来！ 不要说我们一无所有， 我们要做天下的主人！ Chorus: 这是最后的斗争， 团结起来到明天， 英特纳雄耐尔 就一定要实现。 (2x) Verse 2: 从来就没有什么救世主， 也不靠神仙皇帝。 要创造人类的幸福， 全靠我们自己！ 我们要夺回劳动果实， 让思想冲破牢笼。 快把那炉火烧得通红， 趁热打铁才能成功！ [Chorus] Verse 3: 是谁创造了人类世界？ 是我们劳动群众。 一切归劳动者所有， 哪能容得寄生虫！ 最可恨那些毒蛇猛兽， 吃尽了我们的血肉。 一旦把他们消灭干净， 鲜红的太阳照遍全球！ [Chorus]

Verse 1: Get up, hungry and cold slaves, Get up, people suffering all over the world! The blood is boiling, Fight for the truth! A world of falling flowers and flowing water, Slaves, get up! Don't say we have nothing, We want to be the masters of the world! Chorus: This is the last struggle, Unite until tomorrow, The internationale It must be realized. (2x) Verse 2: There has never been a savior, Nor the Immortal Emperor. To create human happiness, It's all up to us! We want to recapture the fruits of labor, Let the mind break through the cage. Burn that fire red, Strike while the iron is hot to succeed! [Chorus] Verse 3: Who created the human world? We are the working masses. Everything belongs to the laborer, There's no room for parasites! The most hateful snakes and beasts, Ate our flesh and blood. Once they're wiped out, The bright red sun shines all over the world! [Chorus]