The Internationale - Alto
Channel: bus_2040
Date: 2020-07-12

The Internationale
one English version

This is the Alto part in this arrangement.

Eugène Pottier (original text, 1871)
Pierre De Geyter (melody, 1888)

Arise, ye prisoners of starvation,
Arise, ye wretched of the earth!
For justice thunders condemnation:
A better world's in birth!
No more tradition's chains shall bind us;
Arise, ye slaves, no more in thrall!
The earth shall rise on new foundations:
We have been nought, we shall be all!

Chorus (2x):
‘Tis the final conflict
Let each stand in their place
The Internationale
Shall free the human race.

No saviour from on high delivers,
No faith have we in prince or peer.
Our own right hand the chains must shiver
Chains of hatred, greed and fear,
To make the thief disgorge his booty
And bring to all a happier lot,
We must each prepare to do our duty,
And we’ll strike while the iron is hot.
(chorus)

No more deluded by reaction,
On tyrants only we'll make war
The soldiers too will take strike action,
They'll break ranks and fight no more.
And if those cannibals keep trying
To sacrifice us to their pride,
They soon shall hear the bullets flying:
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.
(chorus)

Toilers from shops and fields united,
The union we of all who work:
The earth belongs to us, the workers,
No room here for the shirk.
How many on our flesh have fattened!
But if the noisome birds of prey
Shall vanish from the sky some morning,
The blessed sunlight still will stay.
(chorus)

The law oppresses us and tricks us,
Wage systems drain our blood;
The rich are free from obligations,
The laws the poor delude.
Too long we've languished in subjection,
Equality has other laws;
“No rights,” say we, “without your duties,
No claims on equals without cause.”
(chorus)

Behold them seated in their glory
The kings of mine and rail and soil!
What have you read in all their story,
But how they plundered toil?
Fruits of the workers still are buried
In the coffers of a few;
In working for their restitution
We will only ask our due.
(chorus)