The Internationale

**The Internationale** (French: **L'Internationale**) is the most famous workers', socialist, communist and anarchist song and one of the most famous songs in the world. The original words (in French) were written in 1870 by Eugène Pottier (1816–1887, later a member of the Paris Commune). Pierre Degeiter (1848–1932) wrote the music for the song in 1888 and it was first performed that year at a celebration of the socialist association of journalists in Lyon; since then it has been spread and sung among French workers, and in 1899 it became the anthem of French socialists. (It was originally supposed to be sung to the music of the Marseillaise.)

## Lyrics

### 1887 version

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.
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*
L'État opprime 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*
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*
Les rois nous saoulaient 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*
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*
Arise, convicts of hunger
Reason thunders in its volcano
This is the eruption of the end
Of the past let us wipe the slate clean
Masses, slaves, arise, arise
The world is about to change its foundation
We are nothing, let us be everything
*Chorus*
This is the final struggle
Let us gather together, and tomorrow
The Internationale
Will be the human race
There are no supreme saviors
Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune.
Producers, let us save ourselves
Decree on the common welfare
That the thief return his plunder,
That the spirit be pulled from its prison
Let us fan the forge ourselves
Strike the iron while it is hot
*Chorus*
The state represses and the law cheats
The tax bleeds the unfortunate
No duty is imposed on the rich
"Rights of the poor" is a hollow phrase
Enough languishing in custody
Equality wants other laws:
No rights without obligations, it says,
And as well, no obligations without rights
*Chorus*
Hideous in their self-glorification
Kings of the mine and rail
Have they ever done anything other
Than steal work?
Into the coffers of that lot,
What work creates has melted
In demanding that they give it back
The people wants only its due.
*Chorus*
The kings make us drunk with their fumes,
Peace among ourselves, war to the tyrants!
Let the armies go on strike,
Guns in the air, and break ranks
If these cannibals insist
In making heroes of us,
Soon they will know our bullets
Are for our generals
*Chorus*
Laborers, peasants, we are
The great party of workers
The earth belongs only to men
The idle will go reside elsewhere
How much of our flesh they feed on,
But if the ravens and vultures
Disappear one of these days
The sun will still shine
*Chorus*

### 1922 version

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.
*Припев:*
(×2) Это есть наш последний
И решительный бой;
С Интернационалом
Воспрянет род людской!
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!
*Припев*
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!
*Припев*
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.
*Припев*
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!
*Припев*
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.
*Припев*
The whole world of hungry and slaves!
Boils our mind indignant
And ready to fight to the death.
We will destroy the whole world of violence
To the bottom and then
We are ours, we will build a new world,
Who was nobody – he will become everything!
*Refrain:*
(×2) This is our last
And decisive battle;
With the International
The human race will rise!
No one will give us deliverance:
Neither God, nor the tsar and not a hero –
We will achieve liberation
With my own hand.
To overthrow oppression with a skilful hand,
Reclaim your goodness
Blow the horn and forge boldly,
While the iron is hot!
*Refrain*
Enough blood sucking, vampires,
Prison, tax, poverty!
You have all the power, all the blessings of the world,
And our right is an empty sound!
We will build life in a different way –
And here is our battle slogan:
All power to the working people!
And down with the parasites of all!
*Refrain*
You are contemptible in your wealth,
Kings of coal and steel!
You are your thrones, parasites,
They erected on our backs.
Plants, factories, chambers –
Everything is created by our labour.
It's time! We require a refund
That which is taken by robbery.
*Refrain*
Enough to please kings
To stupefy us in the daze of war!
War on tyrants! Peace to the People!
Strike, army sons!
When will tyrants force us
In battle, heroically fall for them –
Killers, then we will send you
We are the muzzles of battle cannons!
*Refrain*
Only we, the workers of the world
Great Army of Labor
We have the right to own land
But parasites – never!
And if the great thunder strikes
Over a pack of dogs and executioners,
For us, the Sun will also become
Shine with the fire of its rays.
*Refrain*