The Internationale

For the Billy Bragg album, see The Internationale (album). For the Brainiac EP, see Internationale (EP).

The Internationale

Internationalen in Swedish.
International anthem of International Communist Movement International Socialist Movement International Anarchist Movement International Social Democratic Movement
Also known as	L'Internationale (French)
Lyrics	Eugène Pottier, 1871
Music	Pierre De Geyter, 1888
Adopted	1890s
Music sample
"The Internationale" (instrumental)

"The Internationale" (French: L'Internationale) is a widely-sung Left-wing anthem. It has been one of the most recognizable and popular songs of the socialist movement since the late 19th century, when the Second International (now the Socialist International) adopted it as its official anthem. The title arises from the "First International", an alliance of workers which held a congress in 1864. The author of the anthem's lyrics, Eugène Pottier, attended this congress.

The original French refrain of the song is C'est la lutte finale / Groupons-nous et demain / L'Internationale / Sera le genre humain. (English: "This is the final struggle / Let us group together and tomorrow / The Internationale / Will be the human kind."). "The Internationale" has been translated into many languages.

It is often sung with the left hand raised in a clenched fist salute and is sometimes followed (in English-speaking places) with a chant of "The workers united will never be defeated." The Internationale has been celebrated by Socialists, Communists, Anarchists, Democratic Socialists, and Social Democrats. It was also used by Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.

Copyright

The original French words were written in June 1871 by Eugène Pottier (1816–1887, previously a member of the Paris Commune) and were originally intended to be sung to the tune of "La Marseillaise". Pierre De Geyter (1848–1932) set the poem to music in 1888. His melody was first publicly performed in July 1888 and became widely used soon after.

In a successful attempt to save Pierre De Geyter's job as a woodcarver, the 6,000 leaflets printed by Lille printer Bolboduc only mentioned the French version of his family name (Degeyter). In 1904, Pierre's brother Adolphe was induced by the Lille mayor Gustave Delory to claim copyright, so that the income of the song would continue to go to Delory's French Socialist Party. Pierre De Geyter lost the first copyright case in 1914, but after his brother committed suicide and left a note explaining the fraud, Pierre was declared the copyright owner by a court of appeal in 1922.

In 1972 Montana Edition owned by Hans R. Beierlein bought the rights for 5,000 Deutschmark, first for the territory of the West Germany, then East Germany, then worldwide. East Germany paid 20,000 DM every year for playing the music. Pierre De Geyter died in 1932, which means the copyright expired 2002. The German text Luckhards is public domain since 1984.

As the "Internationale" music was published before 1 July 1909 outside the United States of America, it is in the public domain in the United States. As of 2013, Pierre De Geyter's music is also in the public domain in countries and areas whose copyright durations are authors' lifetime plus 80 years or less. Due to France's wartime copyright extensions (prorogations de guerre), SACEM claims that the music is still copyrighted in France until October 2017.

As Eugène Pottier died in 1887, his original French lyrics are in the public domain. Gustave Delory once acquired the copyright of his lyrics through the songwriter G B Clement having bought it from Pottier's widow.

Original lyrics

French lyrics	Literal English translation
First stanza
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  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	Stand up, damned of the Earth Stand up, prisoners of starvation Reason thunders in its volcano This is the eruption of the end. Of the past let us make a clean slate Enslaved masses, stand up, stand up. The world is about to change its foundation We are nothing, let us be all.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race. :|
Second stanza
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  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	There are no supreme saviours Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune. Producers, let us save ourselves, Decree the common salvation. So that the thief expires, So that the spirit be pulled from its prison, Let us fan our forge ourselves Strike the iron while it is hot.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race.  :|
Third stanza
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  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	The State oppresses and the law cheats. Tax bleeds the unfortunate. No duty is imposed on the rich; The rights of the poor is an empty phrase. Enough languishing in custody! Equality wants other laws: No rights without duties, she says, Equally, no duties without rights.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race. :|
Fourth stanza
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.  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	Hideous in their apotheosis The kings of the mine and of the rail. Have they ever done anything other Than steal work? Inside the safeboxes of the gang, What work had created melted. By ordering that they give it back, The people want only their due.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race. :|
Fifth stanza
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  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	The kings made us drunk with fumes, Peace among us, war to the tyrants! Let the armies go on strike, Stocks in the air, and break ranks. If they insist, these cannibals On making heroes of us, They will know soon that our bullets Are for our own generals.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race. :|
Sixth stanza
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.  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	Workers, peasants, we are The great party of labourers. The earth belongs only to men; The idle will go to reside elsewhere. How much of our flesh have they consumed? But if these ravens, these vultures Disappear one of these days, The sun will shine forever.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us group together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race. :|

Translations into other languages

The German version, Die Internationale, was used by East German anti-Stalinists in 1953 and again during the 1989 protests which toppled SED rule. When numerous East Germans were arrested for protesting the 40th anniversary celebrations for the GDR, several of them sang the hymn in police custody to embarrass their captors, and imply that they had abandoned the socialist cause they were supposed to serve.

Luckhardt's version, the standard German translation, of the final line of the chorus tellingly reads: "Die Internationale erkämpft das Menschenrecht". (The Internationale will win our human rights.) It was coupled with the chant: "Volkspolizei, steh dem Volke bei" (People's police, stand with the people!)

The Internationale in Chinese (simplified Chinese: 国际歌; traditional Chinese: 國際歌; pinyin: Guójìgē), literally the International Song, has several different sets of lyrics. One such version served as the de facto anthem of the Communist Party of China, the national anthem of the Chinese Soviet Republic, as well as a rallying song of the students and workers at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Versions of the song in Indian languages, particularly Bengali and Malayalam, have existed since the time of colonial rule. It was translated into Bengali by the radical poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and subsequently by Hemanga Biswas. The Assamese version was translated by the poet Bishnu Rabha. The Malayalam version of the song has also existed since the 1950s with the translation of the song for the people of the Indian state of Kerala by actor and social activist Premji for the united Communist Party of India (CPI). In the 1980s, more translations appeared. Translations by Sachidanandan and Mokeri Ramachandran were sung by the activists of Janakeeya Samskarikavedi, an organisation connected with CPI(Marxist-Leninist) (CPI(ML). Translation by N. P. Chandrasekharan was for Students Federation of India (SFI), the student organisation associated with CPI(Marxist) (CPI(M) and published in the Student Monthly, the organ of SFI.

Nepali translations of the song have also been sung in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal, and the song has been popularised by the Nepali Maoists.

Russian lyrics

Интернационал

English: The Internationale
Internatsional
National anthem of Russian SFSR Soviet Union CPSU
Lyrics	Arkady Yakovlevich Kots, 1902
Music	Pierre De Geyter, 1888
Adopted	1918 (as anthem of Russian SFSR) 1922 (as anthem of Soviet Union)
Relinquished	1944
Music sample
"The Internationale"

The Russian version was initially translated by Aron Kots (Arkady Yakovlevich Kots) in 1902 and printed in London in Zhizn, a Russian émigré magazine. The first Russian version consisted of three stanzas (as opposed to six stanzas in the original French lyrics, and based on stanzas 1, 2 and 6) and the refrain. After the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the text was slightly re-worded to get rid of "now useless" future tenses - particularly the refrain was reworded (the future tense was replaced by the present, and the first person plural possessive pronoun was introduced). In 1918, the chief-editor of Izvestia, Yuri Steklov, appealed to Russian writers to translate the other three stanzas and in the end, the song was expanded into six stanzas. In 1944, the Soviet Union adopted the "Hymn of the Soviet Union" as its national anthem. Prior to that time, the "Internationale" served as the principal musical expression of allegiance to the ideals of the October Revolution and the Soviet Union (the "Internationale" continued to be recognized as the official song of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the post-1919 Soviet version is still used by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation). The full song is as follows:

Russian translation	Latin alphabet transliteration	Literal English translation
First stanza
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. Припев:  |: Это есть наш последний   И решительный бой;   С Интернационалом   Воспрянет род людской! :|	Vstavay, proklyat'yem zakleym'yonny, ves' mir golodnykh i rabov! Kipit nash razum vozmushchyonny I v smertniy boy vesti gotov. Ves' mir nasilya my razrushim do osnovanya, a zatem my nash, my novy mir postroim, — kto byl nichem, tot stanyet vsem. Pripev:  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	Stand up, ones who are branded by the curse, All the world's starving and enslaved! Our outraged minds are boiling, Ready to lead us into a deadly fight. We will destroy this world of violence Down to the foundations, and then We will build our new world. He who was nothing will become everything! CHORUS:  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|
Second stanza
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!  |: Это есть наш последний   И решительный бой;   С Интернационалом   Воспрянет род людской! :|	Nikto ne dast nam izbavlenya: Ni bog, ni tsar i ne geroy! Dobyomsya my osvobozhdenya Svoyeyu sobstvennoy rukoy. Chtob svergnut' gn'ot rukoy umyeloy, Otvoyevat' svoyo dobro, – Vzduvaitye gorn i kuitye smyelo, Poka zhelezo goryacho!  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	No one will grant us deliverance, Not god, nor tsar, nor hero. We will win our liberation, With our very own hands. To throw down oppression with a skilled hand, To take back what is ours – Fire up the furnace and hammer boldly, while the iron is still hot!  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|
Third stanza
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!  |: Это есть наш последний  И решительный бой;  С Интернационалом  Воспрянет род людской! :|	Dovoľno krov sosať, vampiry, Tyurmoy, nalogom, nischetoy! U vas — vsya vlasť, vsye blaga mira, A nashe pravo — zvuk pustoy! My zhizn' postroim po-inomu — I vot nash lozung boyevoy: Vsya vlasť narodu trudovomu! A darmoyedov vseh doloy!  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	You've sucked enough of our blood, you vampires, With prison, taxes and poverty! You have all the power, all the blessings of the world, And our rights are but an empty sound! We'll make our own lives in a different way - And here is our battle cry: All the power to the people of labour! And away with all the parasites!  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|
Fourth stanza
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.  |: Это есть наш последний  И решительный бой;  С Интернационалом  Воспрянет род людской! :|	Prezrenny vy v svojom bogatstve, Uglya i stali koroli! Vy vashi trony, tuneyadtsy, Na nashikh spinakh vozvyeli. Zavody, fabriki, palaty — Vsyo nashim sozdano trudom. Pora! My trebuyem vozvrata Togo, chto vzyato grabezhom.  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	Contemptible you are in your wealth, You kings of coal and steel! You had your thrones, parasites, At our backs erected. All the factories, all the chambers - All were made by our hands. It's time! We demand the return Of that which was stolen from us.  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|
Fifth stanza
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!  |: Это есть наш последний  И решительный бой;  С Интернационалом  Воспрянет род людской! :|	Dovol'no korolyam v ugodu Durmanit' nas v chadu voiny! Voina tiranam! Mir Narodu! Bastuitye, armii syny! Kogda zh tirany nas zastavyat V boyu geroiski past' za nikh — Ubiytsy, v vas togda napravim my zherla pushek boyevyh!  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	Enough of the will of kings Stupefying us into the haze of war! War to the tyrants! Peace to the people! Go on strike, sons of the army! And if the tyrants tell us To fall heroically in battle for them - Then, murderers, we will point The muzzles of our cannons at you!  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|
Sixth stanza
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.  |: Это есть наш последний   И решительный бой;   С Интернационалом   Воспрянет род людской! :|	Lish' my, rabotniki vsemirnoiy Velikoy armii truda, Vladet' zeml'yoi imeyem pravo, No parazity – nikogda! I yesli grom velikiy gr'anyet Nad svoroy psov i palachey, – Dlya nas vsyo tak zhe solntse stanyet siyat' ognyom svoikh luchey.  |: Eto yest nash posledniy   I reshitelniy boy;   S Internatsionalom   vospryanet rod lyudskoy! :|	Only we, the workers of the worldwide Great army of labour, Have the right to own the land, But the parasites - never! And if the great thunder rolls Over the pack of dogs and executioners, For us, the sun will forever Shine on with its fiery beams.  |: This is our final    and decisive battle;    With the Internationale    humanity will rise up! :|

English lyrics

The traditional British version of The Internationale is usually sung in three verses, while the American version, written by Charles Hope Kerr with five verses, is usually sung in two. The American version is sometimes sung with the phrase "the internationale", "the international soviet", or "the international union" in place of "the international working class". In English renditions, "Internationale" is sometimes sung as /ɪntərnæʃəˈnæli/ rather than the French pronunciation of [ɛ̃tɛʁnasjɔnal(ə)].

The English versions are known to be notoriously difficult to sing, as the lyrics may appear sometimes forced and unnatural. British musician Billy Bragg, after talking to the American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, agreed that the old lyrics were "archaic and unsingable". However, the Scottish musician Dick Gaughan takes a different view. Bragg composed revised verses for the song, based on the British version. The recording was released on his album The Internationale along with reworkings of other socialist songs. A full, six-stanza translation can be found on the Wikisource page on The Internationale.

British Translation	Billy Bragg's Revision	American version
First stanza
Arise, ye workers from your slumber, Arise, ye prisoners of want. For reason in revolt now thunders, and at last ends the age of cant! Away with all your superstitions, Servile masses, arise, arise! We'll change henceforth the old tradition, And spurn the dust to win the prize!   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.	Stand up, all victims of oppression, For the tyrants fear your might! Don't cling so hard to your possessions, For you have nothing if you have no rights! Let racist ignorance be ended, For respect makes the empires fall! Freedom is merely privilege extended, Unless enjoyed by one and all.   So come brothers and sisters,   For the struggle carries on.   The Internationale   Unites the world in song.   So comrades, come rally,   For this is the time and place!   The international ideal   Unites the human race.	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!   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!
Second stanza
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.   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.	Let no one build walls to divide us, Walls of hatred nor walls of stone. Come greet the dawn and stand beside us, We'll live together or we'll die alone. In our world poisoned by exploitation, Those who have taken, now they must give! And end the vanity of nations, We've but one Earth on which to live.   So come brothers and sisters,   For the struggle carries on.   The Internationale   Unites the world in song.   So comrades, come rally,   For this is the time and place!   The international ideal   Unites the human race.	We want no condescending saviors To rule us from a judgment hall; We workers ask not for their favors; Let us consult for all. To make the thief disgorge his booty To free the spirit from its cell, We must ourselves decide our duty, We must decide, and do it well.   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!
Third stanza
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. E'er the thieves will out with their booty, And to all give a happier lot. Each at his forge must do their duty, And we'll strike the iron while it's hot.   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.   So comrades, come rally,   And the last fight let us face.   The Internationale   Unites the human race.	And so begins the final drama, In the streets and in the fields. We stand unbowed before their armour, We defy their guns and shields! When we fight, provoked by their aggression, Let us be inspired by life and love. For though they offer us concessions, Change will not come from above!   So come brothers and sisters,   For the struggle carries on.   The Internationale   Unites the world in song.   So comrades, come rally,   For this is the time and place!   The international ideal   Unites the human race.	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.   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!   'Tis the final conflict;   Let each stand in his place.   The International working class   Shall be the human race!

Cultural influence

In literature

• The residents of the lunar penal colony in The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein sing it in the opening political protest meeting which sets up the inescapability of the revolution.

In music

• The song "Hammerblow" from the 2008 album Susquehanna by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies includes a verse of "L'Internationale" within its bridge ("L'Internationale/Sera le genre humain"). The song itself concerns an underground Marxist movement.
• The music video to the Manic Street Preachers' 1998 hit single, "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" features excerpts from De Geyter's melody at the beginning and end. The song itself makes numerous references to the Spanish Civil War; The Internationale having served as a popular Republican anthem during the conflict.

In film

• The novel Animal Farm, written in 1945 by George Orwell, alludes to the anthem with the song, Beasts of England, and its replacement (alluding to the National Anthem of the Soviet Union) being symbolic of betrayal of the ideas of the revolution.
• The 1965 Propaganda Film The East Is Red concludes with a mass sing along at the play's final act.

• The 1974 film Sweet Movie, features two different versions of the melody, one being played in 6/8 time signature with an accordion, the other one, played in 4/4 at fast tempo with an organ.
• In the 1993 film 'In the Heat of the Sun' (Yangguang canlan de rizi) by Chinese director Jiang Wen, the song plays loudly over a brutal scene where the main character, Ma Xiaojun, repeatedly beats an innocent victim to a state of bloodied unconsciousness. Set during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the film's use of The Internationale, a song played at official events and at the end of the day's radio broadcast during this era, is intended to symbolise the hypocrisy of Maoist ideological rectitude. ()

• In the 1997 film, Air Force One, inmates at a prison sing the song as General Radek, a communist terrorist leader, is released.
• In the 1999 film Cradle Will Rock by Tim Robbins, Bill Murray's character Tommy Crickshaw sings one verse of the song (mostly from the "American Version" above) at the end. He's a ventriloquist at the end of his career, a man who once was a fiery radical, but who has now been reduced to a near nonentity. He can't even bring himself to sing it, so he sings it through his puppet.
• In the 2009 American film, Capitalism: A Love Story, by director Michael Moore, singer Tony Babino sings a lounge version of the Internationale over the ending credits.

See also

• Anarchism and the arts
• Eugene Pottier
• Pierre De Geyter
• The Internationale, an album by Billy Bragg featuring Bragg's rewritten lyrics to the song.
• The Internationale in Chinese
• A Las Barricadas, an anthem of anarchism.

External links

• A documentary on the Internationale.
• Another large collection of downloadable recordings
• The Internationale: lyrics and tabs
• Communist propaganda clip with the Internationale as background music (Albanian and Russian)
• Downloadable recordings in more than 40 languages
• Piano arrangements and orchestral MIDI file of The Internationale
• The Internationale in 98 languages
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• IWW Version, translated by Charles Kerr from 'The Little Red Songbook' London, 1916