The Internationale

For the 1990 folk album, see The Internationale (album).

The Internationale

L'Internationale in the original French.
International anthem of International Socialist Movement International Anarchist Movement International Communist Movement International Democratic Movement
Also known as	L'Internationale (French)
Lyrics	Eugène Pottier, 1871
Music	Pierre De Geyter, 1888
Adopted	1890s
Audio sample
File:Internationale Russian.ogg Russian version of The Internationale file help

The Internationale (L'Internationale in French) is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem and one of the most widely recognized songs in the world.

The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism. Its original French refrain is C'est la lutte finale/ Groupons-nous et demain/ L'Internationale/ Sera le genre humain. (Freely translated: "This is the final struggle/ Let us join together and tomorrow/ The Internationale/ Will be the human race.") The Internationale has been translated into many of the world's languages. Traditionally it is sung with the hand raised in a clenched fist salute. The Internationale is sung not only by communists but also (in many countries) by socialists or social democrats, as well as anarchists.

Original French lyrics and copyright controversy

The original French words were written in June 1871 by Eugène Pottier (1816–1887, later 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 an unsuccessful 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.

Pierre De Geyter died in 1932. His music of the Internationale may be copyrighted in France until October 2017. The duration of copyright in France is 70 years following the end of the year when the author died, plus 6 years and 152 days to compensate for the World War I, and 8 years and 120 days to compensate for the World War II respectively. However, the applicability of the wartime copyright extensions is a matter of current litigation. In 2005, Le Chant du Monde, the corporation administering the authors' rights, asked Pierre Merejkowsky, the film director and an actor of Insurrection / résurrection, to pay €1,000 for whistling the song for seven seconds.

However, as the Internationale music was published before 1 July 1909 outside the United States of America, it is in the public domain in the USA. Pierre De Geyter's music is also in the public domain in countries and areas whose copyright durations are authors' lifetime plus 75 years or less. 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.

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 Foules, esclaves, 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 :|	Arise, wretched of the earth 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 all  |: This is the final struggle   Let us gather 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 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  |: This is the final struggle   Let us stand 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 Egaux, pas de devoirs sans droits  |: C'est la lutte finale   Groupons-nous, et demain   L'Internationale   Sera le genre humain :|	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  |: This is the final struggle   Let us stand 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 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.  |: This is the final struggle   Let us stand 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 A 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 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 On making heroes of us, Soon they will know our bullets Are for our own generals  |: This is the final struggle   Let us stand 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 :|	Labourers, 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  |: This is the final struggle   Let us stand together, and tomorrow   The Internationale   Will be the human race :|

Translations into other languages

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 a rallying song of the students and workers at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Versions of The Internationale in Indian Languages have existed since the 1950s since the translation of the song for the people of the Indian state of Kerala by the legendary actor and social activist Premji for the united Communist Party of India. In the 1980s, more translations appeared, done by Sachidanandan, Mokeri Ramachandran and an unknown translator. The first two were sung by the activists of Janakeeya Samskarikavedi, an organisation connected with CPI(ML), and the third one was for the activists of Students Federation of India or SFI, the student organisation associated with CPI(M).

Russian lyrics

Internatsional

English: The Internationale
Интернационал
anthem of Russian SFSR Soviet Union
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
Audio sample
File:Internationale Russian.ogg Russian vocal file help

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 takeover of 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 tree stanzas by Kots were 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 zakleymyonniy Ves' mir golodnykh i rabov Kipit nash razum vozmushchonniy I v smertniy boy vesti gotov. Ves' mir nasil'ya my razrushim Do osnovan'ya, a zatem My nash my noviy mir postroim, Kto byl nichem, tot stanet vsem! Pripev:  |: Èto yest' nash posledniy   I reshitel'niy boy.   S Internatsionalom   Vospryanet rod lyudskoy. :|	Arise, you branded by a curse, You whole world of the starving and enslaved! Our indignant intellect boils, Ready to lead us into a fight to the death. 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 will be the final    and decisive battle.    With the Internationale    the human race will arise. :|
Second stanza
Никто не даст нам избавленья: Ни бог, ни царь и ни 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 izbavlen'ya Ni bog, ni tsar' i ni geroy Dob'yomsya my osvobozhden'ya Svoyeyu sobstvennoy rukoy. Chtob svergnut' gnyot rukoy umeloy, Otvoyevat' svoyo dobro – Vzduvayte gorn i kuyte smelo, Poka zhelezo goryacho!  |: Èto yest' nash posledniy   I reshitel'niy boy.   S Internatsionalom   Vospryanet rod lyudskoy. :|	No one will grant us deliverance, No God, no Tsar, no 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 will be the final    and decisive battle.    With the Internationale    the human race will arise. :|
Third 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 vsemirnoy Velikoy armii truda, Vladet' zemlyoy imeyem pravo, No parazity – nikogda! I yesli grom velikiy gryanet Nad svoroy psov i palachey, – Dlya nas vsyo tak zhe solnitse stanet Siyat' ognyom svoikh luchey.  |: Èto yest' nash posledniy   I reshitel'niy boy.   S Internatsionalom   Vospryanet rod lyudskoy. :|	Only we, the workers of the world-wide 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 still Shine on with its fiery rays.  |: This will be the final    and decisive battle.    With the Internationale    the human race will arise. :|

English lyrics

The traditional British version of The Internationale is usually sung in three verses, while the American version, authored 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, the traditional workers' pronunciation is not an imitation of the French [ɛ̃tɛʀnasjɔnal(ə)], but rather [ɪntɚnæʃəˈnæli] (rhyming with "alley" or "valley").

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". 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/Irish 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, you prisoners of starvation! Arise, you wretched of the earth! For justice thunders condemnation: A better world's in birth! No more tradition's chains shall bind us, Arise you 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 soviet   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 their 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 soviet   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 Internationale,   Unites the human race.

A Techno version of the anthem has been recorded by Maxx Klaxon under the title Internationale 2000, with original lyrics making references to television and soldiers in mutiny.

See also

• Anarchism and the arts for further details on expression of anarchist themes through art
• The Internationale, an album by Billy Bragg featuring Bragg's rewritten lyrics to the song.
• Pierre De Geyter

Other language versions

• The Internationale in Chinese
• The Internationale in Bengali
• The Internationale in Hindi
• The Internationale in Filipino

External links

• The Internationale in 86 languages
• Downloadable recordings in more than 40 languages
• Template:Ru icon Another large collection of downloadable recordings
• Communist propaganda clip with the Internationale as background music (Albanian and Russian)
• A documentary on the Internationale.
• Piano arrangements and orchestral MIDI file of The Internationale