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The Internationale Lyrics
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
Chorus:
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
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
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 like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above
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
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
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 like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above
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Another classic Socialist anthem - for me this particular version is very powerful because Bragg places great emphasis on the need to overcome Nationalism and Racism which simply divide the collective working class in their struggle. Despite all the disappointments Socialists have experienced, this song is still inspiring and reminds us of why we struggle.
the number one song to get rich, private school kids pissed off and great to start arguments and fights. soviet anthem rise as one, over throw the ruling classes.
The original version of this song calls to mind the late 1960s and the resounding defeat of American Empire building in Vietnam. Of course the song goes back much further than that and originated with the Paris Commune. Billy Bragg is bringing it up to date. "Pissing off" the overprivileged is one thing: the task however is to take their power and privilege away from them and achieve social justice. (I was about to put the socialist party website www.socialistparty.org.uk but I am not sure URLs are permitted on here, so I won't.)
I once heard somebody describe a greenday song (or possibly album) as a "song for the revolution".
If only I had been able to make them listen to this song to show them exactly what a song for the revolution should sound like.