Einheitsfrontlied

The "Einheitsfrontlied", translated as the "United Front Song" in English, is one of the most famous songs of the German labour movement. It was written by Bertolt Brecht and composed by Hanns Eisler. The best-known rendition was sung by Ernst Busch.

"Einheitsfrontlied"
Song
Written	Bertolt Brecht
Published	1934
Composer(s)	Hanns Eisler

History

After Adolf Hitler's coming to power in January 1933, the situation for left-wing movements in Germany drastically deteriorated. The antagonism between the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party had long divided the German left. After the Nazis banned both parties and labour unions in the summer of 1933, many people, including Bertolt Brecht, believed that only a united front of social democrats and communists could fight back against the National Socialists. In 1934, at the request of fellow theatre director Erwin Piscator, Brecht wrote the "Einheitsfrontlied", calling for all workers to join the Arbeiter-Einheitsfront, the Workers' United Front. The song was performed the next year in the First International Workers Music Olympiad held in Strasbourg by a choir of 3,000 workers. Its first record was printed in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, performed by communist actor and singer Ernst Busch. It was later published in Brecht's 1939 collection Svendborger Gedichte.

Composition

Hanns Eisler, who would later go on to compose the East German national anthem "Auferstanden aus Ruinen", intentionally kept the composition of "Einheitsfrontlied" simple and easy to follow, so it could be sung by workers without much musical training. In doing so, the song is quite march-like. In 1948, Eisler wrote a symphonic version, which was also sung by Ernst Busch and recorded for his Aurora-Projekt.

Cover versions

Ton Steine Scherben covered the song on their 1971 album Warum geht es mir so dreckig?. Hannes Wader recorded the song on his 1977 album Hannes Wader singt Arbeiterlieder.

Lyrics

German original	Cyrillization of German	English version	Russian version
Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist, drum braucht er was zum Essen, bitte sehr! Es macht ihn ein Geschwätz nicht satt, das schafft kein Essen her. Refrain: 𝄆 Drum links, zwei, drei! 𝄇 Wo dein Platz, Genosse, ist! Reih dich ein in die Arbeitereinheitsfront, weil du auch ein Arbeiter bist. Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist, drum braucht er auch noch Kleider und Schuh! Es macht ihn ein Geschwätz nicht warm und auch kein Trommeln dazu. Refrain Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist, drum hat er Stiefel im Gesicht nicht gern! Er will unter sich keinen Sklaven seh'n und über sich keinen Herr'n. Refrain Und weil der Prolet ein Prolet ist, drum wird ihn kein anderer befrei'n. Es kann die Befreiung der Arbeiter nur das Werk der Arbeiter sein. Refrain	[ Унд вайл дер менш айн менш ист, друм браухт эр вас цум эсен, битте зер! Эс махт ин айн гешвец нихт зат, дас шафт кайн эсен хер. Рефрен: 𝄆 Друм линкс, цвай, драй! 𝄇 Во дайн плац, геносе, ист! Рай дих айн ин ди арбайтерейнхайтсфронт, вайл ду аух айн арбайтер бист. Унд вайл дер менш айн менш ист, друм браухт эр аух нох клайдер унд шу! Эс махт ин айн гешвец нихт варм унд аух кайн троммелн дацу. Рефрен Унд вайл дер менш айн менш ист, друм хат эр штифел им гезихт нихт герн! Эр вил унтер зих кайнен склавен зе’н унд ибер зих кайнен Херр’н. Рефрен Унд вайл дер пролет айн пролет ист, друм вирд ин кайн андерер бефрай’н. Эс канн ди бефрайунг дер арбайтер нур дас верк дер арбайтер зайн. Рефрен ] Error: {{Lang}}: Latn text/non-Latn script subtag mismatch (help)	And just because he's a human, a man would like a little bite to eat; he wants no bull and a lot of talk that gives no bread or meat. Refrain: 𝄆 So left, two, three! 𝄇 To the work that we must do. March on in the workers' United Front, for you are a worker too! And just because he's a human, he will need some clothes and shoes; he wants no bull and drums of war, but wants no warmth to lose. Refrain And just because he's a human, he doesn't like a pistol to his head. He wants no servants under him, and no boss over his head. Refrain And just because he's a worker, no class can free him but his own. The emancipation of the working class is the task of the worker alone. Refrain	И так как все мы люди, то должны мы — извините! — что-то есть, хотят кормить нас пустой болтовней — к чертям! Спасибо за честь! Припев: 𝄆 Марш левой — два, три! 𝄇 Встань в ряды, товарищ, к нам, – ты войдешь в наш Единый рабочий фронт, потому что рабочий ты сам! И так как все мы люди, то нужны нам башмаки без заплат, и нас не согреет треск речей под барабанный раскат! Припев И так как все мы люди, не дадим нас бить в лицо сапогом! Никто на других не поднимет плеть, и сам не будет рабом! Припев И если ты — рабочий, то не жди, что нам поможет другой, — себе мы свободу добудем в бою своей рабочей рукой! Припев

Music

See also

• "Solidaritätslied"
• List of socialist songs

External links

• Lied der Einheitsfront (1937) on YouTube (sung by Ernst Busch in Spanish, English, French and German)
• Song of the United Front on YouTube (International Brigades translation)