Einheitsfrontlied

"Einheitsfrontlied", literally meaning "United Front Song", 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.

History

After 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 made the German left divided. After the Nazis banned both parties and labour unions in the summer of 1933, many people, including Bertolt Brecht, realized that only a united front of social democrats and communists could fight back against fascism. In 1934, at the request of fellow theatre director Erwin Piscator, Bercht wrote the "Einheitsfrontlied", calling for all workers to join the Arbeiter-Einheitsfront, Workers’ United Front. The song was performed the next year in the First International Musical 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.

Composition

Hanns Eisler, the famous Austrian musician who would later go on to compose the East German national anthem "Auferstanden aus Ruinen", intentionally keeps 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 another symphonic version, which as also sung by Ernst Busch and recorded for his Aurora-Projekt.

Lyrics

German lyrics

Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist,
d'rum braucht er was zu essen, bitte sehr!
Es macht ihn ein Geschwätz nicht satt,
das schafft kein Essen her.

Refrain:
D'rum links, zwei, drei!
D'rum links, zwei, drei!
Wo dein Platz, Genosse, ist!
Reih’ dich ein in die Arbeiter-Einheitsfront,
weil du auch ein Arbeiter bist.

Und weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist,
d'rum 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,
d'rum hat er Stiefel ins 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,
d'rum wird ihn kein anderer befrei'n,
es kann die Befreiung der Arbeiter
nur das Werk der Arbeiter sein.

Refrain

English translation

And just because he's human,
He'd like to have some food, please!
He wants no useless empty talk,
Those words he cannot eat.

Refrain：
So, left, two, three!
So, left, two, three!
Comrade, here's a place for you!
March on in the Workers’ United Front,
For you are a worker too!

And just because he's human,
He needs clothing and shoes as well.
Slogans does not make him warm,
Nor does the sound of drums.

Refrain

And just because he's human,
He doesn't like a boot to his face.
He wants no slaves placed under him,
And no boss above to grace.

Refrain

And just because he’s a worker,
No one will give him any help.
The Liberation of the working class,
Is a job for the worker himself.

Refrain

(translated by The 51st Division)

Links

• Lied der Einheitsfront (1937) on YouTube (sung by Ernst Busch in Spanish, English, French and German)