“Arbetlose Marsch”, by Mordechai Gebirtig
About the song
Another song by Mordechai Gebirtig, performed here by Zupfgeigenhansel, Arbetlose Marsch, has gained new life in recent times after Daniel Kahn updated the music and added English lyrics to his recording with his band, The Painted Bird. Kahn captures the spirit of the original in lines that speak directly to the present: “1, 2, 3, 4, pick yourselves up off the floor / unemployment marches on, so we’ll sing a marching song / for a land a world of justice where no cop or boss can bust us.”
Lyrics
איינס, צוויי, דרײַ, פֿיר,
אַרבעטלאָזע זענען מיר,
יאָרן לאַנג געאַרבעט שווער,
און געשאַפֿט אַלס מער און מער,
הײַזער, שלעסער, שטעט און לענדער,
פֿאַר אַ הייפֿעלע פֿאַרשווענדער,
אונדזער לוין דערפֿאַר איז וואָס,
הונגער נויט און אַרבעטלאָז.
איינס, צוויי, דרײַ, פֿיר,
אָט אַזוי מאַרשירן מיר,
אַרבעטלאָזע שריט נאָך שריט,
און מיר זינגען זיך אַ ליד,
פֿון אַ לאַנד, אַ וועלט אַ נײַע
וואו עס וווינען מענטשן פֿרײַע,
אַרבעטלאָז איז קיין שום שאַנד,
אין דעם נײַעם פֿרייען לאַנד,
אין דעם נײַעם פֿרייען לאַנד!
Transliteration
Arbetlose Marsch
Ejns, tswej, draj, fir,
arbetlose senen mir,
nischt gehert chadoschim lang
in fabrik den hamer-klang,
‘s lign kejlim kalt, fargesn,
‘s nemt der sschawer sej schon fresn,
gejen mir arum in gas,
wi di gewirim pust-un-pas.
Ejns, tswej, draj, fir,
arbetlose senen mir,
on a beged, on a hejm,
undser bet is erd und lejm,
hat noch wer wos tsu genisn,
tajlt men sich mit jedn bisn,
waser wi di g’wirim wajn
gisn mir in sich arajn.
Ejns, tswej, draj, fir,
arbetlose senen mir,
jorn lang gearbet schwer,
un geschaft als mer un mer,
hajser, schleser, schtet un lender,
far a hojfele farschwender.
Undser lojn derfar is wos?
Hunger, nojt un arbetlos.
Ejns, tswej, draj, fir,
ot asoj marschirn mir,
arbetlose, trit noch trit,
un mir singn sich a lid
fun a land, a welt a naje,
wu es lebn mentschn fraje,
Arbetlose is kejn schum
hant in dem najen frajen land.
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Translation
March of the Unemployed
one, two, three, four
the unemployed are more and more
factories shut down last year
closed their doors and left us here
machines lie cold, covered with dust
months pass, they begin to rust
we march on along this road
unemployed out in the cold
unemployed out in the cold
one, two, three, four
the unemployed are more and more
without clothes and without home
make our bead of earth and loam
running out of food to eat
we’re out of bread and out of meat
water precious, tastes like wine
drink it down for now we’re fine
drink it down for now we’re fine
one, two, three, four
the unemployed are more and more
for many years we’ve slaved in vain
suffered for the bosses’ gain
we built cities and countries
but not for you and not for me
comrades, what did we get back
but hunger, eviction, and the sack
hunger, eviction, and the sack
one, two, three, four
this is what we’re fighting for
the unemployed march hand in hand
singing out across the land
that the working class will have its day
in a world that we fought to free
unemployment, shame, and greed:
we will all make history
and we will all make history
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