LOTW: And beyond all that, of course, damned money!, which makes us its slaves.

Lyrics Of The Week
Anticapitalist R&B music -- yes you read that right -- by Afrika, track 24 on current playlist. Afrika is originally from Equatorial Guinea (in West Africa), but lives in Basque Country (occupied by Spain & France) & is singing in the Basque language. Original lyrics in Basque at top, followed by translations (by Afrika &/or Kontrakalea Records staff, plus some small touch-ups on the English one by me) in Spanish, French, & English.

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Revolution

Hilezkortasunera
aurrera goaz
bizitza birtual honetan
egungo partidan norabide
galdua
zuzen ibiltzerik
al dago munduan?

Ta guztiaren atzetik, ditzosozko diruak
esklabu bihurtzen gaitu.
oh! zoritxarrez
edozein gauza egiten dugu,
boterearen truke
ez...

kapitalismoaren bidean aurkitzen gara
indibidualtasuna nagusitzen da
interesak, m ozkinak,
gerrak azken finean...
tren honetatik jeisterik al dago?

Modernitateak garamatza
balorerik gabeko esistentzia
batera;
argiago esango dizuet,
murgiltzeko beharrean gara,
argiago esango dizuet

it's time
it's time to revolution

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Revolution

Vamos camino de la autodestrucción, en esta vida virtual, andamos un poco despistados en la partida de hoy. yo me pregunto si hay un camino correcto a seguir y detrás de todo esto ¿cómo no?, se haya el maldito dinero, que nos convierte en sus esclavos.

no corrompemos fácilmente a cambio de poder.

nos sentimos atrapados por las garras del capitalismo, donde se potencia el individualismo, donde las ganancias e intereses económicos derivan en guerras... ¿en fin hay alguna manera de bajarse de este tren?

la modernidad nos conduce a vivir una existencia sin valores. os diré más claro que debemos hacer algo al respecto, os lo diré más claro aún es tiempo de revolución

it’s time to revolution

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Revolution

Nous nous dirigeons vers l’autodestruction, dans cette vie virtuelle, nous sommes un peu distraits dans la partie d’aujourd’hui.
Je me demande s’il y a un chemin correct à suivre.
Et derrière tout ça, évidemment, il y a le maudit argent qui nous transforme en esclaves.
Nous nous corrompons facilement pour du pouvoir.

Nous nous sentons attrapés par les griffes du capitalisme qui privilégie l’individualisme, où les gains et les intérêts économiques dérivent en guerres...
Y a-t-il une manière de descendre de ce train?

La modernité nous conduit à vivre une existence sans valeur.
Je vous dirai plus clairement que nous devons faire quelque chose à ce sujet,
Je vous dirai plus clairement, c’est encore le temps de la révolution

It’s time to revolution

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Revolution

We’re heading towards destruction in this virtual life, we’re a bit absent-minded in today’s game.
I wonder if there’s a correct path to follow
And beyond all that, of course, damned money!, which makes us its slaves.
We become corrupted easily in exchange for power.

We feel trapped by the clutches of capitalism, where individualism is highlighted, where profits and economic interests derive in wars...

Modernity leads us to live a valueless existence.
I’ll tell you clearly that we have to do something about it,
I’ll tell you even more clearly, it’s time for revolution

It’s time to revolution

LOTW: Our hungry hearts and this old world's about to collide

Lyrics Of The Week
One of the best songs of all time. Track 6 on current playlist. By The (International) Noise Conspiracy from Umeå, Sweden.

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Communist Moon

hey brother won't you please open up your heart for me now
and sister the best dreams to dream are still for free
no more dead time with you on my mind with you by my side
our hungry hearts and this old world's about to collide
let it begin tonight we'll win, let it begin tonight we'll win

let's all share our dreams, all share our dreams,
let's all share our dreams under a communist moon
all share our dreams, let's all share our dreams,
all share our dreams under a communist moon

hey sister I'm counting the minutes until you're here with me yeah
and brother if you want to join in please feel free
it comes everywhere it comes all at once below and above
from desperate times comes radical minds living armed love

let's all share our dreams, all share our dreams,
let's all share our dreams under a communist moon
all share our dreams, let's all share our dreams,
all share our dreams under a communist moon
let's all share our dreams, all share our dreams,
let's all share our dreams under a communist moon
all share our dreams, let's all share our dreams,
all share our dreams

we find hope in our hands, it'll see us through the night
and all of our dreams and all our plans will come alive tonight,
will come alive tonight
let it begin tonight we'll win, let it begin tonight we'll win

let's all share our dreams, all share our dreams,
let's all share our dreams under a communist moon
all share our dreams, let's all share our dreams,
all share our dreams under a communist moon

the moon up above will show you the love to
see us through the night, see us through the night

let's all share our dreams, all share our dreams,
let's all share our dreams under a communist moon
all share our dreams, let's all share our dreams,
all share our dreams under a communist moon...

LOTW: They scolded me in English, The gabachos told me, You're goin' back to your ranch

Lyrics Of The Week (better late than never, sorry...)

This is a fun ballad of some not-so-fun times of a bracero (migrant worker), sung for us by Lila Downs on track 17 of current playlist. Spanish original followed by my English translation below.

And since we're on the topic, go see the film La misma luna (English title Under the Same Moon), it's awesome in all kinds a ways.

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El Bracero Fracasado

Cuando yo salí del rancho
No llevaba ni calzones
Pero si llegué a Tijuana
De puritos aventones

Como no traía dinero
Me paraba en las esquinas
Para ver a quién gorreaba
Los pescuezos de gallina

Yo quería cruzar la línea
De la Unión americana
Yo quería ganar dinero
Porque ésa era mi pirada

Como no traía dinero
Mucho menos pasaporte
Me aventé cruzando cerros
Yo solito y sin coyote

Después verán cómo me fue

Llegué a Santa Ana
Con las patas bien peladas
Los huaraches que llevaba
Se acabaron de volada
El sombrero y la camisa
los perdí en la correteada
Que me dieron unos güeros
Que ya mero me alcanzaban

Me salí a la carretera
Muerto de hambre y desvelado
Me subí en un tren carguero
Que venía de Colorado
Y con rumbo a San Francisco
De un vagón me fui colado
Pero con tan mala suerte
que en Salinas me agarraron

Después verán cómo me fue

Llegó la Migra
De la mano me agarraron
Me decían no sé qué cosas
En inglés me regañaron
Me dijeron los gabachos
Te regresas pa' tu rancho
Pero yo sentí muy gacho
Regresar pa' mi terruño
De bracero fracasado
Sin dinero y sin hilacho
De bracero fracasado
Sin dinero y sin hilacho
De bracero fracasado
Sin dinero
Y sin hilacho

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The Failed Bracero

When I left the ranch
I didn't even bring underwear
But I did get to Tijuana
Just by hitching rides

Since I didn't have money
I'd stop at the corners
To see who'd let me eat their
Chicken necks

I wanted to cross the border
Of the American Union
I wanted to earn money
Because that's what I was crazy for

Since I didn't have money
Much less a passport
I got rides crossing hills
Just me alone and without coyote

Then you'll see, what happened to me

I got to Santa Ana
With my paws rubbed bare
The sandals I wore
Got used up real quick
The hat and shirt
I lost in the chase
That some white guys gave me
They almost caught me

I got out onto the highway
Dead hungry and tired
I got into a cargo train
That was coming from Colorado
And headed for San Francisco
I snuck by on a railcar
But with such bad luck
They grabbed me in Salinas

Then you'll see, what happened to me

The INS arrived
The grabbed me by the hand
They said I-don't-know-what to me
They scolded me in English
The white guys told me
You're goin' back to your ranch
But I was bummed
To go back to my homeland
As a failed bracero
With no money and no nothing
As a failed bracero
With no money and no nothing
As a failed bracero
With no money
And no nothing

Imperialist butchers continue dirty work in Afghanistan

Just about everybody knows what the US & UK are up to in Iraq. Yet, maddeningly, folks seem to have forgotten about Afghanistan. The slaughter there has never stopped; and, the excuse for this foreign invasion is no less flimsy! Additionally, the 'progressive' & 'democratic' ruling classes of Germany, France, Canada, & others are thoroughly involved in this massive crime. On the up side, similar to Iraq, the imperialists & their fundamentalist Northern Alliance puppets are having a tough time achieving their goals. Of course, this up side isn't much consolation given that the only sizeable armed resistance to them is the fundamentalist former puppets of the imperialists the Taliban. Anyway, please read more details of the situation below. Never forget, never forgive!

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Afghanistan: Why the Nato escalation?

28 April 2008. A World to Win News Service. Afghanistan was at the top of the agenda at the early April Nato summit meeting in Bucharest, Rumania. The host country and France agreed to send more forces to Afghanistan, to serve in the combat areas. Nato already has about 37,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 14,000 from the U.S. and 7,700 from Britain. The U.S. also has 11,000 more soldiers operating outside the Nato mission. In addition, Washington has announced that it will deploy more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan this year.

After floating the idea some time ago, French president Nicolas Sarkozy formally announced at the summit that he will send what he called “several hundred” fresh forces to the south of Afghanistan to reinforce the occupation in that region. France has already 1,500 troops in Afghanistan, but they are mainly stationed around Kabul and have not been directly involved in the war zone areas in the south and east of Afghanistan. The real numbers could amount to many times more than a “few hundred”, since France intends to send a battalion, which normally would mean 1,000 soldiers. In parliament Sarkozy was accused of deliberately downplaying this move, since it is even more unpopular than he is, and he is the least popular president in recent French history. Even more than the number of troops involved, what is significant is their deployment to a combat area and possibly combat operations against the Taleban. This issue of direct participation in the war has been a hot topic and an issue of tension between the U.S. and other Nato countries, including France, until now, and in particular Germany.

Yet, while the Bush government touted France’s decision as a sign of victory, unity and the Nato countries’ “commitment” to the “reconstruction” and “security” of Afghanistan, it was not even close to this claim. Of course it is not in the nature of these imperialist bloodsuckers to care about a real reconstruction of Afghanistan, a reconstruction that would benefit the people, but this move was not even a positive sign from the point of view of their own imperialist interests. It was a sign that they are further than ever from achieving their aims in Afghanistan and that their strategy is not succeeding.

It is an important development that Paris has reversed its long-standing and strongly held policy and agreed to deploy troops to the war zone, and this will have military and political consequences for France, but this doesn’t indicate any enthusiastic “commitment”, even by Nato standards (compared, say, to much smaller Holland and Canada). It is not yet clear whether this is a first step forward on France’s part or a gesture with no future. In addition, Germany, Italy and Spain are continuing to keep their troops out of the war zones. It is noteworthy that a year ago Italy and Spain agreed to send their forces into the hot zones if desperately needed, but they have not come through. Considering this, as well as the broader challenges the Nato occupiers are facing in Afghanistan, this summit result cannot be considered a success by any standard, certainly not for those who have been waging a broad and vigorous campaign to bring about an escalation in the number of Nato troops involved in combat.

This campaign was launched by the Bush White House, with the support of the British and Dutch governments. Canada threatened to pull out its forces if other Nato countries did not send more troops into battle. These desperate calls were the outcome of the political and military situation in Afghanistan in the last few years and in particular the Taleban’s growing strength over the course of the last year.

Contrary to the Iraq war, which from the beginning faced massive opposition within the Western countries, and turned into a disaster for the occupiers early on, the Afghanistan war was supposed to be a “good war” for the U.S. and its allies. The Western imperialist rulers even had the support of a section of the intellectuals, in a much bigger way than for the Iraq invasion. Initially the U.S. was confident of success and so preferred to leave a big share of the occupation to its junior partners while it dealt with the bigger challenge it faced in Iraq. As a result, Washington allowed the British to reduce their forces in Iraq in order to assume more responsibility in Afghanistan. And that was what they did.

With the encouragement of the U.S. and the UK Nato took over the leadership of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), the invasion troops whose mission is to hold Kabul, and then took on responsibility for the security mission in the whole country during the 2005 parliamentary elections. The idea was to move away, slightly, from the Bush doctrine of “the coalition of the willing”, which turned out to essentially mean American unilateral action seconded only by the UK and a few other of its most servile allies, and more broadly draw other imperialist countries into sharing the burden by giving more responsibility to Nato. For the U.S, the point was to forge and consolidate a military contingent that could act as a reserve force for American interventions and occupations. However some European countries saw this as a way to (again, slightly) counter American “unilateralism”, or at least take a more active part in occupations and interventions without putting their troops formally under the direct command of the U.S., even though the U.S. remains the undisputed boss of Nato. So most of the more powerful members welcomed this new mission for Nato.

Then in July 2006 Nato moved into the combat area and took command of the war zone in the southern region of Afghanistan, while the equally hot eastern region of the country remained the responsibility of the “coalition” forces under direct U.S. command. The UK stepped up the number of its troops in Afghanistan to more than 7,000, and, acting through Nato, took the lead in Helmand province, one of the Taleban strongholds in the southwest. Canada increased its troop strength to 2,500 and took responsibility for the Kandahar area. The Netherlands also moved into the combat area. However some European countries, such as Germany, France and a few others resisted sending their forces to the war zones.

As the situation grew worse, including both oppression and violence on the part of the occupiers and their government and the general corruption produced by their rule, the people of Afghanistan become more aware of the nature and brutality of the occupier forces and the aims and goals they are pursuing. As the Taleban became stronger and the war spread to many regions and escalated, the number of occupation troops killed and injured increased. According to Nato figures, there were 9,000 attacks on Western and Afghan puppet government troops in 2007, a 30 percent increase. At the same time, according to the US -led “coalition”, it carried out 3,500 air strikes during the year, 20 times the level of two years earlier. The number of civilians killed by the occupation forces reached a record high. In 2007 alone, the war claimed 6,500 Afghan lives. This war not only failed to eradicate the Taleban, as Bush and Blair claimed it would quickly do; it has spread and multiplied them. This situation has led to growing frustration among the occupation powers and heightened the tensions between them.

Especially over the last year the U.S., British and other imperialists have been waging a campaign to convince or pressure the other Nato countries to take part in combat. There has been an alarmist tone to reports from imperialist circles, including the military, parliamentary and certain humanitarian agencies, highlighting the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the resurgence of the Taleban and the real possibility that, as they like to put it “Afghanistan could become a failed state.” Such reports do reflect reality, and at the same time they are also part of an effort to mobilize public opinion for more intervention.

But this situation has given rise to divisions among the imperialist countries that surfaced when the U.S. demanded that Germany, whose forces are in the relatively stable north, send combat troops and helicopters to the war zones. The German paper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, sent an “unusually stern” request to Berlin. Germany’s defence secretary, Franz Josef Jung, replied, “I believe our focus should continue to be in the north.” German chancellor Angela Merkel made clear that the limited mandate was “not up for discussion”. (The Guardian, 2 February 2008)

Sending forces to the combat zones was not the only issue in this rising tension. The methods and tactics used in the fighting have also become a major source of angry controversy among the occupation powers.

“Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, told the Los Angeles Times, ‘I’m worried we have some military forces that don’t know how to do counterinsurgency operations… Most of the European forces, Nato forces, are not trained in counterinsurgency; they were trained for the Fulda Gap,’ a reference to the German region where a Soviet land invasion of western Europe was regarded as most likely.” (The Guardian, 16 January 2008)

This provoked an angry reaction from some of the countries involved in the fighting, including the Dutch general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is the secretary general of Nato. The Dutch defence ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador to explain Gates’ remarks.

As background to this row, there have been long simmering differences between the UK and the U.S. regarding the tactics used in this war. British military commanders have accused the U.S. of “heavy-handed tactics”, including excessive aerial bombing – which regularly leads to civilian casualties. When the British suggested a plan to support local militia and civil defence forces in the south, American military commanders rejected it. U.S. general Dan McNeill, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, said that the plan could fuel the insurgency. These differences seem to run deep and to be related to even more basic issues, although they are still somewhat obscure. Recent events provide some stark evidence of this: the arrest of two British diplomats in Afghanistan for allegedly negotiating with Taleban forces, and the rejection of Lord Paddy Ashdown for the post of UN special envoy to Afghanistan, who was unofficially said to be too strong a personality for the job. Both acts were supposedly carried out by the Afghanistan government of Hamid Karzai, but there has been no indication that the U.S. was displeased with these measures taken by the man they put in power.

As the saying goes, when things go wrong thieves fall out.

The Taleban’s new found ability to step up the war in 2007 was a big shock to many people. Throughout the last year Taleban carried out around 140 suicide attacks all over Afghanistan, and gained the control of at least four districts (velsewali) in the south, according to a January report by the BBC Persian service. In the past year alone approximately 800 police were killed, in addition to the heavy causalities suffered by the puppet army and the occupiers. Also the number of attacks against the Afghan army, mainly carried out by the Taleban, was several times higher than in previous years.

Musa Ghala was the biggest town in the north of Helmand to fall to the Taleban. Though they later lost it, they kept control of three other districts in the same province throughout the year. During 2007 Taleban activities spread to the western provinces of Afghanistan. The Taleban were able to seize several districts in Farah province, although they could not hold them for long.

At the same time the Afghanistan people experienced one of their worst years in terms of security. They were caught in a crossfire between the occupiers and the Taleban, and as a result, hundreds if not thousands were killed. A great many were killed by the air bombardment of the U.S.-led coalition forces and also by Nato forces.

Taleban have increasingly adopted the tactics used by Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq, suicide attacks or planting mines and even bombs on roadsides. The point is that the military tactics of both sides are reactionary because their goals are reactionary. Neither side has any interest in sparing the lives of ordinary people.

At the same time corruption within the puppet regime has increasingly disillusioned the people about any possibility of improvement of their situation. Opium and heroin production have broken all records. The occupation forces and regime officials blame the Taleban for this increase. It is true that the Taleban are benefiting from it, but various reports indicate the involvement of high governmental officials in the production, distribution and exportation of drugs too, including Hamid Karzai’s own brother, Wali Ahmad Karzai. He is well known as the largest heroin and arms smuggler in the region, a position he enjoys thanks to his relationship to the president.

The Afghanistan war turned out to be a disaster for the people. However, the occupiers will not pull out of the country for that reason. On the contrary, they are preparing for what they call a “long-term commitment”. While some of the junior partners find it difficult to cope with the newly worsening situation, the U.S. has no choice but to continue the war for years or decades ahead – unless the people drive them all out. For the U.S., the occupation of Afghanistan is not an isolated effort. It plays an important part of its strategy for the greater Middle East and to some extent Central Asia. For the U.S., victory or at least a relative control over Afghanistan is crucial as it vigorously seeks to materialise its threats against Iran. Its war in Afghanistan is also increasingly intertwined with the situation in Pakistan, home to 2.4 million Afghani refugees. Continuing U.S. support for President Pervez Musharraf is very much related to the expressed desire of American military commanders in Afghanistan to mount larger scale military operations on both sides of the border, targeting Pakistani as well as Afghani forces.

In addition, the Bush regime has performed a near miracle, reviving the prostrate forces of a Taleban who had earned the bitter hatred of millions of Afghanis. Now the U.S. has little choice but to deal with the consequences of its own acts. Contrary to the lies of the Bush regime, the Taleban (and their allies in Al-Qaeda), on the one hand, and the Islamic Republic of Iran (and its Shia fundamentalist allies in other countries) on the other, have neither much ideological affinity nor a common project, and in fact have been and remain enemies to the death. Still the U.S.’s efforts to stamp out anti-U.S. Islamic fundamentalism by waging war on the people have given that religious trend a great gift and allowed it to increasingly claim the banner of opposition to the U.S. This is driving a spiral that is both enormously dangerous in terms of the “war without end” the Bush regime once proudly promised and a nightmare for the people in Afghanistan and elsewhere – in fact, everywhere.

These factors are why the U.S. is adding 3,000 more American soldiers – badly needed in Iraq – to the 25,000 they already have in Afghanistan, in addition to escalating its pressure on the other Nato powers to supply more cannon fodder as well. Counting all of these forces, the approximately 5,000 men (all soldiers, but some not in uniform) of the so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams and a similar number of foreign mercenaries employed by so-called “security contractors”, the total number of imperialist troops in Afghanistan today is about 65,000 – nearly three times the number they started with.

The other Nato imperialists have their own imperialist interests to consider and will not necessarily follow the U.S. strategy. Further, as the war unfolds, more people in the occupiers’ home countries are becoming aware of the goals of the imperialists and the disastrous outcome of this war for the people of Afghanistan and the people of the world as a whole. It is widely recognized that there is very little public support in Canada, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, etc., for the war their country’s troops are waging (leaving aside here the question of public opinion in the U.S., fighting two wars). So far this fact has not been transformed into the kind of active factor that could help transform the equation.

The withdrawal of all the foreign forces from Afghanistan and stopping all military and political intervention by the imperialists and other reactionary powers in the region is the first step toward a solution for the people of Afghanistan. That is what the people in Afghanistan want and also what people around the world need.

LOTW: Workification is the total degradation

Lyrics Of The Week
This awesome little rant is brought to us by Purgjen from Moscow, & you can hear it on track 21 of current playlist. Original in Russian, followed by English translation by me (yes, 'workification' is not a real word, but neither is 'rabotejshen', it's part of why I like this song...).

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Работэйшен = деградейшн

И МНЕ НЕСНЯТСЯБОЛШЕ СНЫ
ПРО ДОМ, ПРО ГОРОД И ОТНИ
И ЭТО ВСЕ ИЗЗА ТОГО
УТО НА РАБОТУ Я ПОШЕЛ

РАБОТЭШЭН ПОЛНЫЙ ДИГРАДЭЙШЭН
РАБОТЭШЭН ПОЛНЫЙ ДИГРАДЭЙШЭН

И МЫСЛИ ИЗ МЕНЯ УШЛИ
ОСТАЛИСЬ ТЕ, ЧТО НЕНУЖНЫ
И ВСЯ РАБОТА ЭТО БРЕД
И КРЫША ЕДЕТ СИЛЫ НЕТ

РАБОТЭШЭН ПОЛНЫЙ ДИГРАДЭЙШЭН

ЗАЧЕМ РАБОТАТЬ ЦЕЛЫЙ ДЕНЬ
ТОГДА НЕТ СМЫСЛА В ЖИЗНЕ СЕЙ
И СТАВИТЬ ДЕНГИЬ ВЫШЕ ВСЕХ
ИЗ СЕРИИ ТУПЫХ ПОТЕХ

РАБОТЭШЭН ПОЛНЫЙ ДИГРАДЭЙШЭН

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Workification = degradation

AND I CAN'T DREAM ANY MORE DREAMS
ABOUT A HOUSE, ABOUT A TOWN AND FIRES
AND ALL THIS, BECAUSE
I WENT TO WORK IN THE MORNING

WORKIFICATION IS THE TOTAL DEGRADATION
WORKIFICATION IS THE TOTAL DEGRADATION

AND THE THOUGHTS LEFT ME
ONLY THOSE REMAINED, WHICH AREN'T NEEDED
AND ALL OF WORK IS DELIRIUM
AND YOU LOSE YOUR MIND WITH NO EFFORT

WORKIFICATION IS THE TOTAL DEGRADATION

WHY WORK THE WHOLE DAY?
THEN THERE'S NO SENSE IN THIS LIFE
AND PUTTING MONEY BEFORE EVERYTHING
IS FROM A SERIES OF STUPID JOKES

LOTW: The world is about to change its foundation; We are nothing, let us be all

Here is the lyrics to the battle hymn of the international proletariat, "L'Internationale" by Eugène Pottier. It is on the current playlist in different language versions on tracks 1, 5, 9, 14, 19, 27, 31, 37, 41, 44. If that's not enough for you, check out this page here.

Below is the original French version, followed by literal English translation (as found on Wikipedia). Often the lyrics are changed for rhyme & rhythm, some of the stanzas are cut out, etc. For lyrics in different languages check out this Wikipedia page & find links to the translations on the left column under 'languages'.

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L'Internationale

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

[Refrain:]
C'est la lutte finale
Groupons-nous, et demain
L'Internationale
Sera le genre humain

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

[Refrain]

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

[Refrain]

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.

[Refrain]

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

[Refrain]

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.

[Refrain]

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The Internationale

Stand up, wretched of the earth
Stand up, galley slaves 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

[Refrain:]
This is the final struggle
Let us gather together, and tomorrow
The Internationale
Will be the human race

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

[Refrain]

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

[Refrain]

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.

[Refrain]

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

[Refrain]

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

[Refrain]

RR re-broadcast by Blue Barn Posse in Kansas

Tune in to Blue Barn Posse Radio at 10pm (US central time) on Sunday night 3rd May '08, call-in number is +1-646-7168652. There will be news & talk as well as 1 hour of the current Revolution Radio show.

At the link above one can also listen to previous shows too.

RR 1.5.08

{DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING, PART ONE}
{DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING, PART TWO}
{DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE THING, PART THREE}


Red greetings to all,

Special long edition for International Workers' Day. Sprinkled throughout are different versions of the battle hymn of the international proletariat, "L'Internationale". Additionally there's a bunch of takes on the general theme here, whether 'general' calls for anticapitalist revolution, visions of a future society worth fighting for, or more specific ballads of the oppression & struggle of the proletariat, whose exploitation forms the basis on which the whole shit system is built on. 'The bosses are feeding on living corpses,' as Boysetsfire puts it. Even got some history lessons on the origins of IWD itself (US ska in second track, & Catalan punk in second-to-last track); read more background infos here.

Love to all the sisters & brothers living under the capitalist boot,
Hate to the class enemy,
Wake up call to those who can't yet see the difference.

And enjoy the music.


theme: "L'Internationale"
theme: Proletarian history

1. Táng Cháo - Yīngtènàxióngnài'ěr ("L'Internationale" Chinese version) {download}
2. The Strike - Shots Heard 'Round The World
3. Boysetsfire - The Force Majeure
4. Blue Scholars - Proletariat Blues
5. Al-lumumiyeh ("L'Internationale" Arabic version) {download}
6. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Communist Moon
7. The Kieran Ridge Band - Laborer's Blues
8. Kadena - Welga
9. Maxx Klaxon - Internationale 2000 ("L'Internationale" new English version) {download}
10. Red Shadow (The Economics Rock & Roll Band) - Understanding Marx {download}
11. Four Letter Words - Kill My Boss
12. The Coup - 5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O.
13. System Of A Down - P.L.U.C.K.
14. Tetsuya Daiku - Intonasyonaalu ("L'Internationale" Japanese version) {download}
15. Claudes Claudes - Mao Mao {download}

16. Rapaces - Un système d'esclaves et de boss {download}
17. Lila Downs - El Bracero Fracasado
18. Asian Dub Foundation - Naxalite
19. Subversivos - A internacional ("L'Internationale" Portuguese version) {download}
20. Lamb Of God - Boot Scraper
21. Purgjen - Rabotejshen = Digradejshen {download}
22. P.O.W.E.R. - Class War
23. L'Internationale {download}
24. Afrika - Revolution
25. Blind Pigs - Capitalist Myth
26. Jeunesse Apatride - À ma révolution
27. Commandantes - Die Internationale ("L'Internationale" German version)
28. Randy - Proletarian hop
29. Z.E.N. - Abba oa Jeon Tae-il {download}
30. Kalash - State and Revolution

31. Vennaskond - Internatsionaal ("L'Internationale" Estonian version) {download}
32. Ska-P - El Vals del Obrero
33. Inadaptats - Orgull de classe
34. Reazione - Forse un giorno vincerà! {download}
35. Phil Ochs - Ringing of Revolution
36. John Lennon - Imagine
37. Xün Xürtu - Internatsional ("L'Internationale" Tuvan version) {download}
38. Inner Conflict - Which Side Are You On? [trad.] {download}
39. Mystik & 2 Bal Niggets - La sédition
40. The Suicide Machines - Red Flag
41. Pól Mac Adaim - An t-Idirnáisiúnta ("L'Internationale" Irish version) {download}
42. Phil Ochs - Joe Hill
43. Inadaptats - El cercle viciós de la moderació
44. Gong Law - Saamakhii Naa Naa Chaat ("L'Internationale" Thai version) {download}