Arbeter Froyen

Find Under:

Arbeiter froyen

Alternate Title:

Working Women

First Line:

Arbeter froyen, hard-working women

Artist & Tune

Composed by:

David Edelstadt

Adrienne Cooper

Daniel Kahn

Reference

Genre:

composed song Yiddish, poems set to music

Culture:

Yiddish

About the Song

This song is based on a poem "Tsu Arbeter Froyen" written by David Edelshtat (1866-1892), published 1891. Adrienne Cooper adapted the poem by Edehshtat to make it an revolutionary anthem for working class women.

The singable English words below are by Daniel Kahn, who learned the song from Cooper.

The first video utilizes the recording of the song by Daniel Kahn & the Painted Bird on their 2018 "The Butcher's Share" album.

The 5th video is a reading of the original Yiddish poem by David Edelshtat.

Singable English translation: (literal translation of Yiddish lyrics below)
1. Arbeter froyen, hard-working women
Women who labor in fact'ries & homes
Join in the fight, for it's only beginning
And no one should stand in the struggle alone

(up 3) Am - - Dm / - - G C ://

Let us all carry the red flag together
Weathering storms in the dark of the night
Building a temple of freedom forever
Helping each other to carry the light

Dm - C Dm / G - - Am / Dm - Am AmG / Am G E Am

Dai, dai, dai, etc. Am - - Dm / - - G C / Am - - Dm / - - E Am

2. So many sisters, daughters & mothers
Have given their lives for the things they believe
Mighty as lions they fight for each other
For freedom & justice & equality

We'll carry the banner as sisters & brothers
Waking the world to the light of the day
As friends & companions, as comrades & lovers
Arbeter froyen, show us the way

Original Yiddish lyrics:

1. Arbeter froyen, laydende froyen!
Froyen, vos shmakhtn in hoyz un fabrik
Vos shteyt ir fun vaytn? vos helft ir nit boyen
Dem templ fun frayhayt, fun mentshlekhn glik?

Helft undz trogn dem baner dem roytn
Forverts, durkh shturem, durkh finstere nekht!
Helft undz vorhayt un likht tsu farshpreytn,
Tsvishn umvisende, elente knekht!

2. Helft undz di velt fun ir shmuts tsu erheybn!
Ales opfern, vos undz iz lib
Kemfn tsuzamen, vi mekhtike leybn
Far frayhayt, far glaykhhayt, far undzer printsip!

Nit eyn mol hobn shoyn nobele froyen,
Gemakht tsitern henker un tron,
Zey hobn getsaygt, az men ken zey fartroyen,
In biterstn shturem di heylike fon

3. Dermont zikh an eyere rusishe shvester
Dermordet far frayhayt fun tsar dem vampir
Farmatert biz toyt in di shteynerne nester
Fargrobn in shney in dem vistn sibir

Gedenkt ir di nemen, di heylike nemen
Perovskaya, helfman, ginzburg un nokh
Toyznter vos flegn zikh shemen
Tsu trogn gehorzam dem shklafnyokh?

4.Zey zaynen in shturem zo heldish geshtanen
Getrogn in finsternis hofenung un likht!
Rakhe genumen fun vilde tiranen
Shtolts gekukt dem toyt in gezikht!

Gedenkt ir zey? dokh zol zeyer lebn
Bagaystern aykh! ir zolt mit derfolg
Lernen un denken, kemfn un shtrebn
Tsu frayhayt un glik far dem arbeter folk!

Translation(s)

Translation:

You women who work, you women who suffer
All the day long from your breakfast to supper
Why don’t you join in and help in constructing
A temple of freedom where you’ll be instructing

Your comrades to carry the banner of scarlet
To say, “We are free and nobody’s harlot”?
Help us in spreading the truth to the masses;
Teach them they’re human and not stupid asses

Help us to teach them to rise from their squalor
And set an example of courage and valor.
Let’s join in the fight that says all are equal
For thus will true freedom be the great sequel.

’Twill not be the first time that women of courage
Did challenge the mighty who held all the power
These were the women whom none could discourage
They stood up and said, “Now this is our hour!”