women workers - song by David Edelstadt (1866-1892)
transliteration of Yiddish lyrics
ARBEITER FROYEN
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:
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!”
====== there is an aye ya daye da dye day type chorus between verses the tune is lovely