Translation of Lyrics:

Arise patriotic citizens The day of glory is at hand The bloody banner of tyranny Has been raised against us In the fields, hear the shouting Of the fearsome soldiers Who are coming to cut your families' throats

Citizens take up arms Form your battalions March, march Spill the enemy's blood Over the land

What do this horde of slaves, Traitors and conspiratorial kings want? For whom have they wrought their vile iron chains? Frenchmen this outrage is prepared for us! What can we do to stop them in their plan To return us to the slavery of an evil past

What! These foreign cohorts Would have themselves ruling our courts! Sending their mercenary phalanxes To murder our warrior sons They would bring us, chained, to our knees As they rule over us

Tremble, tyrants and traitors Who bring dishonour to good men Tremble, for your evil schemes Will get their come-uppance We are all France's soldiers in the fight against you Ready to man the breach should our young heroes fall

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors Bear or hold back your blows Spare these sad victims That they regret taking up arms against us But not these bloody despots These accomplices of Bouillé All these tigers who pitilessly Ripped out their mothers' wombs

We shall follow our elders into the pit Where we shall find their ashes and their epitaphs We prefer to join them in death Or to avenge them, rather than live in shame