Red Guard's March
"The Red Guards' March" (Finnish: "Punakaartin Marssi") is a Finnish working class song. It is one of the best known songs of the "Reds" during the Finnish Civil War in 1918, but was actually sung already before the war. Even though the lyrics for the march were written in Finnish, the melody has been taken from two Swedish and German folk songs. The writer of the lyrics is unknown.[1]
Original Finnish lyrics[2] | English literal translation |
---|---|
Köyhä Suomen kansa |
The poor Finnish people |
Hallitus on vankka |
The government is robust |
Virkavallan huolena |
As the concerns of the bureaucracy [are] |
Kiihtyy yhä taisto |
The struggle still intensifies |
Kuinka kauan siellä |
How long does go on |
Kumouksen myrskyt |
The storms of the revolution |
Kylvömme kun tehdään |
When we do our sowings |