La Marseillaise

A song of the people against tyranny

Jul 12, 2025

Welcome to new subscribers and regular readers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “La Marseillaise” sung by Mireille Mathieu. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article. The English lyrics provided in the video are those I am using for this article. You’ll find my interpretation of these lyrics which are written in italics below. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. The article itself is written at a level of TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1. [✳️ Note: the Marseillaise and its vocabulary are CEFR C1, TOEIC 945-900.]

French flag (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

(797 words)
A few years ago, a student asked me about issues involved in national anthems. Because France is celebrating Bastille Day this week, on the 14^th of July, today we’ll learn a little about its national anthem, The Marseillaise.

The song was sung during the French Revolution. This history, which covered a 10-year period, is very long and complicated. Below is a very brief introduction to the beginning of the revolution.

For over 1,000 years, the French aristocracy had been in power. However, in the late 1700s, the people were angry and were standing up against the unfair treatment they had been experiencing for many years. For example, the French monarchy (king and queen) placed heavy taxes on the people. There was not enough food for the common people, prices were rising, and there was unemployment. Only the upper classes and the nobility were allowed to vote, and the church held far too much power. At the same time, the king and queen were spending too much money.

In May 1789, the king created a group to try to solve these problems. The group had representatives from the church, the nobility, and the rest of society, but it didn’t solve anything. The common people created their own group called The National Assembly and promised to write a new constitution.

There was a rumor that the military was going to stage a coup d’etat. This inspired the common people to take action. On July 14, 1789, the lower and middle classes of Paris attacked the Bastille. The Bastille was an old fortress that long ago had kept weapons and soldiers and still had a lot of gunpowder. It had been turned into a prison for people who were against the king. It was also a symbol of the unfair way the king was ruling France.

The fall of the Bastille was the first action of the people. It resulted in the National Assembly declaring an end to feudalism.

*Prise de la Bastille* by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel. (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

In 1792, the king declared war on Prussia and Austria. The common people were afraid that the king would use this as a way to oppress them further. People all over France who supported the creation of a republic marched to Paris. One of these groups was from the town of Marseilles, in the southeast of France. The song they sang as they marched was called The Marseillaise, and it became the anthem of the revolution and later, the national anthem of France.

The song calls on the people of the country to take up their weapons, form groups, and get ready to protect their homes and their families because the soldiers are coming.
Let’s go, the children of the homeland
The day of glory has arrived
The bloody banner of tyranny confronts us by being raised
Do you hear the roar outside of those ferocious soldiers?
They’re coming right to you to cut the throats of your children and partners

To arms, citizens
Form up in groups to fight
March now, march now
Let their blood spill and soak into the dirt

The song asks the people to take care with the soldiers they fight who do not really want to fight them. It was the people who supported the king who were the enemy.
Frenchmen, noble warriors, hold back and bear your blows
Spare those sorry victims who fight us with regret
But not those bloodthirsty despots
Those confederates of Bouillé, and beasts without second thoughts who rip their mother’s breast
Bouillé was a French aristocrat and general who supported the king.

Sacred love of the homeland, lead
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Fight with thy defenders
The song encourages the people and says that, under their flag, they will win quickly. Their enemies will see the people’s victory and courage before they fall.
Under our flags, may victory hurry to all thy accents
May thy dying enemies see thy triumph and our glory

The following is from A people’s History of the World (adapted):

The Revolution brought the common people into politics for the first time. People from both the cities and the countryside, who had never had a voice before, began to take part in making history. They learned how to speak up for their needs and to discuss these needs with others. In 1789 and 1792, peasants burned down the castles of rich landowners. They did not want any future government to take their land away. In Paris and other cities, poor people stood up and fought for their rights in a way that had never happened before.

Bastille Day is a day to celebrate the idea that people have the power to make social changes for the better. France today, although far from perfect, is based on the ideals of freedom and fairness.

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All of the articles about the songs will remain free for students to use. (We are all students, are we not?) However, if you find these articles useful and are in a position to make a small (or large) donation, I would be deeply grateful.

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Patisu Lambert

Thank you Louise. A timely story🇺🇸

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Rick 'Scobi' Gregory

This is my favorite thing about Louise's Substack. She pulls out historical or cultural songs for you to discover or rediscover. How many times have I heard this French anthem and never felt its full power. The version with Mireille Mathieu sets the tone for the revolution. It also adds a new perspective for me.

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La Marseillaise

A song of the people against tyranny

I believe that education should be free.

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