Overview
Chinese Name: 游击队歌
English Name: Guerrillas’ Song
Composer: He Lvting贺绿汀
Guerrillas’ Song is a song composed by He Lvting. On January 1, 1938, He Lvting commanded the national salvation drama team to sing for the first time at the Party of Cadres of the Eighth Route Army. It is also the theme song of the film “Railway Guerrillas”.
Composition Background of Guerrillas’ Song
In 1937, after the outbreak of the “August 13” Songhu Anti Japanese War, Shanghai cultural circles established a drama team to publicize Anti Japanese and national salvation in all parts of China under the banner of the Anti Japanese national united front. He Luting joined the first team of Shanghai National Salvation drama with hatred for the aggressors. He came to Shanxi Anti Japanese front line to perform for the Anti Japanese forces. In a suburban Eighth Route Army Office (Liucun Town, Yaodu District, Linfen), they had more direct contact with the commanders and fighters and became interested in guerrilla warfare. Especially after listening to the reports of Zhu De, Ren Bishi, he long and other leaders, we had a further understanding of the situation and strategy of the war of resistance against Japan. He realized that to completely defeat the Japanese invaders, we must rely not only on regular warfare, but also on mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare. Facing the oil lamp, He Lvting composed the fragmentary and fragmented musical images into a whole and created the song guerrilla song.
About Composer He Lvting
He Lvting (1903-1999), also known as He Kai, from Shaodong, Hunan Province, vice chairman of China Music Association, President of Shanghai Conservatory of music and musician. In July 1903, he was born into a poor peasant family in Shaoyang. The picturesque landscape and beautiful folk songs in his hometown nourish his youth’s soul. He often sings to the village children when herding cattle and collecting firewood.
After the full outbreak of the Anti Japanese war in 1937, He Lvting participated in the Anti Japanese and national salvation drama team of Shanghai literary and artistic circles and went to Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an and other places to perform to publicize the Anti Japanese war. In Linfen, Shanxi Province, he created the immortal Anti Japanese war song “guerrilla song” under the kerosene lamp, and directed and sang the song at a senior cadre meeting of the Eighth Route Army, which was a great success.
Lyrics of Guerrillas’ Song
Chinese Lyrics
我们都是神枪手
每一颗子弹消灭一个敌人
我们都是飞行军
哪怕那山高水又深在密密的树林里
到处都安排同志们的宿营地
在高高的山岗上
有我们无数的好兄弟没有吃 没有穿
自有那敌人送上前
没有枪 没有炮
敌人给我们造我们生长在这里
每一寸土地都是我们自己的
无论谁要抢占去
我们就和他拼到底哪怕日本强盗凶
我们的弟兄打起来真英勇
哪怕敌人枪炮狠
找不到我们的踪和影让敌人乱冲闯
我们的阵地建立在敌人侧后方
敌人的战线越延长
我们的队伍越扩张不分穷 不分富
四万万同胞齐武装
不分党 不分派
大家都来抵抗我们越打越坚强
日本强盗正在走向灭亡
待到最后胜利日
世界的和平见曙光
English Translation
We are all sharpshooters,
Each bullet takes out an enemy.
We are all soldiers with wings,
Unafraid of tall mountains and deep waters.In the dense forests,
Our comrades set their camps.
On the tall mountains,
Our countless brothers are there.Nothing to eat, nothing to wear?
The enemy will supply us.
No guns, no cannons?
The enemy will forge them for us.We are born in this place
Every inch of the land belongs to us.
Should anyone invade it,
We will fight him to death.Though the Japanese bandits are vicious,
Our brothers fight bravely.
Though enemy’s weapons are powerful,
They cannot find our trace and shadow.Let the enemy rush around without aim,
Our battlefront is behind the enemy.
When the enemy line lengthens,
Our columns expands even greater.No matter poor or rich,
400 million people become armed.
No matter which party,
We all join the resistance,We become stronger in the struggle，
Japanese bandits are going towards doom.
When the final victory day comes,
The dawn of world peace will come out.