The lyrics of the song were written by Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party activist Georgi Kirkov, and were published in 1898 in the "Red People's Calendar" almanac.
It was partly inspired by the lyrics of the Austrian social democratic anthem "Lied der Arbeit" from 1868.
[1] Initially, Kirkov's poem was recited at gatherings of social democrats.
[2][3] In 1912, the poem was translated into Serbo-Croatian as it gained popularity in Yugoslavia, and the song eventually became widely known in the Yugoslav socialist movement.
[4] It was also translated into Albanian, and this version, known as "Kënga e şişti" was used by communists in Kosovo.