Barbican Preview Transcript (was: Barbican lyrics help)

Thom_Boyer · Barbican Preview Transcript (was: Barbican lyrics help)

Alright -- I hit a wall in my transcript of the Barbican lyrics -- they become a might unintelligible during Fantine's Arrest. Each question mark represents an indecipherable (to me) syllable; anyone able to fill in the blanks? Has anyone done this?

FANTINE
There's a child who sorely needs me
Please Monsieur, she's but that high
Holy God, is there no mercy
If I go to jail she'll die

CHORUS
????????
???????
????????
And a husband in the home - (uncertain on this line)

FANTINE
Gentle Jesus, won't you save me?
???????

JAVERT
It's the same pathetic story
"Please, Monsieur, my child will die!"
I have heard such protestations
Every day for twenty years...

Any help would be appreciated -- Thanks!

Orestes Fasting

I could've sworn Fantine's second line was "Are there tears enough to cry?" but it's been a long time since I've listened to that recording.

Thom_Boyer

Many thanks -- I actually started digging through the archives here and found an old post of yours:

High-baritonne

which recording are we talking about?

The Very Angry Woman

jackrussell

I didn't realise the Barbican lyrics were so different...

I guess they're not on the internet anywhere (or you wouldn't be asking the original question) - if anybody could upload the complete Barbican libretto it would make for interesting reading.

Orestes Fasting

Fantine

Thom_Boyer

Alright -- I'm bouncing around from one part of the show to the next, and searching through the archives here, it seems this area was a bit of a trouble spot for a few people. For the sake of record-keeping, here's what I have for "Valjean's Confession." For those not familiar with the source material, the music is essentially the same as that on the OFC:

VALJEAN'S CONFESSION

MARIUS
Monsieur, this is a day I never can forget
Is gratitude enough for giving me Cosette?
Your home shall be with us, and not a day shall pass
And we will prove our love to you whom we shall call
A father to us both, a father to us all

VALJEAN
Not another word, my son
There's something now that must be done
Monsieur, I cannot stay one night beneath your roof
I am a convict, sir, my body bears the proof
My name is Jean Valjean.
I never told Cosette I bear this guilt alone
And then I swear to you, her innocence is real
Our love is true
Our love, our life, are now her own
And I must face the years alone

MARIUS
I do not understand, what's the sense of it all?
Is the world upside down? Will the universe fall?!
If it's true what you say, and Cosette doesn't know
Why confess it to me?! Why confess it at all?
What forces you to speak after all?

VALJEAN
You and Cosette must be free of reproach
It is not your affair!
There is a darkness that's over my life
It's a cross I must bear
It's for Cosette this must be faced
If I am found, she is disgraced

MARIUS
What can I do that will turn you from this?
Monsieur, you cannot leave!
Whatever I tell my beloved Cosette
She will never believe

VALJEAN
Make her believe I have gone on a journey
A long way away
Tell her my heart is too full for farewells
It is better this way
Promise me, Monsieur, Cosette will never know

MARIUS
I give my word

VALJEAN
What I have spoken, why I must go

MARIUS
For the sake of Cosette, it must be so...

Orestes Fasting

Interesting. On the one hand, it makes Valjean's motives much clearer than the present truncated version, but on the other hand it's far too close to being a direct translation of the OFC version--and some of the lyrics are very awkward as a result.

At any rate, I wish these would be released officially; they're a fascinating glimpse into the show's history.

jackrussell

I prefer the current version, if acted correctly - Marius should be shocked and initially reviled at what Valjean reveals. That's not only closer to the novel but adds a bit more to the drama as well. Then in the finale, it makes sense for him to be asking Valjean's forgiveness - there'd be no need otherwise.

Thom Boyer - I like this project. When you've finished your transcript I'd be very interested to read it.

Ulkis

Thom_Boyer

Okay, I'm getting along far enough that I'm comfortable beginning to post what I'm able to decipher. I'm working from two recordings -- one from the previews at the Barbican and one from after transferring to the Palace. Neither is of particularly good quality. Each has its own hefty set of flaws, but overall the Barbican recording is of slightly higher quality and easier to work with. The transcript I'm constructing is based on the Barbican preview, though pieces of the Palace recording are occasionally used to bridge gaps. Some gaps cannot be bridged, however. Those pieces I cannot decipher will be represented by a single question mark for each lost syllable. Changes from the show as currently performed will be bolded.

(Overture seems to be the same as the "At the End of the Day" intro -- all major chords, not minor as heard on the OLC album. There is also no cymbal roll as on the OLC album; the music cuts straight into the "Work Song" keyboards.)

1. PROLOGUE

CONVICTS
Uh, uh...
Look down, look down
Don't look 'em in the eye
Look down, look down
You're here until you die

The sun is strong
It's hot as hell below
Look down, look down
There's twenty years to go

I've done no wrong
Sweet Jesus, hear my prayer
Look down, look down
Sweet Jesus doesn't care

I killed a man
He tried to steal my wife
Look down, look down
She wasn't worth your life

When I get free,
You won't see me
Here for dust!

Look down, look down
Don't look 'em in the eye
How long, O Lord
Before you let me die?

Look down, look down
You'll always be a slave
Look down, look down
You're standing in your grave

JAVERT
Now, bring me prisoner 24601
Your time is up, and your parole's begun
You know what that means -

VALJEAN
Yes, it means I'm free

JAVERT
No -
It means you get your yellow ticket of leave
You are a thief

VALJEAN
I stole a loaf of bread

JAVERT
You robbed a house

VALJEAN
I broke a windowpane
My sister's child was close to death
And we were starving -

JAVERT
You will starve again
Unless you learn the meaning of the law

VALJEAN
I know the meaning of those nineteen years -
A slave of the law

JAVERT
Five years for what you did
The rest because you tried to run
Yes, 24601 -

VALJEAN
My name is Jean Valjean

JAVERT
And I'm Javert
Do not forget my name
Do not forget me
24601

CONVICTS
Look down, look down
You'll always be a slave
Look down, look down
You're standing in your grave
Uh-uh...

VALJEAN
Freedom is mine
The earth is still
I feel the wind
I breathe again
And the sky clears
The world is waking

Drink from the pool
How clean the taste
Never forget
The years, the waste
Nor forgive them
For what they've done
They are the guilty -
Every one

The day begins
And now let's see
What this new world
Will do for me

(Traveling music, same as always, slightly slower)

FOREMAN
You'll have to go
I'll pay you off for the day
Collect your bits and pieces there
And be on your way

VALJEAN
You have given me half
What the other men get
This handful of tin
wouldn't buy my sweat!

WORKER
Do you believe
A yellow ticket of leave
Allows a criminal like you
To earn full screw

VALJEAN
Now every door is closed to me
Another jail, another key, another chain
For when I come to any town
They check my papers
And they find the mark of Cain
In their eyes, I see their fear
We do not want you here

INNKEEPER'S WIFE
My rooms are full
And I've no supper to spare
I'd like to help you really
All I want is to be fair

VALJEAN
I will pay in advance
I can sleep in a barn
You see how dark it is
I'm not some kind of dog

INNKEEPER
You'll leave my house
Or feel the weight of my rod
We're law-abiding people here
Thanks be to God

VALJEAN
And now I know how freedom feels
The jailer always at my heels
It is the law
This piece of paper in my hand
That makes me cursed throughout the land
It is the law
Like a cur
I walk the street
The dirt beneath my feet

BISHOP
Come in sir, for you are weary
And the night is cold out there
Though our lives are very humble
What we have, we have to share
There is wine here to revive you
There is bread to make you strong
There's a bed to rest till morning
Rest from pain and rest from wrong

VALJEAN
He let me eat my fill
I had the lion's share
This silver in my hand
cost twice what I had earned
In all those nineteen years, that lifetime of despair
And yet he trusted me
The old fool trusted me
He'd done his bit of good
I played the grateful serf
And thanked him like I should
And when the house was still
I got up in the night
Took the silver
Took my flight

POLICE
Tell his reverance your story
Let us see if he's impressed
You were lodging here last night
You were the honest bishop's guest
And then out of Christian goodness
When he learned about your plight
You maintain he made a present
Of this silver

BISHOP
That is right
But my friend, you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind
You forgot I gave these also
Would you leave the best behind?
So messieurs you may release him
For this man has spoken true
I commend you for your duty
And God's blessing go with you

And remember this, my brother
See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man
By the witness of the martyrs
By the passion and the blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God

2. WHAT HAVE I DONE

VALJEAN
What have I done
Sweet Jesus, what have I done
Become a thief in the night
Become a dog on the run
And have I fallen so far
And is the hour so late
That nothing remains but the cry of my hate
The cries in the dark that nobody hears
Here where I stand at the turning of the years
If there's another way to go
I missed it twenty long years ago
My life was a war that could never be won
They gave me a number and murdered Valjean
When they chained me and left me for dead
Just for stealing a mouthful of bread

Yet why did I allow that man
To touch my soul and teach me love
He treated me like any other
He gave me his trust
He called me brother
My life he claims for God above
Can such things be
For I had come to hate this world
This world which had always hated me

Take an eye for an eye
Turn your heart into stone
This is all I have lived for
This is all I have known
One word from him and I'd be back
Beneath the lash, upon the rack
Instead he offers me my freedom
I feel my shame inside me like a knife
He told me that I have a soul
How does he know
What spirit came to move my life
Is there another way to go

I am reaching, but I fall
And the night is closing in
And I stare into the void
To the whirpool of my sin
I'll escape now from the world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin

Ulkis

Cool, thanks.

Thom_Boyer

Very little changed from "At the End of the Day" on through "Lovely Ladies." I'm a little unsure of the Foreman's lines. They play so awkwardly with the rhythm that I'm almost convinced they were flubbed that night. Anyway, here goes:

3. AT THE END OF THE DAY

THE POOR
At the end of the day you're another day older
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor
It's a struggle, it's a war
And there's nothing that anyone's giving
One more day, standing about, what is it for
One day less to be living

At the end of the day you're another day colder
And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill
And the righteous hurry past
They don't hear the little ones crying
And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill
One day nearer to dying

At the end of the day there's another day dawning
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise
And the waves crash on the sand
Like a storm that'll break any second
There's a hunger in the land
There's a reckoning still to be reckoned
And there's gonna be hell to pay
At the end of the day

FOREMAN
At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing
Sitting flat on your butt doesn't buy any bread

WORKERS
There are children back at home
And the children have got to be fed
And you're lucky to be in a job
And in a bed
And we're counting our blessings

WOMEN
Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today
With his terrible breath and his wandering hands
It's because little Fantine won't give him his way
Take a look at his trousers, you'll see where he stands
And the boss, he never knows
That the foreman is always on heat
If Fantine doesn't look out
Watch how she goes
She'll be out on the street

WORKERS
At the end of the day it's another day over
With enough in your pocket to last for a week
Pay the landlord pay the shop
Keep on grafting as long as you're able
Keep on grafting till you drop
Or it's back to the crumbs on the table
You've got to pay your way
At the end of the day

GIRL
Now, what have we here, little innocent sister
Come on Fantine, let's have all the news
"Dear Fantine you must send us more money
Your child needs a doctor
There's no time to lose!"

FANTINE
Give that letter to me
It is none of your business
With a husband at home
And a bit on the side
Is there anyone here
Who can swear before God
She has nothing to fear?
She has nothing to hide?

VALJEAN
What is this fighting all about
Will someone tear these two apart
This is a factory, not a circus
Now come on ladies, settle down
I run a business of repute
I am the Mayor of this town

I look to you to sort this out
And be as patient as you can

FOREMAN
Now someone say how this began

GIRL
At the end of the day she's the one who began it
There's a kid that she's hiding in some little town
There's a man she has to pay
You can guess how she picks up the extra
You can bet she's earning her keep sleeping around
And the boss wouldn't like it

FANTINE
Yes it's true there's a child
And the child is my daughter
And her father abandoned us leaving us flat
Now she lives with an innkeeper man and his wife
And I pay for the child
What's the matter with that

WOMEN
At the end of the day she'll be nothing but trouble
And there's trouble for all when there's trouble for one
While we're earning our daily bread
She's the one with her hands in the butter
You must send the slut away
Or we're all gonna end in the gutter
It's us who'll have to pay
At the end of the day!

FOREMAN
I might have known the bitch could bite
I might have known the cat had claws
I might have guessed your little secret
Ah, yes, the virtuous Fantine
Who keeps herself so pure and clean
You'd be the cause I had no doubt
Of any man trouble hereabout
You play a harlot in the light
And then a harlot in the night

GIRL
She's been laughing at you
While she's having her men

WOMEN
She'll be nothing but trouble again and again

WORKERS
You must sack her today
Sack the girl today

FOREMAN
Right my girl
On your way...

4. I DREAMED A DREAM

FANTINE
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

5. LOVELY LADIES

SAILOR ONE
I smell women
Smell 'em in the air
Think I'll drop my anchor
In that harbor over there

SAILOR TWO
Lovely ladies
Smell 'em through the smoke
Seven days at sea
Can make you hungry for a poke

SAILOR THREE
Even stokers need a little stoke

WOMEN
Lovely ladies
Waiting for a bite
Waiting for the customers
Who only come at night
Lovely ladies
Ready for the call
Standing up or lying down
Or any way at all
Bargain prices up against the wall

OLD WOMAN
Come here, my dear
Let's see this trinket you wear
This bagatelle

FANTINE
Madame, I'll sell it to you

OLD WOMAN
I'll give you four

FANTINE
That wouldn't pay for the chain

OLD WOMAN
I'll give you five
You're far to eager to sell
It's up to you

FANTINE
It's all I have

OLD WOMAN
That's not my fault

FANTINE
Please make it ten

OLD WOMAN
No more than five
My dear, we all must stay alive

WOMEN
Lovely ladies
Waiting in the dark
Ready for a thick one
Or a quick one in the park

WHORE 1
Long time short time
Any time, my dear
Costs a little extra if you want to take all year

WOMEN
Quick and cheap is underneath the pier

CRONE
What pretty hair
What pretty locks you got there
What luck you got
It's worth a centime, my dear
I'll take the lot

FANTINE
Don't touch me! Leave me alone

CRONE
Let's make a price
I'll give you all of ten francs
Just think of that

FANTINE
It pays a debt

CRONE
Just think of that

FANTINE
What can I do
It pays a debt
Ten francs may save my poor Cosette

SAILOR THREE
Lovely lady
Fastest on the street
Wasn't there three minutes
She was back up on her feet

SAILOR ONE
Lovely lady
What yer waiting for
Doesn't take a lot of savvy
Just to be a whore
Come on, lady
What's a lady for

PIMP
Give me the dirt, who's that bit over there?

WHORE ONE
A bit of skirt. She's the one sold her hair.

WHORE TWO
She's got a kid. Sends her all that she can

PIMP
I might have known
There is always some man
Lovely lady, come along and join us
Lovely lady

WHORE ONE
Come on dearie, why all the fuss
You're no grander than the rest of us
Life has dropped you at the bottom of the heap
Join your sisters

WHORE TWO
Make money in your sleep

WHORE ONE
That's right dearie, let him have the lot

WHORE THREE
That's right dearie, show him what you've got

WOMEN
Old men, young men, take 'em as they come
Harbor rats and alley cats and every kind of scum
Poor men, rich men, leaders of the land
See them with their trousers off they're never quite as grand
All it takes is money in your hand

Lovely ladies
Going for a song
Got a lot of callers
But they never stay for long

FANTINE
Come on, Captain,
you can wear your shoes
Don't it make a change
To have a girl who can't refuse
Easy money
Lying on a bed
Just as well they never see
The hate that's in your head
Don't they know they're making love
To one already dead

Thom_Boyer

And here's the first really interesting bit. The Javert portion of "Fantine's Arrest" was originally extended to include the full song as it had appeared on the concept album (only with the keyboard introduction shortened by a few bars to match the modern version). Obviously, there were translation issues. Best as I can decipher, there were serious issues with translating the chorus. At the risk of editorializing, you'll find there some of the clunkiest lyrics lyrics in the show, though the cut to the modern version did remove a line that made Javert even colder in this scene.

6. FANTINE'S ARREST

BAMATABOIS
Here's something new, I think I'll give it a try
Come closer you, I like to see what I buy
The usual price for just one slice of your pie

FANTINE
I don't want you. No, no, Monsieur let me go

BAMATABOIS
Is this a trick? I won't pay more

FANTINE
No, not at all

BAMATABOIS
You've got some nerve
You little whore
You've got some gall
It's the same with a tart
As it is with a grocer
The customer sees what he gets in advance
It's not for the whore to say
'Yes sir' or 'no sir'
Not for the harlot to pick or to choose
Or to lead me a dance

FANTINE
I'll kill you -
Don't try any of that
Even a whore who has gone to the bad
Won't be had by a rat

BAMATABOIS
By christ you'll pay for what you've done
This rat will make you bleed to see
I guarantee I'll make you suffer
For this disturbance of the peace
For this insult to life and property

FANTINE
I beg you don't report me sir
I'll do whatever you may want

BAMATABOIS
Make your excuse to the police

JAVERT
Tell me quickly what's the story
Who saw what and why and where
Let him give a full description
Let him answer to Javert
In this nest of whores and vipers
Let one speak who saw it all
Who laid hands on this good man here
What's the substance of this brawl

BAMATABOIS
Javert, would you believe it
I was crossing from the park
When this prostitute attacked me
You can see she left her mark

JAVERT
She will answer for her actions
When you make a full report
You may rest assured Monsieur
That she will answer to the court

FANTINE
There's a child who sorely needs me
Please Monsieur, she's but that high
Holy God, is there no mercy
If I go to jail she'll die

CHORUS
Take this harlot now this minute
Let there be a full report
Let her go back in the morning
Let her answer to the court

FANTINE
Gentle Jesus, won't you save me
Are there tears enough to cry

JAVERT
It's the same pathetic story
"Please, Monsieur, my child will die"
I have heard such protestations
Every day for twenty years
Let's have no more explanations
Save your breath and save your tears
Honest work, just reward
That's the way to please the lord

VALJEAN
A moment of your time, Javert
I do believe this woman's tale

JAVERT
But Monsieur mayor

VALJEAN
You've done your duty, let her be
She needs a doctor, not a jail

JAVERT
But Monsieur mayor

FANTINE
Can this be

VALJEAN
Where will she end
This child without a friend

I've seen your face before
Show me some way to help you
How have you come to grief
In such a place as this

FANTINE
Monsieur, don't mock me now I pray
It's bad enough I've lost my pride
You let your foreman send me away
Yes you were there
And turned aside
I never did no wrong

VALJEAN
Is it true what I have done

FANTINE
My daughter's close to dying

VALJEAN
To an innocent soul

FANTINE
If there's a God above

VALJEAN
Had I only known then

FANTINE
He'd let me die instead

VALJEAN
In his name, my task is just begun
I will see it done

(Javert's "But Monsieur le Mayor" -- seems to not be here)

VALJEAN
I will see it done

JAVERT
But Monsieur mayor

VALJEAN
I will see it done!

7. RUNAWAY CART

TOWNSPEOPLE
Look out! (And lots of indiscriminate screaming)

(Cart crash music)

TOWNSPEOPLE (sped up greatly from how the lines are heard on the CSR)
Look at that, look at that
It's Monsieur Fauchelevent
Don't approach, don't go near
At the risk of you life
He is caught by the wheel
Oh, the pitiful man
Stay away, turn away
There is nothing to do
There is nothing to do

VALJEAN
Is there anyone here who will rescue the man
Who will help me to shoulder the weight of the cart

VOICES
Don't go near him, Monsieur Mayor
The load is heavy as hell
The old man's a goner for sure
It'll kill you as well

(Cart lifting music)

FAUCHELEVANT
M'sieur le Mayor, I have no words
You come from God, you are a saint

JAVERT
Can this be true
I don't believe what I see
A man your age
To be as strong as you are
A memory stirs
You make me think of a man
From years ago
A man who broke his parole
He disappeared
Forgive me, Sir
I would not dare

VALJEAN
Say what you must
Don't leave it there

JAVERT
I have only known one other
Who can do what you have done
He's a convict from the chain gang
He's been ten years on the run
But he couldn't run forever
We have found his hideaway
And he's just been re-arrested
And he comes to court today
Well, of course he now denies it
You'd expect that of a `con'
But he couldn't run forever -
No, not even Jean Valjean

VALJEAN
You say this man denies it all
And gives no sign of understanding or repentance
You say this man is going to trial
And that's he's sure to be returned
To serve his sentence
Come to that, can you be sure
That I am not your man

JAVERT
I have known the thief for ages
Tracked him down through thick and thin
And to make the matter certain
There's the brand upon his skin
He will bend, he will break
This time there is no mistake

8. WHO AM I (THE TRIAL)

VALJEAN
He thinks that man was me
He knew him at a glance
That stranger he has found
This man could be my chance

Why should I save his hide
Why should I right this wrong
When I have come so far
And struggled for so long

If I speak, I am condemned
If I stay silent, I am damned

I am the master of hundreds of workers
They all look to me
Can I abandon them
How would they live
If I am not free

If I speak, I am condemned
If I stay silent, I am damned

Who am I
Can I condemn this man to slavery
Pretend I do not feel his agony
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgement in my place
Who am I
Can I conceal myself for evermore
Pretend I'm not the man I was before
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi
Must I lie
How can I ever face my fellow men
How can I ever face myself again
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on

Who am I
Who am I
I'm Jean Valjean!

And so Javert, you see it's true
That man bears no more guilt than you
Who am I
24601

jackrussell

Am very much enjoying reading this!

Applause

The Very Angry Woman

Thom_Boyer

Fantine's death scene plays through identically to how it's heard on the OLC, with the extra bar of keyboard intro before the "Confrontation" segment. For completeness' sake, here it is:

9. FANTINE'S DEATH

FANTINE
Cosette, it's turned so cold
Cosette, it's past your bedtime
You've played the day away
And soon it will be night

Come to me, Cosette, the light is fading
Don't you see the evening star appearing
Come to me, and rest against my shoulder
How fast the minutes fly away and every minute colder

Hurry near, another day is dying
Don't you hear, the winter wind is crying
There's a darkness which comes without a warning
But I will sing you lullabies and wake you in the morning

VALJEAN
Oh, Fantine, our time is running out
But Fantine, I swear this on my life

FANTINE
Look, M'sieur, where all the children play

VALJEAN
Be at peace, be at peace evermore

FANTINE
My Cosette

VALJEAN
Shall live in my protection

FANTINE
Take her now

VALJEAN
Your child will want for nothing

FANTINE
Good M'sieur, you come from God in Heaven

VALJEAN
And none shall ever harm Cosette
As long as I am living

FANTINE
Take my hand
The night grows ever colder

VALJEAN
Then I will keep you warm

FANTINE
Take my child
I give her to your keeping

VALJEAN
Take shelter from the storm

FANTINE
For God's sake, please stay till I am sleeping
And tell Cosette I love her
And I'll see her when I wake

("Confrontation" intro extended by one bar)

JAVERT
Valjean, at last
We see each other plain
`M'sieur le Mayor,'
You'll wear a different chain

VALJEAN
Before you say another word, Javert
Before you chain me up like a slave again
Listen to me! There is something I must do
This woman leaves behind a suffering child
There is none but me who can intercede
In mercy's name, three days are all I need
Then I'll return, I pledge my word
Then I'll return

JAVERT
You must think me mad
I've hunted you across the years
A man like you can never change
A man such as you

VALJEAN (in counterpoint)
Believe of me what you will
There is a duty that I'm sworn to do
You know nothing of my life
All I did was steal some bread
You know nothing of the world
You would sooner see me dead
But not before I see this justice done
I am warning you Javert
I'm a stronger man by far
There is power in me yet
My race is not yet run
I am warning you Javert
There is nothing I won't dare
If I have to kill you here
I'll do what must be done

JAVERT (in counterpoint)
Men like me can never change
Men like you can never change
No
24601
My duty's to the law - you have no rights
Come with me 24601
Now the wheel has turned around
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Dare you talk to me of crime
And the price you had to pay
Every man is born in sin
Every man must choose his way
You know nothing of Javert
I was born inside a jail
I was born with scum like you
I am from the gutter too

VALJEAN
And this I swear to you tonight

JAVERT
There is no place for you to hide

VALJEAN
Your child will live within my care

JAVERT
Wherever you may hide away
Valjean: And I will raise her to the light
Valjean & Javert
I swear to you, I will be there

Thom_Boyer

Before I continue (to address the Very Angry Woman), please let me clarify that to avoid confusion, since segments of the Barbican production *did* carry over into early performances at the Palace Theatre, I'm not bolding lyrics that are necessarily unique to the Barbican production, but lyrics that differ from how the show is currently performed, the 2001 cuts notwithstanding.

Up next are "Castle on a Cloud" and "Master of the House." "Castle..." is extended to the full length (including the second woodwind segment) of the concept album version, minus the instrumental break in the middle of the song proper (I assume, the recording cuts and fades out mid-song, disappearing entirely until "Oh, help, I think I hear them now...") Please bear with me, as the Young Cosette on the Barbican recording (possibly Zoe Hart, but it doesn't sound like her) is nigh inaudible. Some lyrics are flat-out guesswork, [indicated by being sandwiched in brackets and tagged by a question mark?].

10. CASTLE ON A CLOUD

YOUNG COSETTE
[Madame'll be back?] any minute
And I'm nowhere near finished sweeping and scrubbing
And polishing the floors
It's the same every day for free
[No ?? don't give me your pity?]
[I can see you still look your best?]
[I know there's a li'l castle up on high?]
[Where there won't be loneliness?]

There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there in my sleep
Aren't any floors for me to sweep
Not in my castle on a cloud

There is a room that's full of toys
There are a hundred boys and girls
Nobody shouts or talks too loud
Not in my castle on a cloud

There is a lady all in white
Holds me and sings a lullaby
She's nice to see and she's soft to touch
She says "Cosette, I love you very much"

I know a place where no one's lost
I know a place where no one cries
Crying at all is not allowed
Not in my castle on a cloud

Oh help! I think I hear them now
And I'm nowhere near finished sweeping and
Scrubbing and polishing the floor
Oh, it's her!

(There's no "It's Madame!" in here, at least not audible.)

MME THENARDIER
Now look who's here
The little madam herself!
Pretending once again she's been `so awfully good,'
Better not let me catch you slacking
Better not catch my eye
Ten rotten francs your mother sends me
What is that gonna buy
Now take that pail
My little `Mademoiselle'
And go and draw some water from the well

We should never have taken you in in the first place
How stupid the things that we do
Like mother like daughter, now, that's what I say
Eponine, come my dear, Eponine, let me see you
You look very well in that little blue hat
There's some little girls who know how to behave
And they know what to wear
And I'm saying thank heaven for that

Still there Cosette
Your tears will do you no good
I told you fetch some water from the well in the wood

YOUNG COSETTE
Please do not send me out alone
Not in the darkness on my own

MME THENARDIER
Enough of that, or I'll forget to be nice
You heard me ask for something
And I never ask twice

11. MASTER OF THE HOUSE

(The instrumental transition is not the modern version. Again, it's identical to what's heard on the concept album.)

DRINKERS
Come on you old pest
Fetch a bottle of your best
What's the nectar of the day

THENARDIER
Here, try this lot
Guaranteed to hit the spot
Or I'm not Th�nardier

DRINKERS
Gissa glass a rum
Landlord, over here

THENARDIER
Right away, you scum
Right away, m'sieur

DINERS
God this place has gone to hell
So you tell me every year

DRINKERS
Mine host Th�nardier
He was there so they say
At the field of Waterloo
Got there, it's true
When the fight was all through
But he knew just what to do
Crawling through the mud
So I've heard it said
Picking through the pockets
Of the English dead
He made a tidy score
From the spoils of war

(I can't tell if this recording has been manipulated, or if the "Band of soaks..." segment truly didn't exist yet. It existed by the time the show transferred to the Palace, but it may not have during the Barbican previews.)

THENARDIER
Welcome, M'sieur
Sit yourself down
And meet the best
Innkeeper in town
As for the rest,
All of 'em crooks
Rooking their guests
And cooking the books
Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent
Who's content to be

Master of the house
Doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake
And an open palm
Tells a saucy tale
Makes a little stir
Customers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price

Master of the house
Keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em
Of a sou or two
Watering the wine
Making up the weight
Pickin' up their knick-knacks
When they can't see straight
Everybody loves a landlord
Everybody's bosom friend
I do whatever pleases
Jesus, don't I bleed 'em in the end

THENARDIER & DRINKERS
Master of the house
Quick to catch yer eye
Never wants a passerby
To pass him by
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher
And lifelong mate
Everybody's boon companion
Everybody's chaperone

THENARDIER
But lock up your valises
Jesus, won't I skin you to the bone

Enter M'sieur
Lay down your load
Unlace your boots
And rest from the road

This weighs a ton
Travel's a curse
But here we strive
To lighten your purse
Here the goose is cooked
Here the fat is fried
And nothing's overlooked
Till I'm satisfied

Food beyond compare
Food beyond belief
Mix it in a mincer
And pretend it's beef
Kidney of a horse
Liver of a cat
Filling up the sausages
With this and that

Residents are more than welcome
Bridal suite is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side

Charge 'em for the lice
Extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice
Here a little slice
There a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases
All those bits and pieces
Jesus, it's amazing how it grows

THENARDIER & CHORUS
Master of the house
Quick to catch yer eye
Never wants a passerby
To pass him by
Servant to the poor
Butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher
And lifelong mate
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got

THENARDIER
Dirty bunch of geezers
Jesuss, what a sorry little lot

MME THENARDIER
I used to dream
That I would meet a prince
But God Almighty,
Have you seen what's happened since?
`Master of the house?'
Isn't worth me spit!
`Comforter, philosopher'
- and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain
Regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a lover
But there's not much there
What a cruel trick of nature
Landed me with such a louse
God knows how I've lasted
Living with this bastard in the house!

THENARDIER & DRINKERS
Master of the house!

MME THENARDIER
Master and a half!

THENARDIER & DRINKERS
Comforter, philosopher

MME THENARDIER
Don't make me laugh!

THENARDIER & DRINKERS
Servant to the poor. Butler to the great.

MME THENARDIER
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!

THENARDIER & DRINKERS
Everybody bless the landlord!
Everybody bless his spouse!

THENARDIER
Everybody raise a glass

MME THENARDIER
Raise it up the master's ass.

ALL
Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house!

Thom_Boyer

And, rounding out our time in Montfermeil:

12. THE BARGAIN/WALTZ OF TREACHERY

(A bar of the "Castle on a Cloud" woodwind instrumental)

YOUNG COSETTE (a capella)
There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there in my sleep
Aren't any floors for me to sweep

(Orchestra picks up on the last line as, presumably, Valjean enters)

VALJEAN (to the tune of "There is a lady all in white...")
Don't be afraid[. Come here? or of me?], my dear
Tell me your name, and have no fear
How cold it grows when the sun has set

YOUNG COSETTE
I'm not afraid
And here, I'm named Cosette

VALJEAN (to the tune of "There is a castle...")
Nor will you be afraid again
I've come to take you from this place
There is a better world, you'll see

YOUNG COSETTE
Give me your hand, and walk with me.

VALJEAN & COSETTE
La, la, la, la, la, la...

VALJEAN
I found her wandering in the wood
This little child, I found her trembling in the shadows
And I am here to help Cosette
And I will settle any debt you may think proper
I will pay what I must pay
To take Cosette away
There is a duty I must heed
There is a promise I have made
For I was blind to one in need
I did not see what stood before me
Now her mother is with God
Fantine's suffering is over
And I speak here with her voice
And I stand here in her place
And from this day and evermore

MME THENARDIER
Let me have your coat, M'sieur

VALJEAN
Cosette shall live in my protection

THENARDIER
You are very welcome here

VALJEAN
I will not forsake my vow

THENARDIER
Take a glass

MME THENARDIER
Take a chair

VALJEAN
Cosette shall have a father now

THENARDIER
What to do
What to say
Shall you carry our treasure away
What a gem
What a pearl
Beyond rubies is our little girl
How can we
Speak of debt
Let's not haggle for darling Cosette

Dear Fantine
Gone to rest
Have we done for her child what is best
Shared our bread
Shared each bone
Treated her like she's one of our own
Like our own, Monsieur

VALJEAN
Your feelings do you credit, sir
And I will ease the parting blow
Let us not talk of bargains or bones or greed
Now, may I say, we are agreed

MME THENARDIER
That would quite
Fit the bill
If she hadn't so often been ill
Little dear
Cost us dear
Medicines are expensive, M'sieur
Not that we
Begrudged a sou
It's no more than we Christians must do

M AND MME THENARDIER
One thing more
One small doubt
There are treacherous people about
No offense
Please reflect
Your intentions may not be correct

VALJEAN
No more words
Here's your price
Fifteen hundred for your sacrifice
Come, Cosette
Say goodbye
Let us seek out some friendlier sky
Thank you both
For Cosette
It won't take you too long to forget

("Waltz of Treachery" instrumental, no "Come, Cosette..." lyric, followed by a few bars of the underscoring to "Castle on a Cloud")

13. STARS

(A few bars of the instrumental introduction to Valjean and Javert's Soliloquys precede the song as heard on the OLC)

JAVERT
There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from grace
Fallen from grace
God be my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face

He knows his way in the dark
Mine is the way of the Lord
Those who follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall
As Lucifer fell
The flame
The sword!

Stars
In your multitudes
Scarce to be counted
Filling the darkness
With order and light
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night
Keeping watch in the night

You know your place in the sky
You hold your course and your aim
Each in your season
Returns and returns
And is always the same
And if you fall as Lucifer fell
You fall in flame

And so it has been and so it's written
On the doorway to paradise
That those who falter and those who fall
Must pay the price

Scarce to be counted
Changing the chaos
To order and light
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night
Keeping watch in the night

The Very Angry Woman

Thom_Boyer

Good call on "Nor will you be afraid again." I'm editing accordingly.

As for the first, I thought initially it was "Don't be afraid of me, my dear," but on multiple listens, I keep hearing either "here" or "come here," instead of "of me," but that could just be Colm's accent coupled with dozens of generations worth of distortion. Unfortunately, without either a score or higher quality recording handy, I can't be certain.

Ulkis

I heard, "don't be afraid of me my dear" as well.

Thom_Boyer

I'm still not convinced of the Valjean line either way. I don't know if it's my copy, but I'm almost certain Colm ends that word on either an "eah" or "ere" sound and certainly not an IPA "i." No one else seems to here it, though, so I'm leaving both versions up there. On several more listens to Young Cosette, though, the line is definitely "I'm not afraid/And here..."

Thom_Boyer

This next bit's a little embarrassing for me, because there are four full lines of ensemble lyrics that I find entirely indecipherable. If anyone has any information on this, I will take your word as the gospel truth, because I can't make heads or tails of those four lines. Everything else seems fine, though.

Edited to add 03/07/2009:

I've now at the very least figured out a solid approximation of those lyrics, which have now been added below

Onwards, to Paris! (some ten-odd years later)...

14. LOOK DOWN

(The orchestral intro to the song is the extended one heard on the OLC recording; I don't hear any "Uh-uh"'s, though.)

BEGGARS
Look down and see the beggars at your feet
Look down and show some mercy if you can
Look down and see
The sweepings of the street
Look down, look down,
Upon your fellow man!

GAVROCHE
How do you do? My name's Gavroche.
These are my people. Here's my patch.
Not much to look at, nothing posh
Nothing that you'd call up to scratch.
This is my school, my high society
Fron Saint Denis to Saint Michele
We live on crumbs of humble piety
Tough on the teeth, but what the hell
If you're poor
If you're free
Follow me
Follow me

BEGGARS
Look down and show some mercy if you can
Look down, look down, upon your fellow man

OLD BEGGAR WOMAN
What you think yer at
Hanging round me pitch
If you're new around here, girl
You've got a lot to learn

YOUNG PROSTITUTE
Listen you old bat
Crazy bloody witch
'Least I give me customers
Some pleasure in return

OLD BEGGAR WOMAN
I know what you give
Ya give 'em all the pox
Spread around your poison
Till they end up in a box

PIMP
Leave the poor old cow
Move it, Madeleine
She used to be no better
Till the clap got to her brain

BEGGARS
When's it gonna end
When we gonna live
Something's gotta happen dearie
Something's gonna give
It'll come, it'll come, it'll come
It'll come, it'll come, it'll come

COMBEFERRE
As for the leaders of the land
As for the swells who run this show
Only one man - and that's Lamarque
Speaks for the people here below

BEGGARS
Starving for a meal
Scrambling for a job
Biting into anything
And finding not a crumb
Not a crumb, not a crumb
Not a crumb, not a crumb

FEUILLY
Lamarque is ill and fading fast
Won't last the week out, so they say
With all the anger in the land
How long before the judgement day
Before we cut the fat ones down to size
Before the barricades arise

GAVROCHE
Watch out for old Th�nardier
All of his family's on the take
Once ran a hash-house down the way
Bit of a swine and no mistake
He's got a gang
The bleeding layabout
Even his daughter does her share
That's Eponine, she knows her way about
Only a kid, but hard to scare
Do we care
Not a cuss
Long live us
Long live us

BEGGARS
Look down and show some mercy if you can
Look down, look down upon your fellow man

15. THE ROBBERY

THENARDIER
Everyone here
You know your place
Brujon, Babet, Claquesous
You, Montparnasse
Watch for the p'lice
With Eponine, take care
You've got all the hash
I've got all the cash

MME THENARDIER
Here come the students from our street
One of them is a peculiar gent
Our Eponine would kiss his feet
She never showed a bit of sense

MARIUS
Hey, Eponine, what's up today
I haven't seen you much about

EPONINE
Here, you can always catch me in

MARIUS
Mind the police don't catch you out

EPONINE
Here, whatch're doin' with all these books
I could've been a student too
Don't judge a girl on how she looks
I know a lot of things, I do

MARIUS
Poor Eponine, the things you know
You wouldn't find in books like these

EPONINE
I like the way you grow your hair

MARIUS
I like the way you always tease

EPONINE
Little he knows
Little he sees

MME THENARDIER
Here's the old boy
Stay on the job
And watch out for the law

EPONINE
Stay out of this

MARIUS
But Eponine -

EPONINE
You'll be in trouble here
It's not your concern
You'll be in the clear

(The Marius/Eponine exchange ends there. The "love at first sight" music is still here, but with no words)

THENARDIER
How'd ya do
Spare a sou
God will see
All the good that you do
Look, M'Sieur
Lost a leg
Hero of Waterloo
Now has to beg

Wait a bit
Know that face
Ain't the world
A remarkable place
Men like me
Don't forget
You're the bastard
Who borrowed Cosette

(Admittedly, these next two lines are difficult to make out through the chaos on stage, but from what I can hear, I have no reason to believe these lyrics have changed.)

VALJEAN
What is this
Are you mad
No, Monsieur,
You don't know what you do

THENARDIER
You know me, you know me
I'm a con just like you

EPONINE
It's the police, disappear
Run for it, it's Javert

JAVERT
Another brawl in the square
Another stink in the air
Was there a witness to this
Well, let him speak to Javert
M'sieur, the streets are not safe
But let these vermin beware
We'll see that justice is done

Look upon this fine collection
Crawled from underneath a stone
This swarm of worms and maggots
Could have picked you to the bone
I know this man over here
I know his name and his trade
And on your witness, M'sieur
We'll see him suitably paid

But where's the gentleman gone
And why on earth did he run

THENARDIER
You will have a job to catch him
He's the one you should arrest
No more bourgeois when you scratch him
Than that brand upon his chest

JAVERT
Could it be he's some old jailbird
That the tide now washes in
Heard my name and started running
Had the brand upon his skin
And the girl who stood beside him
When I turned they both had gone
Could he be the man I've hunted
Could it be he's Jean Valjean

THENARDIER
In the absence of a victim
Dear Inspector, may I go
And remember when you've nicked him
It was me who told you so

JAVERT
Let the old man keep on running
I will run him off his feet
Everyone about your business
Clear this garbage off the street

Thom_Boyer

The next bits:

16. EPONINE'S ERRAND

GAVROCHE
That inspector thinks he's something
But it's me who runs this town
And my theater never closes
And the curtain's never down
Trust Gavroche, have no fear
Don't you worry, Auntie dear,
You can always find me here

EPONINE
Cosette, now I remember
Cosette! How can it be
We were children together
Look what's become of me
Good God! Ooh, what a rumpus

MARIUS
That girl, who can she be

EPONINE
That cop, he'd like to jump us
But he ain't smart, not he

MARIUS
Did you see that lovely girl

EPONINE
That lovely two-a-penny thing

MARIUS
Eponine, find her for me

EPONINE
What will you give me

MARIUS
Anything

EPONINE
Got you all excited now
But God knows what you see in her
Ain't you all delighted now
No, I don't want your money sir

MARIUS
Eponine! Do this for me
But careful how you go
Your father mustn't know
He'll strike another blow
'Ponine! I'm lost until she's found

EPONINE
You see, I told you so
There's lots of things I know
'Ponine - she knows her way around

17. ABC CAFE/RED AND BLACK

COMBEFERRE
At Notre Dame the sections are prepared

FEUILLY
At rue de Bac they're straining at the leash

COURFEYRAC
Students, workers, everyone
There's a river on the run
Like the flowing of the tide
Paris coming to our side

ENJOLRAS
The time is near
So near it's stirring the blood in their veins
And yet beware
Don't let the wine go to your brains
For the army we fight is a dangerous foe
With the men and the arms that we never can match
It is easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies
But the national guard will be harder to catch
We need a sign
To rally the people
To call them to arms
To bring them in line

JOLY
Marius, What's wrong with you today
You look as if you've seen a ghost

GRANTAIRE
Some wine and say what's going on

MARIUS
A ghost you say... a ghost maybe
She was just like a ghost to me
One minute there, and she was gone

GRANTAIRE
I am agog
I am aghast
Is Marius in love at last
I've never heard him `ooh' and `aah'
We talk of battles to be won
And here he comes like Don Ju-an
It's better than an opera

ENJOLRAS
It is time for us all
To decide who we are
Do we fight for the right
To a night at the opera now
Have you asked of yourselves
What's the price you might pay
Is this simply a game
For rich young boys to play
The color of the world
Is changing day by day

Red - the blood of angry men
Black - the dark of ages past
Red - a world about to dawn
Black - the night that ends at last

MARIUS
Had you been there tonight
You might know how it feels
To be struck to the bone
In a moment of breathless delight
Had you been there tonight
You might also have known
How the world may be changed
In just one burst of light
And what was right seems wrong
And what was wrong seems right

GRANTAIRE
Red...

MARIUS
I feel my soul on fire

GRANTAIRE
Black...

MARIUS
My world if she's not there

ALL STUDENTS
Red

MARIUS
The color of desire

ALL STUDENTS
Black

MARIUS
The color of despair

ENJOLRAS
Marius, you're no longer a child
I do not doubt you mean it well
But now there is a higher call
Who cares about your lonely soul
We strive toward a larger goal
Our little lives don't count at all

ALL
Red - the blood of angry men
Black - the dark of ages past
Red - a world about to dawn
Black - the night that ends at last

ENJOLRAS
Well, Courfeyrac, do we have all the guns
Feuilly, Combeferre, our time is running short
Grantaire, put the bottle down
Do we have the guns we need

GRANTAIRE
Give me brandy on my breath
And I'll breathe them all to death

COURFEYRAC
In St. Antoine they're with us to a man

COMBEFERRE
In Notre Dame they're tearing up the stones

FEUILLY
Twenty guns as good as new

GAVROCHE
Listen

JOLY
Twenty rounds for every man

GAVROCHE
Listen to me

JEAN PROUVAIRE
Double that in Port St. Cloud

GAVROCHE
Listen everybody

LESGLES
Seven guns in St. Martin

(It should be noted that there is no pause before this line; Gavroche screams it at the top of his lungs over the ruckus.)

GAVROCHE
General Lamarque is dead!

(Now, there's a pause)

ENJOLRAS
Lamarque is dead
Lamarque - his death is the hour of fate
The people's man
His death is the sign we await
On his funeral day they will honour his name
It's a rallying cry that will reach every ear
In the death of Lamarque, we will kindle the flame
They will see that the day of salvation is near
The time is here
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer
Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts
But a jubilant shout
They will come one and all
They will come when we call

18. DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING

ENJOLRAS
Do you hear the people sing
Singing a song of angry men
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes

COMBEFERRE
Will you join in our crusade
Who will be strong and stand with me
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see

COURFEYRAC
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free

ALL
Do you hear the people sing
Singing a song of angry men
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes

FEUILLY
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France

ALL
Do you hear the people sing
Singing a song of angry men
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes

Thom_Boyer

Okay, once again, there are some indecipherable syllables here. They come in the middle of "In My Life," and I'm unable to cross-reference with the Palace recording, as most of the song has sadly been lost to the winds of time (or more likely, a tape flip) on that recording. Also, deciphering the *complete* lyrics to "A Heart Full of Love," I am completely inadvertently able to dispel a common myth that Marius was singing Cosette's name before knowing it every night until the show crossed the Atlantic. That was only a flub on the OLC album on account of the cut made for the song, and not (it appears) used during performance.

And now, because everyone loves a good "Love Montage"...

19. I SAW HIM ONCE

COSETTE
How strange
How curious, how secret and how vain
This change
Till now I'd seen myself as rather plain
What has happened to you, Cosette
Why, you don't even know his name
And was he really there
And does he feel the same

I saw him once
Then he was gone
We were like dreamers at night
Who meet as in a trance, then part again
Two phantoms in the shadows of the moon
Can people really fall in love so soon

He walked alone
He seemed alone like me
Could he have known
That moment was my destiny
I had to run away, and it was like a dream
I saw him once
The dream was true
I saw him once
And once will do

Dearest papa, can I tell him of this
How can I tell him the things that I feel
How could he understand

20. IN MY LIFE

VALJEAN
Dear Cosette, you're such a lonely child
How pensive, how sad you seem to me
Believe me, were it within my power
I'd fill each passing hour
How quiet it must be, I can see
With only me for company

COSETTE
There's so little I know
That I'm longing to know
Of the child that I was
In a time long ago
There's so little you say
Of the life you have known
Why you keep to yourself
why you're always alone
So dark, so dark and deep
The secrets that you keep

In my life
I have all that I want
You are loving and gentle and good
But Papa,
Dear Papa, in your eyes
I am just like a child who is lost in the wood

VALJEAN
No more words
No more words, it's a time that is dead
There are words
That are better unheard, better unsaid

COSETTE
??????? come into my life
[I couldn't?] feel that the moment is right
In my life
I'm no longer afraid
And I yearn for the truth that you know
Of the years
Years ago

VALJEAN
You will learn
Truth is given by God to us all in our time
In our time

MARIUS
In my life
She has burst like the music of angels
The light and the sun
And my life
Seems to stop as if something is over
And something has scarcely begun
Eponine
You're the friend who has brought me here
Thanks to you
I am one with the gods
And heaven is near
And I soar through a world that is new, that is free

EPONINE
Every word that he says
Is a dagger in me
In my life
There's been no one like him
Anywhere
Anywhere, where he is
If he asked, I'd be his

MARIUS & EPONINE
In my life
There is someone who touches my life

MARIUS
Waiting near

EPONINE
Waiting here

21. A HEART FULL OF LOVE

MARIUS
A heart full of love
A heart full of song
I'm doing everything all wrong
Oh God, for shame
I do not even know your name
Dear Mad'moiselle
I am lost
In your spell

COSETTE
A heart full of love
No fear, no regret

MARIUS
My name is Marius Pontmercy

COSETTE
And mine's Cosette

MARIUS
Cosette, your name is like a song

COSETTE
My song is you

MARIUS
Is it true

COSETTE
Yes, it's true

MARIUS
A heart full of love

BOTH
A heart full of you

MARIUS
The words are foolish, but they're true
Cosette, Cosette
Or were we dreaming when we met

COSETTE
Who can say

MARIUS
Who can tell

COSETTE
A heart full of love

BOTH
A heart full of you

MARIUS
I saw you waiting and I knew

COSETTE
Waiting for you

MARIUS
At your feet

COSETTE
At your heart

BOTH
And it isn't a dream
Not a dream after all

EPONINE (Interjecting)
He was never mine to lose
Why regret what cannot be
These are words he'll never say
Not to me
Not to me
Not to me
His heart full of love
He will never feel this way

Thom_Boyer

Well, this rounds out the first act. I'll begin posting what I have of Act Two tomorrow. Some more trouble areas in the Plumet Attack are noted below. That aside, let me just that this is one of the most violent renditions of this scene I've ever heard -- tremendous, frightening energy from everyone involved.

22. ATTACK ON THE RUE PLUMET

EPONINE
'Parnasse, what are you doing
So far out of our patch?

MONTPARNASSE
This house, we're gonna do it
Rich man, plenty of scratch
You remember he's the bloke
Who got away the other day
Got a number on his chest
Perhaps a fortune put away
Took off like a guilty man
Why would he want to disappear
Now, we'll go and get him right
This time no one will interfere

EPONINE
Oh Lord, somebody help me
Dear God, what'll I do
He'll think this is an ambush
He'll think I'm in it too
What'll I do, what'll I say
I've got to warn them here
I've got to find a way

THENARDIER
This is his lair
I've seen the old fox around
He keeps himself to himself
He's staying close to the ground
I smell profit here
Ten years ago
He came and paid for Cosette
I let her go for a song
It's time we settled the debt
This'll cost him dear

BRUJON
What do I care
Who you should rob
Gimme me my share
Finish the job

THENARDIER
You shut your mouth
Give me your hand
What have we here
Who is this hussy

BABET
It's your brat Eponine
Don't you know your own kid
Why's she hanging about you

THENARDIER
Eponine, get on home
You're not needed in this
We're enough here without you

EPONINE
I know this house
I tell you there's nothing here for you
Just the old man and the girl
They live ordinary lives

THENARDIER
Don't interfere
You've got some gall
Take care, young miss,
You've got a lot to say!

BRUJON
She's going soft

CLAQUESOUS
Happens to all

MONTPARNASSE
Go home, 'Ponine,
Go home, you're in the way

EPONINE
I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna warn them here

THENARDIER
One little scream and you'll regret it for a year

(Extended bridge.)

CLAQUESOUS
What a palaver
What an absolute treat
To watch a cat and its father
Pick a bone in the street

BRUJON
Not a sound out of you!

EPONINE
????????????

THENARDIER
?????
[What we do to a slut?]
[Then when we get you back home?]
There will be screaming enough
You will have your fill

EPONINE
Well I told you I'd do it, told you I'd do it

THENARDIER
Make for the sewers, don't wait around
Leave her to me, go underground
You wait my girl, you'll rue this night
I'll make you scream, you'll scream all right

(The tail end of this song is missing from the Barbican recording, but there are no differences on the Palace recording, so I'm assuming there were no changes.)

MARIUS
It was your cry sent them away
Once more 'Ponine saving the day
Dearest Cosette - my friend 'Ponine
Brought me to you, showed me the way
Someone is near
Let's not be seen
Somebody's here

(The recording picks back up here.)

VALJEAN
My God, Cosette
I heard a cry in the dark
I heard the shout of angry voices in the street

COSETTE
That was my cry you heard, Papa
I was afraid of what they'd do
They ran away when they heard my cry

VALJEAN
Cosette, my child, what will become of you

COSETTE
Three men I saw beyond the wall
Three men in shadow moving fast

VALJEAN
This is a warning to us all
These are the shadows of the past
Must be Javert
He's found my cover at last
I've got to get Cosette away
Before they return

We must get away from shadows
They will never let us be
Tomorrow to Calais
And then a ship across the sea
Hurry, Cosette, prepare to leave and say no more
Tomorrow we'll away
Hurry, Cosette, it's time to close another door
And live another day

23. ONE DAY MORE

VALJEAN
One day more
Another day, another destiny
This neverending road to Calvary
These men who seem to know my crime
Will surely come a second time
One day more

MARIUS
I did not live until today
How can I live when we are parted

VALJEAN
One day more

MARIUS & COSETTE
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you, my world has started

EPONINE
One more day all on my own

MARIUS & COSETTE
Will we ever meet again

EPONINE
One more day with him not caring

MARIUS & COSETTE
I was born to be with you

EPONINE
What a life I might have known

MARIUS & COSETTE
And I swear I will be true

EPONINE
But he never saw me there

ENJOLRAS
One more day before the storm

MARIUS
Do I follow where she goes

ENJOLRAS
At the barricades of freedom

MARIUS
Shall I join my brothers there

ENJOLRAS
When our ranks begin to form

MARIUS
Do I stay and do I dare

ENJOLRAS
Will you take your place with me

ALL
The time is now, the day is here

VALJEAN
One day more

JAVERT
One day more to revolution
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys
They will wet themselves with blood

VALJEAN
One day more

M & MME THENARDIER
Watch 'em run amuck
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free for all
Here a little `dip'
There a little `touch'
Most of them are goners
So they won't miss much

STUDENTS
One day to a new beginning
Raise the flag of freedom high
Every man will be a king
Every man will be a king
There's a new world for the winning
There's a new world to be won
Do you hear the people sing

MARIUS
My place is here, I fight with you

VALJEAN
One day more

MARIUS & COSETTE
I did not live until today
How can I live when we are parted

EPONINE (overlapping)
One more day all on my own

JAVERT (overlapping)
I will join these people's heroes
I will follow where they go
I will learn their little secrets,
I will know the things they know

VALJEAN
One day more

MARIUS & COSETTE
Tomorrow you'll be worlds away
And yet with you my world has started

EPONINE (overlapping)
What a life I might have known

JAVERT (overlapping)
One more day to revolutio
We will nip it in the bud
We'll be ready for these schoolboys

THENARDIERS (overlapping)
Watch 'em run amok
Catch 'em as they fall
Never know your luck
When there's a free-for-all

VALJEAN
Tomorrow we'll be far away

VALJEAN & JAVERT
Tomorrow is the judgement day

ALL
Tomorrow we'll discover
What our God in Heaven has in store
One more dawn
One more day
One day more

Orestes Fasting

Ha ha ha haaaaa, I think the German translation must've come about before they changed the lyrics, because that utterly stupid "Your name is like a song" verse is still there in all its, uh, glory.

Thom_Boyer

At the risk of editorializing, I hold to this day that AHFOL only ever came out right in French.

Thom_Boyer

Just posting notice of a revision -- after many careful listens, a second set of ears from my wife, and more digital manipulation than is used to correct Britney Spears' pitch, I've figured out best I can the previously-unknown beggars' lyrics from "Look Down." I'm revising the previous posting to reflect this, but in case you don't feel like digging back, I heard:

COMBEFERRE
As for the leaders of the land
As for the swells who run this show
Only one man - and that's Lamarque
Speaks for the people here below.

BEGGARS
Starving for a meal
Scrambling for a job
Biting into anything
And finding not a crumb
Not a crumb, not a crumb
Not a crumb, not a crumb

FEUILLY
Lamarque is ill and fading fast!
Won't last the week out, so they say.

And if those aren't Herbert Kretzmer's lyrics, I'd still like to think they do a pretty darned good job. Now, I'm going to eat something.

jackrussell

Bravo! Looking forward to Act 2.
Applause

Thom_Boyer

The opening to Act II runs pretty much the same, with some minor lyric changes, noted here. Oh, and by "minor," I mean extremely minor -- "will"s becoming "shall"s, "shall"s becoming "will"s, and the occasional contraction expanded, making some lyrics clash a bit with the music.

24. UPON THESE STONES - BUILDING THE BARRICADE

ENJOLRAS
Here upon these stones
We will build our barricade
In the heart of the city
We claim as our own
Every man to his duty
And don't be afraid
Wait! I will need a report
On the strength of the foe

JAVERT
I can find out the truth
I know their ways
Fought their wars
Served my time
In the days
Of my youth

JEAN PROUVAIRE
And the people will fight

GRANTAIRE
And so they might
Some will bark
Some will bite

LESGLES
They will do what is right

(Occasionally in early productions, there would be a bar of intro to this exchange [as heard on the OBC and PRC], but this was not present at the Barbican.)

MARIUS
Hey, little boy, what's this I see
God, Eponine, the things you do

EPONINE
I know this is no place for me
Still, I would rather be with you

MARIUS
Get out before the trouble starts
Get out, 'Ponine, you might get shot

EPONINE
I've got you worried now, I have
That shows you like me quite a lot

MARIUS
There is a way that you can help
You are the answer to a prayer
Please take this letter to Cosette
And pray to God that she's still there

EPONINE
Little you know
Little you care

(Transitional music to the "Letter" sequence plays as always.)

EPONINE
I have a letter M'sieur
It's addressed to your daughter, Cosette
It's from a boy at the barricade, Sir
In the Rue de Villette

VALJEAN
Give me that letter here, my boy

EPONINE
He said to give it to Cosette

VALJEAN
You have my word that my daughter will know
What this letter contains
Tell the young man she will read it tomorrow
And here's for your pains
Go careful now, stay out of sight
There's danger in the streets tonight

"Dearest Cosette, you have entered my soul
And soon you will be gone
Can it be only a day since we met
And the world was reborn
If I should fall in the battle to come
Let this be my goodbye
Now that I know you love me as well
It is harder to die
I pray that God will bring me home
To be with you
Pray for your Marius
He prays for you"

25. ON MY OWN

EPONINE
And now I'm all alone again
Nowhere to go, no one to turn to
I did not want your money, sir
I came out here 'cos I was told to
And now the night is near
Now I can make believe he's here

Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and then I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone, I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me

In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river's just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers

I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known

I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own

26. AT THE BARRICADE

STUDENTS
Now we pledge ourselves to hold this barricade

MARIUS
Let them come in their legions
And they will be met

ENJOLRAS
Have faith in yourselves
And do not be afraid

GRANTAIRE
Let's give 'em a screwing
They'll never forget

COMBEFERRE
This is where it begins

COURFEYRAC
And if I should die in the fight to be free
Where the fighting is hardest
There shall I be

FEUILLY
Let them come if they dare
We'll be there

ARMY OFFICER
You at the barricade listen to this
No one is coming to help you to fight
You're on your own
You have no friends
Give up your guns - or die

ENJOLRAS
Damn their warnings, damn their lies
They will see the people rise!

(It may be a performance choice, and not in the score, but David Burt shouts that "rise" up almost a full octave on the Barbican recording -- I say "almost," because it's no way in key with anything around it.)

STUDENTS
Damn their warnings, damn their lies
They will see the people rise!

Thom_Boyer

Alright, "Little People" haters, here's your alternative. Only problem is that there are a few syllables I just can't figure out -- one in particular doesn't quite make sense as either "leave" or "believe," but that's what I keep hearing. Maybe that's why the shortened "Little People" eventually went here. Personally, I thought that the melody that was originally here suited the atmosphere far better, but the lyrics don't quite make sense. Admittedly, I could just be hearing it completely wrong, but here goes:

27. JAVERT'S ARRIVAL/JAVERT'S ARREST (for lack of a better title)

STUDENT
He's back

JAVERT
Listen my friends
I have done as I said
I have been to their lines
I have counted each man
I will tell what I can
Better be warned
They have armies to spare
And the danger is real
We will need all our cunning
To bring them to heel

ENJOLRAS
Have faith
If you know what their movements are
We'll spoil their game
There are ways that a people can fight
We will overcome their power

JAVERT
I have overheard their plans
There will be no attack tonight
They intend to starve us out
Before they start a proper fight
Concentrate their force
Hit us from the right.

(In lieu of the shortened "Little People," this next piece is mostly to the tune of "Bravo, little Gavroche..." with some pieces not heard anywhere else in the score)

GAVROCHE
Liar!
Good evening, dear inspector
Lovely evenin', my dear
I saw this rotten copper [betrayed us all?]
I know this is possibly Inspector Javert
Who never showed no mercy to no one at all
So don't believe a word, not a bit more
This time you'll have to [leave?] without Gavroche

GRANTAIRE
Bravo, little Gavroche, you're the top of the class!

JEAN PROUVAIRE
So what are we going to do
With this snake in the grass

ENJOLRAS
Tie this man and take him
To the tavern in there
The people will decide your fate
Inspector Javert

COURFEYRAC
Take the bastard now and shoot him

FEUILLY
Let us watch this devil dance

LESLES
You'd have done the same, Inspector
If we'd let you have your chance

JAVERT
Shoot me now or shoot me later
Every schoolboy to his sport
Death to each and every traitor
I renounce your people's court

COMBEFERRE
Though we may not all survive here
There are things that never die

GRANTAIRE
Better far to die a schoolboy
Than a policeman, and a spy

ENJOLRAS
Take this man, bring him through
There is work we have to do

28. A LITTLE FALL OF RAIN

(There is no spoken dialogue preceding, during, or after the gunfire, except for a cry of "Get down!" from possibly Enjolras. Eponine then chuckles as the music starts.)

MARIUS
Good God! What are you doing
'Ponine, have you no fear
Did you see my beloved
Why have you come back here

EPONINE
Took the letter like you said
I met her father at the door
He said he would give it
Don't think I can stand any more

MARIUS
Eponine, what's wrong? I feel
There's something wet upon your hair
Eponine, you're hurt
You need some help
Oh God, it's everywhere

EPONINE
Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius
I don't feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt me now
You're here, that's all I need to know
And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close
And rain will make the flowers grow

MARIUS
But you will live, 'Ponine - dear God above
If I could close your wounds with words of love

EPONINE
Just hold me now, and let it be
Shelter me, comfort me

MARIUS
You would live a hundred years
If I could show you how
I won't desert you now

EPONINE
The rain can't hurt me now
This rain will wash away what's past
And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close
I'll sleep in your embrace at last
The rain that brings you here
Is Heaven-blessed
The skies begin to clear
And I'm at rest
A breath away from where you are
I've come home from so far

So don't you fret, M'sieur Marius
I don't feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt me now

MARIUS (in counterpoint)
Hush-a-bye, dear Eponine
You won't feel any pain
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt you now

MARIUS
I'm here

EPONINE
That's all I need to know

And you will keep me safe
And you will keep me close

MARIUS (in counterpoint)
I will stay with you
Till you are sleeping

EPONINE
And rain

MARIUS
And rain

EPONINE
Will make the flowers

MARIUS
Will make the flowers
Grow...

29. NIGHT OF ANGUISH

ENJOLRAS
She is the first to fall
The first of us to fall upon this barricade

MARIUS
Her name was Eponine
Her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid.

COMBEFERRE
We fight here in her name

JEAN PROUVAIRE
She will not die in vain.

LESGLES
She will not be betrayed.

("Drink with Me" instrumental as Eponine's body is carried away.)

Thom_Boyer

Changes abound below, including the original placement of the full "Little People" as a light Barricade number before "Drink with Me," which is also completely different.

30. FIRST ATTACK

JOLY
Here comes a man in uniform
What brings you to this place

VALJEAN
I come here as a volunteer

JOLY
Approach and show your face

SENTRY
You wear an army uniform

VALJEAN
That's why they let me through

JOLY
You've got some years behind yourself

VALJEAN
There's much that I can do

JOLY
You see that prisoner over there

GRANTAIRE
A volunteer like you

COMBEFERRE
A spy who calls himself Javert

GRANTAIRE
He's going to get it too

SENTRY
They're getting ready to attack

ENJOLRAS
Take this and use it well
But if you shoot us in the back
You'll never live to tell

STUDENT
Platoon of sappers advancing toward the barricade

ANOTHER STUDENT
Troops behind them, fifty men or more

ENJOLRAS
Marius -- arm yourself!
Fire!

FEUILLY
Sniper!

LESGLES
By God, we've won the day

GRANTAIRE
See how they run away

ENJOLRAS
They will be back again
Make an attack again
For your presence of mind
For the deed you have done
I will thank you M'sieur
When our battle is won

VALJEAN
Give me no thanks M'sieur
There is something you can do

ENJOLRAS
If it is in my power

VALJEAN
Give me the spy Javert
Let me take care of him

JAVERT
The law is inside out
The world is upside down

ENJOLRAS
Do what you have to do
The man belongs to you
The enemy may be regrouping. Hold yourselves in readiness.
Come my friends, back to your positions.
The night is falling fast.

(David Burt actually recitatives the whole "Enemy may be regrouping..." segment [all on the same note], where, to the best of my knowledge, those lines are generally spoken until "The night is falling fast.")

VALJEAN
We meet again

JAVERT
You've hungered for this all your life
Take your revenge
How right you should kill with a knife

VALJEAN
You talk too much
Your life is safe in my hands

JAVERT
Don't understand

VALJEAN
Get out of here

JAVERT
Valjean, take care
I'm warning you

VALJEAN
Clear out of here

JAVERT
Once a thief, forever a thief
What you want you always steal
You would trade your life for mine
Yes, Valjean, you want a deal
Shoot me now for all I care
If you let me go, beware
You'll still answer to Javert

VALJEAN
You are wrong, and always have been wrong
I'm a man, no worse than any man
You are free, and there are no conditions
No bargains or petitions
There's nothing that I blame you for
You've done your duty, nothing more
If I come out of this alive, you'll find me
At number fifty-five Rue Plumet
No doubt our paths will cross again
Go!

(Gunshot.)

ENJOLRAS
Courfeyrac, you take the watch
They won't attack until it's light
Everybody stay awake
We must be ready for the fight
For the final fight
Let no one sleep tonight

31. LITTLE PEOPLE

GRANTAIRE (to the tune of "Courfeyrac, you take the watch...")
Only little boys may sleep
For little people need their rest
Little tucks are quickly drained
And little grapes are quickly pressed
Come on, little mite
It's time to say "Good night"

GAVROCHE
They laugh at me, these fellas
Just because I am small
They laugh at me
Because I'm not hundred feet tall
I tell 'em there's a lot to learn
Down here on the ground
The world is big
But little people turn it around

A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hat
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome

Goliath was a buiser
Who was tall as the sky
But David threw a right
And gave him one in the eye
I never read the Bible
But I know that it's true
It only goes to show
What little people can do!

ALL
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hat
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome

GAVROCHE
So listen here professor
With your head in the cloud
It's often kind of useful
To get lost in the crowd
So keep your universities
I don't give a damn
For better or for worse it is
The way that I am

Be careful where you go
'Cos little people grow
And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings
But we got some bite
So never kick a dog
Because he's just a pup
You better run for cover
When the pup grows up
And we'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give up

ALL
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care
A sparrow in a hat
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome

32. DRINK WITH ME

GRANTAIRE
Drink with me to days gone by
Sing with me the songs we knew
Here's to pretty girls
Who went to our heads
Here's to witty girls
Who went to our beds
Here's to them
And here's to you

STUDENTS
Drink with me to days gone by
To the life that used to be
At the shrine of friendship
Never say die
May the wine of friendship
Never run dry

STUDENTS and WOMEN
Drink with me to days gone by
To the life that used to be
At the shrine of friendship
Never say die
May the wine of friendship
Never run dry
Here's to you
And here's to me

MARIUS
Do I care if I should die
Now she goes across the sea
Life without Cosette
Means nothing at all
Would you weep, Cosette
Should Marius fall
Will you weep, Cosette, for me

33. BRING HIM HOME

VALJEAN
God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there

He is young
He's afraid
Let him rest
Heaven blessed
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home

He's like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son
The summers die
One by one
How soon they fly
On and on
And I am old
And will be gone

Bring him peace
Bring him joy
He is young
He is only a boy

You can take
You can give
Let him be
Let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home

Thom_Boyer

Alright, I tried to decipher the "Final Battle" using the same techniques as I had used on the beggars' lines in "Look Down," though not to nearly as great success. As always, I send out a general plea for information, if there's any available.

Enough of that, though, time to storm the barricades:

34. DAWN OF ANGUISH

ENJOLRAS
The people have not stirred
We are abandoned by those who still live in fear
The people have not heard
Yet we will not abandon those who cannot hear
Let us not waste lives
Let all the women and fathers of children
Go from here

FEUILLY
Drink with me to days gone by
Sing with me the songs we knew

ALL
At the shrine of friendship
Raise your glass high
Let the wine of friendship
Never run dry
If I die, I die with you

(One measure of "Castle on a Cloud" instrumental)

35. THE SECOND ATTACK/DEATH OF GAVROCHE

ENJOLRAS
Ready... Fire!
How do we stand, Feuilly? Make your report.

FEUILLY
We've guns enough, but bullets growing short

MARIUS
Let me go into the streets
There are bodies all around
Ammunition to be had
Lots of bullets to be found!

ENJOLRAS
I can't let you go, it's too much of a chance!

MARIUS
The same may be said for any man here!

VALJEAN
Let me go in his place
He's no more than a boy.
I am old, I have nothing to fear.

GAVROCHE
You need somebody quicker and I volunteer!

LESGLES
Come back Gavroche, don't you dare!

JOLY
Someone pull him down at once!

GAVROCHE
Look at me, I'm almost there

And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings
But we've got some bite!
So never kick a dog
Because he's just a pup

(Gunshot.)

GAVROCHE
You'd better run for cover
When the pup grows up
And we'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give --

(Gunshot.)

36. THE FINAL BATTLE

ARMY OFFICER
You at the barricade listen to this
The people of Paris sleep in their beds
You have no chance
No chance at all
Why throw your lives away

(There have been no changes to the orchestral music at all, but there are some strange rhythms used for the lyrics, lots of lines being spoken over each other -- all I can really make out are Enjolras' lines, which themselves were NOT particularly easy to decipher. I was unable to cross-reference with the Palace recording, as this exactly where it conveniently drops out until the middle of "Dog Eats Dog." As always, each question mark indicates [approximately, in this case] one lost syllable.)

ENJOLRAS
Come my friends, don't be standing there moaning
Let's go to our deaths; they'll be storming

STUDENT
??????

STUDENT
Every ???????

ENJOLRAS
Let others rise
To take our place
Until the earth is free

(There's about a minute dropped from the end "Bring Him Home" instrumental; the recording picks up again at "Stuck into a tooth," but I have no reason to believe there were any changes.)

Thom_Boyer

Lots of goodies here, including an extra stanza to "Dog Eats Dog," and four more indecipherable syllables of Javert's.

Edited to add: Many thanks to Ulkis and the Very Angry Woman for the assist on the Javert line!

37. DOG EATS DOG

THENARDIER
Here's a hint of gold
Stuck into a tooth
Pardon me M'sieur
You won't be using this no more
Shouldn't be too hard to sell
Add it to the pile
Add it to the stock
Here among the sewer rats
A breath away from Hell
You get accustomed to the smell

Well someone's got to clean 'em up, my friends
Bodies on the highway
Law and order upside down
Someone's got to collect their odds and ends
As a service to the town

It's a world
Where the dogs eat the dogs
And the worst
Is as good as the best
It's a stinking great sewer
That's crawling with rats
And one rat
Is as good as the rest
I raise my eyes to see the heavens
And only the moon looks down

Here's a tasty ring
Pretty little thing
Wouldn't want to waste it
That would really be a crime
Thank you sir, I'm in your debt
Here's a little toy
Take it off the boy
His heart's no longer going
And he's lived his little time
But his watch is ticking yet

Well, someone's got to clean them up, my friends
Before the little harvest
Disappears into the mud
Someone's got to collect their odds and ends
When the gutters run with blood

It's a world
Where the dogs eat the dogs
Where they kill
For the bones in the street
And God in His Heaven
He don't interfere
'Cos He's dead as the stiffs at my feet
I raise my eyes to see the heavens
And only the moon looks down
The harvest moon shines down

(The recording cuts out in the middle of the last stanza, but I have no reason to believe that there were any significant changes from there to the end of the song.)

38. THE SEWERS/SOLILOQUY

(The sewer chase music is a completely different piece whose theme is not reflected anywhere else in the show and had been changed to the "Look Down" instrumental by the time the show had transferred to the Palace.)

VALJEAN
It's you, Javert!
I knew you wouldn't wait too long
The faithful servant at his post once more!
This man's done no wrong,
And he needs a doctor's care.

JAVERT
I warned you I would not give in
I won't be swayed

VALJEAN
Another hour yet
And then I'm yours
And all our debts are paid.

JAVERT
The man of mercy comes again
And talks of justice

VALJEAN
Come, time is running short

(There is no "Look down, Javert!" moment here, rather two lines of melody not heard elsewhere in the score followed by the same "A man such as you" as that in "Confrontation.")

JAVERT
Go, take him; I'll be waiting at the door
I've never known a man like you before
A man such as you

Who is this man
What sort of devil is he
To have me caught in a trap
And choose to let me go free
It was his hour at last
To put a seal on my fate
Wipe out the past
And wash me clean off the slate
All it would take
Was a flick of his knife
Vengeance was his
And he gave me back my life

Damned if I'll live in the debt of a thief
Damned if I'll yield at the end of the chase
I am the Law and the Law is not mocked
I'll spit his pity right back in his face
There is nothing on earth that we share
It is either Valjean or Javert

How can I now allow this man
To hold dominion over me
This desperate man whom I have hunted
He gave me my life
He gave me freedom
I should have perished by his hand
It was his right
It was my right to die as well
Instead I live
But live in hell

And my thoughts fly apart
Can this man be believed
Shall his sins be forgiven
Shall his crimes be reprieved

And must I now begin to doubt
Who never doubted all these years
My heart is stone and still it trembles
The world I have known is lost in shadow
Is he from heaven or from hell
And does he know
That granting me my life today
This man has killed me even so

I am reaching, but I fall
And the stars are black and cold
As I stare into the void
Of a world that cannot hold
I'll escape now from the world
From the world of Jean Valjean
There is nowhere I can turn
There is no way to go on

39. TURNING

WOMEN
Did you see them
Going off to fight
Children of the barricade
Who didn't last the night
Did you see them
Lying where they died
Someone used to cradle them
And kiss them when they cried
Did you see them lying side by side

Who will wake them
No one ever will
No one ever told them
That a summer day can kill
They were schoolboys
Never held a gun
Fighting for a new world
That would rise up like the sun
Where's that new world now th fighting's done

Nothing changes
Nothing ever will
Every year another bran
Another mouth to fill
Same old story
What's the use of tears
What's the use of praying
If there's nobody who hears
Turning, turning, turning, turning
Turning, turning through the years

Turning, turning
Turning through the years
Minutes into hours
And the hours into years
Nothing changes
Nothing ever can
Round about the roundabout
And back where you began
Round and round
And back where you began

40. EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES

MARIUS
There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone

Here they talked of revolution
Here it was they lit the flame
Here they sang about tomorrow
And tomorrow never came

From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
I can hear them now
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
On the lonely barricade at dawn

Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on

Phantom faces at the window
Phantom shadows on the floor
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more

Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will sing no more

The Very Angry Woman

I LOVE the Barbican's sewer chase music. It's been ages since I listened to it, but I vaguely remember it reminded me of something in Martin Guerre.

Quique

Same here. I wish they would've kept it in.

Thom_Boyer

Thom_Boyer

Alright, here's a long one. The last major change to the score is the same one documented near the beginning of this thread, namely "Valjean's Confession," so it seemed right to lump the rest of it into a single post, rather than keep all of you waiting for an Epilogue with just one or two slightly altered lines. So, without further ado, here it is -- the final piece of the puzzle (until I figure out the rest of the question marks, anyway):

Edited to add: I just fixed a couple flubbed articles and pronouns in "Valjean's Confession." I'm thoroughly convinced I'd made a couple lazy mistakes the first time around.

41. EVERY DAY

COSETTE
Every day
You walk with stronger step
You walk with longer step
The worst is over

MARIUS
Every day
I wonder every day
Who was it brought me here
From the barricade

COSETTE
Don't think about it, Marius
With all the years ahead of us
I will never go away
And we will be together
Every day
Every day
We'll remember that night
And the song that we sang

A heart full of love
A night filled with you
The words are old
But always true
Oh, God, for shame
You did not even know my name

MARIUS
Dear Mad'moiselle
I was lost in your spell

COSETTE
A heart full of love
No fear no regret
`My name is Marius Pontmercy'

MARIUS
Cosette, Cosette!

COSETTE
I saw you waiting and I knew

MARIUS
Waiting for you
At your feet

COSETTE
At your call

BOTH
And it wasn't a dream
Not a dream after all

VALJEAN (interjecting)
She was never mine to keep
She is youthful, she is free
Love is the garden of the young
Let it be
Let it be
A heart full of love
This I give you on this day

42. VALJEAN'S CONFESSION

(The music for this song is essentially the complete version as heard on the concept album.)

MARIUS
Monsieur, this is a day I never can forget
Is gratitude enough for giving me Cosette
Your home shall be with us, and not a day shall pass
And we will prove our love to you whom we shall call
A father to us both, a father to us all

VALJEAN
Not another word, my son
There's something now that must be done
Monsieur, I cannot stay a night beneath your roof
I am a convict, sir, my body bears the proof
My name is Jean Valjean.
I never told Cosette I bear this guilt alone
And then I swear to you, her innocence is real
Her love is true
Our love, our life, are now her own
And I must face the years alone

MARIUS
I do not understand, what's the sense of it all
Is the world upside down
Will the universe fall
If it's true what you say, and Cosette doesn't know
Why confess it to me
Why confess it at all
What forces you to speak after all

VALJEAN
You and Cosette must be free of reproach
It is not your affair
There is a darkness that's over my life
It's the cross I must bear
It's for Cosette this must be faced
If I am found, she is disgraced

MARIUS
What can I do that would turn you from this
Monsieur, you cannot leave
Whatever I tell my beloved Cosette
She will never believe

VALJEAN
Make her believe I have gone on a journey
A long way away
Tell her my heart is too full for farewells
It is better this way
Promise me, Monsieur, Cosette will never know

MARIUS
I give my word

VALJEAN
What I have spoken, why I must go

MARIUS
For the sake of Cosette, it must be so...

43. WEDDING CHORALE/BEGGARS AT THE FEAST

CHORUS
Ring out the bells upon this day of days
May all the angels of the Lord above
In jubilation sing their songs of praise
And crown this blessed time with peace and love

MAJOR DOMO
The Baron and Baroness de Th�nard wish to pay their respects to the groom!

THENARDIER
I forget where we met
Was it not at the Chateau Lafarge
Where the Duke did that puke
Down the Duchess's decolletage

MARIUS
No, `Baron de Th�nard'
The circles I move in are humbler by far
Go away, Th�nardier
Do you think I don't know who you are

MME THENARDIER
He's not fooled
Told you so
Show M'sieur what you've come here to show
Tell the boy what you know

MARIUS
When I look at you, I remember Eponine
She was more than you deserved, who gave her birth
But now she is with God and happier, I hope
Than here on earth

THENARDIER
So it goes, heaven knows
Life has dealt me some terrible blows

MME THENARDIER
You've got cash and a heart
You could give us a bit of a start
We can prove, plain as ink
Your bride's father is not what you think

THENARDIER
There's a tale I could tell

MME THENARDIER
Information we're willing to sell

THENARDIER
There's a man wot he slew
I saw the corpse clear as I'm seeing you
What I tell you is true

MME THENARDIER
Pity to disturb you at a feast like this
But five hundred francs surely wouldn't come amiss

MARIUS
In God's name say what you have to say

THENARDIER
But first you pay
What I saw, clear as light
Jean Valjean in the sewers that night
Had this corpse on his back
Hanging there like a bloody great sack
I was there, never fear
Even got me this fine souvenir

MARIUS
I know this
This was mine
Surely this is some heavenly sign

THENARDIER
One thing more, mark this well
It was the time that the barricades fell

MARIUS
Then it's true, then I'm right
Jean Valjean was my savior that night
As for you, take this too
God forgive us the things that we do
Come my love, come Cosette
This day's blessings are not over yet

THENARDIER
Ain't it a laugh
Ain't it a treat
Hob-nobbin' here
Among the elite
Here comes a prince
There goes a Jew
This one's a queer
But what can you do
Paris at my feet
Paris in the dust
And here's me breaking bread
With the upper crust

Beggar at the feast
Master of the dance
Life is easy pickings
If you grab your chance
Everywhere you go
Law-abiding folk
Doing what is decent
But they're mostly broke
Singing to the Lord on Sundays
Praying for the gifts He'll send

M AND MME THENARDIER
But we're the ones who take it
We're the ones who make it in the end
Watch the buggers dance
Watch 'em till they drop
Keep your wits about you
And you stand on top
Masters of the land
Always get our share
Clear away the barricades
And we're still there
We know where the wind is blowing
Money is the stuff we smell

THENARDIER
And when I'm rich as Croesus
Jesus! Won't I see you all in hell

44. EPILOGUE/FINALE

VALJEAN
Alone I wait in the shadows
I count the hours till I can sleep
I dreamed a dream Cosette stood by
It made her weep to know I die
Alone at the end of the day
Upon this wedding night I pray
Take these children, my Lord, to thy embrace
And show them grace

God on high
Hear my prayer
Take me now
To thy care
Where You are
Let me be
Take me now
Take me there
Bring me home
Bring me home

FANTINE
M'sieur, I bless your name
M'sieur, lay down your burden
You raised my child in love
And you will be with God

VALJEAN (interjecting)
I am ready, Fantine
At the end of my days
She's the best of my life

COSETTE
Papa, Papa, I do not understand
Are you alright
They said you'd gone away

VALJEAN
Cosette, my child, am I forgiven now
Thank God, thank God, I've lived to see this day

MARIUS
It's you who must forgive a thoughtless fool
It's you who must forgive a thankless man
It's thanks to you that I am living
And again I lay down my life at your feet
Cosette, your father is a saint
When they wounded me
He brought me from the barricade
Carried like a babe
And brought me home to you

VALJEAN
Now you are here
Again beside me
Now I can die in peace
For now my life is blessed

COSETTE
You will live, Papa, you're going to live
It's too soon to ever say goodbye

VALJEAN
Yes, Cosette, forbid me now to die
I'll obey
I will try
On this page
I write my last confession
Read it well
When I at last am sleeping
It's the story
Of those who always loved you
Your mother gave her life for you
Then gave you to my keeping

FANTINE
Come with me
Where chains will never bind you
All your grief
At last, at last behind you
Lord in Heaven
Look down on him in mercy

VALJEAN
Forgive me all my trespasses
And take me to your glory

FANTINE and EPONINE
Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting

VALJEAN, FANTINE, and EPONINE
And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God

CHORUS
Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people
Who are climbing to the light

For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end
And the sun will rise

They will live again in freedom
In the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the plough-share
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken
And all men will have their reward

Will you join in our crusade
Who will be strong and stand with me
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see
Do you hear the people sing
Say, do you hear the distant drums
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes

Will you join in our crusade
Who will be strong and stand with me
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see
Do you hear the people sing
Say, do you hear the distant drums
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes
Tomorrow comes

Edited to add:
Thanks to my wife for supplying an invaluable second set of ears to this transcript, and to everyone else for their valuable feedback. Now that this document is on the Internet, it finally truly exists. Laughing

Feel free to chime in with your own interpretations and analyses. These recordings can be murder to decipher, so I'm well aware that I've missed some bits and pieces, but I'd like to think I've put together a darned fine springboard for bringing the Barbican production out from the shadows a bit.

jackrussell

MariekeLovesEnjolras

Thank you so much for writing this!!
And, shame on me, could anyone maybe upload the barbican recording? Embarassed

Ulkis

The Very Angry Woman

Thom_Boyer

That sounds better than anything I've come up with, so I'll modify the line accordingly. Thanks!

Thom_Boyer

Another, even earlier source has turned up, and I'll start modifying the transcript accordingly -- still a lot of material to go through, but I thought I'd share something interesting below:

GAVROCHE
You need somebody quicker and I volunteer!

LESGLES
Come back Gavroche, don't you dare!

JOLY
Someone pull him down at once!

GAVROCHE
Look at me, I'm almost there

(Gunshot.)

(The tape flips here. Judging from the end of the chord it picks up from, I'm guessing it was a full translation of the OFC La Mort de Gavroche, but there's no way of finding the lyrics without any source material to work from.)

GAVROCHE
How do you do, my name's Gavroche
These are my people, here's my patch
Not much to look at, nothing posh
Nothing that you'd crawl up to scratch

Some fool, I bet, whose brains are made of fat
Picks up a gun and shoots me down
Nobody told him who he's shooting at
He doesn't know who runs this town
Life's like that
There's some folk
Miss the joke

(Gunshot.)

GAVROCHE
That's three, that's three
That bum has done for me
Fast, too fast
They got Gavroche at last

So never kick a dog
Because he's just a pup
You'd better run for cover
When the pup grows...

(No gunshot. Gavroche collapses [I would assume].)

The Very Angry Woman

Thom_Boyer

I'd heard grumblings, but I'd just thought them to be wishful thinking.

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