Monday, November 17, 2014

Favorite Songs From Musicals #12: Epilogue from Les Miserables

The Epilogue from Les Miserables is my favorite ending of any musical. By this point, everything is resolved it seems. The revolution has failed, but the happiness of Marius and Cosette is ensured and that at least balances out the darkness left by the surviving Thenardiers. And here's Jean Valjean, dying of who-knows-what-disease. The ending starts very quiet as Jean Valjean prays for a quiet and peaceful end to his life, then eight minutes later we finish out with a titanic, triumphant reprise of Do You Hear the People Sing.
I really like how the musical finishes out with that song. Before it was used as a call to arms to rise up and seize justice, and at the end it's more about.... I can't express what I'm trying to say, I'm nowhere near eloquent enough. Just read the lyrics below or listen, and you'll know what I'm failing to say. XD




Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night.
It is the music of the 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!
 
We will live again in freedom in the garden of the lord
We will walk behind the plowshare,
We shall put away the sword
The chains 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 we bring when tomorrow comes.

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