"The Final Battle" | |
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"The Final Battle" is a mostly instrumental number, often left out of recordings, as the important bit about the number is the action on the stage. It repeats the first bar of the "Do You Hear the People Sing?" theme with some variations and key changes, before erupting into a final reprise of the "Red and Black" theme.
The lyrics were written by Herbert Kretzmer.
Lyrics[]
Army Officer: [With loud hailer.]
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?
Enjolras:
Let us die facing our foes
Make them bleed while we can.
Combeferre:
Make 'em pay through the nose.
Courfeyrac:
Make 'em pay for every man!
Enjolras:
Let others rise
To take our place
Until the earth is free!
[The battle commences. All the revolutionaries, except Marius and Valjean die.]
Battle[]
The students fire first, killing a few of the national guardsmen. The cannons are starting to be loaded. Enjolras and the others open fire at the cannon but cannot kill them all. The cannons are fired and the barricade shakes. They yell,"ADVANCE!" The national guardsmen start to march killing off Joly and the other revolutionaries defending the barricade. Other students pound on the doors begging people to let them in. Enjolras grabs them and tries to barricade the building. Marius collapses and Valjean goes to help him. The remaining students hide upstairs. They are all shot and Enjolras is the only one left. Grantaire holds Enjolras' hand. They are both shot fatally and killed.