The Final Battle
Amanda Seyfried Hugh Jackman Eddie Redmayne Anne Hathaway Colm Wilkinson & Les Misérables Cast Lyrics


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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?

Let us die facing our foes
Make them bleed while we can
Make 'em pay through the nose

Make 'em pay for every man!

Let others rise to take our place




Until the earth
Is free!

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Final Battle" from the musical Les Misérables, the lyrics capture the intense and desperate fight for freedom during the French Revolution. The opening lines address the barricade, where a group of revolutionaries have taken a stand against the oppressive regime. They urge those at the barricade to listen and consider their situation.


The following lines acknowledge that the people of Paris are peacefully sleeping in their beds, unaware of the struggle happening just outside their doors. The revolutionaries are aware of the immense odds stacked against them, with little chance of success. The question arises: why would they throw their lives away in such a fierce battle?


However, despite the seemingly hopeless situation, they are determined to face their enemies and make them suffer. They want to make their foes bleed and pay for the injustices they have inflicted upon the people. Their aim is to make their oppressors realize the cost of their actions and pay the price for every life that has been affected.


The song also emphasizes that their sacrifice is not in vain. They believe that if they fall, others will rise to take their place in the fight for freedom. The ultimate goal is to continue the struggle until the earth is free from oppression.


Line by Line Meaning

You at the barricade listen to this
Pay attention, those of you who are standing at the barricade


The people of Paris sleep in their beds
While the citizens of Paris peacefully sleep in their beds


You have no chance, no chance at all
You have absolutely no possibility, none whatsoever


Why throw your lives away?
Why waste your lives in such a manner?


Let us die facing our foes
Let us perish while directly confronting our enemies


Make them bleed while we can
Cause them to suffer and bleed for as long as we are able


Make 'em pay through the nose
Force them to pay a high price for their actions


Make 'em pay for every man!
Make them bear the consequences for each and every person


Let others rise to take our place
Allow others to step forward and fill our roles


Until the earth
Until the entire world


Is free!
Is liberated!




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Albert Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@mrtuwnbr

@@kp4692 Yees, this song says “To love another person is to see the face of God!” And, as they are in heaven they should have loved someone, if they didn’t they wouldn’t be there. A lot of them were sinners, but it was that selfless love that made them find God and win heaven.
Javert did not love anyone and that’s why he’s not there, rejecting love was rejecting God.
The students loved freedom and people (they wanted they to had a good life and be free) and probably they loved each other (they were fiends after all and It’s not only romantic love the one that counts)
But R did not love those ideals, he loved Enjorlas. If love weren’t what he felt for him he wouldn’t be there, specially not by Enj’s side!
But, Enj should also loved someone too, if he only loved his ideals he would be just the revolutionary version of Javert: a man that only saw ideas and not people.
Yes, he lived for revolution, but that’s not enough to win heaven. Probably he loved his friends, but maybe he did love R, maybe his sacrifice made him love him.

They balanced each other, cynicism and idealism may look like oposites, but actually they completamente each other, both extreme are bad so they need to be together to come to balance.
Also, Enjorlas’s characteristic color is red while Grantaire’s color is green, two complementary colors.
Those differences kinda made them perfect for each other.

Also, Enj and the rest of revolutionaries taught people that fighting for your beliefs it was worthy, as cheesy as it sounds. And when I say people I include us, the audience, that “you” on “Do you hear the people sing” is directed to us.
It’s there to say that we should keep fighting and loving cause those are the things that will make tomorrow a better day (geez, it sound really cheesy like that but yeah)

As you say, it’s beautiful to watch them together… even in afterlife. As the song says now they are free in the garden of the Lord and… that’s just wonderful.



All comments from YouTube:

@sloppyjoes7

The Bishop is the real hero of the story. It's so appropriate to see him here.

@billfisher9238

more fitting than having Eponine welcome him after death--as in the play. she barely knew him. but the Bishop changed his life.

@UnfixedPython

@Jonathan Loh the original Valjean meets Wolverine Valjean 😂

@beccadarin758

@@billfisher9238 it was fantine.
I think it's fitting she was there. She left the world knowing her daughter would be ok, then he became a new man. Fantine gave him a new purpose.

@BrassMaster84

@@billfisher9238 The Bishop put the whole story in motion. If he hadn't "straightened out" Valjean, then Fantine, Cosette, Marius, and others would have had a much worse fate.

@erinloker4861

@@billfisher9238 I think Eponine was there in the musical because Jean Valjean saved Marius at the barricade

46 More Replies...

@alejandragutierrez7843

I heard once that Marius can hear the song of the revolution because a part of him died with his friends.

@kristenrichardson439

Oh, my gosh! That is beautiful

@sofiamuller5579

damn

@kenrize1400

Both Cosette and Marius can hear it

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