In 2004, Jackman won a Tony Award for his Broadway portrayal of Australian songwriter and performer Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. He hosted the Tony Awards in 2004 and 2005, garnering very positive reviews. The televisation of the these awards earned him an Emmy Award win for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program in 2005.
The Bishop
Hugh Jackman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We caught this man red-handed
He had the nerve to say you gave him this
That is right
But my friend you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind
You forgot I gave these also
Monsieur, release him
This man has spoken true
I commend you for your duty
Now God's blessing go with you
But 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 saved your soul for God
The above lyrics are taken from Hugh Jackman's song, The Bishop, in which the character of the bishop is shown as a symbol of forgiveness and redemption. The song is based on a scene from the musical Les Misérables, where the character Jean Valjean steals silver from the bishop's house and is caught by the police. However, the bishop tells the police that he gave the silver to Valjean, thereby saving him from prison. The lyrics depict the conversation between the bishop and the police officer or Monsignor, where the bishop acknowledges the theft and the authenticity of Valjean's story. He then releases Valjean, advising him to use the precious silver to become an honest man.
The song is a reflection of the Christian virtues of forgiveness, compassion, and redemption. The bishop's character represents the Christian belief that, no matter how grievous the sin, one can always repent and seek God's forgiveness. The bishop not only forgives Valjean but also helps him transform his life by showing him a path of honesty and redemption. The lyrics of the song convey a message of hope, love, and compassion that resonates with audiences across all cultures and religions.
Line by Line Meaning
Monsignor, we have your silver
Someone has stolen the silver from the bishop
We caught this man red-handed
The thief was caught in the act of stealing
He had the nerve to say you gave him this
The thief claimed that the bishop had given him the stolen silver
That is right
The bishop confirms that he did give the thief the silver
But my friend you left so early
The bishop is addressing the thief as his friend and acknowledging his departure
Surely something slipped your mind
The bishop questions whether the thief forgot that he also gave him something else
You forgot I gave these also
The bishop reminds the thief that he gave him more than just the stolen silver
Would you leave the best behind?
The bishop challenges the thief's decision to only take the silver and leave behind the other valuable items
Monsieur, release him
The bishop orders the thief's release
This man has spoken true
The bishop acknowledges that the thief was telling the truth about the bishop giving him the silver
I commend you for your duty
The bishop praises the officials who caught the thief
And God's blessing go with you
The bishop gives the officials his blessing
But remember this, my brother
The bishop addresses the thief as his brother and imparts some wisdom
See in this some high plan
The bishop suggests that there is a higher meaning or purpose behind this event
You must use this precious silver
The bishop instructs the thief to use the stolen silver for a greater good
To become an honest man.
The bishop encourages the thief to change his ways and become an honest person
By the witness of the martyrs
The bishop references the martyrs who died for their faith as a reminder of the importance of honesty and integrity
By the passion and the blood
The bishop refers to the passion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ
God has raised you out of darkness
The bishop says that God has given the thief a chance to change his ways and leave his past behind
I have saved your soul for God
The bishop believes that by giving the thief this chance to change, he has saved his soul and brought him closer to God
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alain Albert Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@forge4452
What have I done?
Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night,
Become a dog on the run
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 they murdered Valjean
When they chained me and left me for dead
Just for stealing a mouthful of bread
Yet why did I allow this 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 the world
This world that 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 comes 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 whirlpool 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!
@user-tc6kk3py6x
自分用ですまねぇです。。。同時に歌詞が見たかったんや。
m(_ _)m
What have I done?
Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night
Become a dog on the run
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 the world
This world that 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 comes to move my life?
Is there another way to go?
I am reaching, but I fall
And the night is closing in
As I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin
I'll escape now from that world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin
@andywaston
Waapa lessons hard faught and won and lost.... Drink woman love drugs. 😊
Bells Beach.
I gave up alc weed etc 2001 02.
Then it consumed me and literally destroyed my dreams.
I apologize to anyone in yhe dance theatre industry from Perth Adelaide Melbourne if my sinof Alcohol and additicton has affected you.
Sorry
Andrew.
@sandrastevens4418
Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe, are so miscast.
They just don't have the voice ranges needed for the roles.
I am spoiled because I saw colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean and Alfie Boe, and Norm Lewis.
Eponiene is from the London cast. She was Eponiene when I saw the show the second time in London she and Aaron Tveit are the only two out of this entire movie who can actually sing.
If you compare this movie and all the attention and Oscar nominations it got.
To the Phantom of the Opera movie which has much more talented singers and how little attention that got.
It just shows what money does in Hollywood.
If you want to truly see a great performance of Les Missarables I would suggest buy the 25th anniversary version it's the entire show with the London cast and Lea Solonga guest stars as Fantine, you Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean and Norm Lewis as Javert.
It's a better internet than the movie you won't be disappointed.
@franzaldwinrodriguez7221
What have I done?
Sweet Jesus, what have I done?
Become a thief in the night
Become a dog on the run
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 the world
This world that 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 comes to move my life?
Is there another way to go?
I am reaching, but I fall
And the night is closing in
As I stare into the void
To the whirlpool of my sin
I'll escape now from that world
From the world of Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is nothing now
Another story must begin
@Isosceles-Triangle
" He told me that I have a soul...how does he know?" gets me every time. Jean Valjean will always be one of my favorite characters in any piece of fiction, and so inspiring.
@hillarysweeney3081
Same. That exact line puts me into tears every single time.
@Isosceles-Triangle
@@hillarysweeney3081 yes! such a broken man due to victimization from horrible circumstances...this whole musical/book is a true testament to the resilience of the human self
@alexwood4695
But not in this movie the singing is abhorrent not because of the cast but because of the director doing amazingly stupid choices, sideways has a great video on why the singing and music is quite terrible in this movie including the actors dehydrating themselves and singing for 10 hours straight at max effort which can severely damage your vocal chords permanently
@Theflameblast22
I came to this video almost just to hear that line because it hits so hard. I was thinking about it while I was at work and started tearing up due to how devastatingly vulnerable that line is combined with the slight falter in "he called me brother"
@InSaNoDaCloWn
@@alexwood4695 well if you read the comment they said in fiction, not musicals. You do realize this was novel long before it was on Broadway, right?
@catarinaxedits8000
"He gave me his trust... he called me brother" I love that phrase
@thecaribbeanbelle6733
That part caught me off guard when I first saw this I started crying! The world can be so cruel and especially back then when you could be chained up for 20 yrs for stealing a loaf of bread.
@Metrion77
When confronted with his descent, Jean chose to grow and change his story. Doubt was water on his dry soul.
When confronted with his descent, Javert chose to die and end his story. Doubt was the waves that dashed his stone heart.
@foggyforest2625
That was why valjean met his salvation and javert just had a cold and lonely death