Sacha Baron Cohen (born October 13, 1971) is a British comedian, notable fo… Read Full Bio ↴Sacha Baron Cohen (born October 13, 1971) is a British comedian, notable for his highly successful, and often controversial, comedy characters, including Ali G (an MC and gangsta wannabe from Staines), Borat (a Kazakh reporter) and Brüno (a stereotypical flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter). His work has been recognized with a BAFTA award, as well as an Emmy nomination.

The Robbery
Sacha Baron Cohen Lyrics

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Everyone here, you know your place
Brujon, Babet, Claqusous!
You, Montparnasse, watch for the law
With Eponine, take care
You turn on the tears
No mistakes, my dears

These bloody students on our streets

Here they come slumming once again
Our Eponine would kiss their feet
She never had a scrap of brain

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

Here, you can always catch me in

Mind the police don't catch you out

Here, whatcher doing with all them books
I could have been a student, too
Don't judge a girl on how she looks
I know a lot of things, I do

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

I like the way you grow your hair

I like the way you always tease

Little he knows, little he sees

Here's the old boy, stay on the job
And watch out for the law

Stay out of this

But Eponine

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

Who is that man?

Leave me alone

Why is he here?
Hey, Eponine!

I didn't see you there, forgive me

Please M'sieur, come this way
Here's a child that ain't eaten today
Save a life, spare a sou
God rewards all the good that you do
Wait a bit, I know that face
Ain't the world a remarkable place?
Men like me don't forget
You're the bastard that borrowed Cosette

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

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

It's the police! Disappear!
Run for it! It's 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?

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!

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?

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!

Let the old man keep on running
I will run him off his feet

Everyone about your business
Clear this garbage off the street

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "The Robbery" from Sacha Baron Cohen's film adaptation of Les Misérables depict a scene in the streets of Paris where a group of criminals, led by Eponine, is planning a robbery. The first few lines introduce the members of the group, including Brujon, Babet, Claqusous, and Montparnasse. Eponine is instructed to be cautious and turn on the tears to manipulate others. The lyrics paint a picture of the criminals encountering a group of students, whom they perceive as naive and superior. Eponine, however, challenges this perception, expressing her intelligence and knowledge, which she claims surpasses what can be found in books. This interaction between Eponine and the students reveals a contrast between appearance and reality, challenging stereotypes and revealing the complexity of characters.

The song also introduces the character of Jean Valjean, who is suspected of being a criminal. Eponine becomes involved in the situation when she tries to help Valjean escape from the police by providing him with a distraction. She gets caught in the chaos as Javert, the police inspector, pursues Valjean. The lyrics highlight the dangers and uncertainties of life on the streets, the presence of corruption, and the constant struggle for survival. The song ends with a call to clear the garbage off the street, emphasizing the harsh reality of poverty and criminality in Paris.

Overall, "The Robbery" explores themes of social inequality, appearance versus reality, and the consequences of one's actions in a society divided by class and poverty.

Line by Line Meaning

Everyone here, you know your place
Everyone in this group knows their assigned role

Brujon, Babet, Claqusous!
Calling out the names of specific individuals in the group

You, Montparnasse, watch for the law
Montparnasse is tasked with keeping an eye out for the police

With Eponine, take care
Be careful and protect Eponine

You turn on the tears
Pretend to cry or show fake emotion

No mistakes, my dears
We must not make any mistakes, my dear comrades

These bloody students on our streets
Referring to the presence of students causing trouble

Here they come slumming once again
They have returned to the poorer parts of town, acting condescendingly

Our Eponine would kiss their feet
Eponine would show great admiration for these students

She never had a scrap of brain
Eponine lacks intelligence or common sense

Hey, Eponine, what's up today
Hey, Eponine, what are you up to today?

I haven't seen you much about
I haven't seen you around much

Here, you can always catch me in
You can always find me here

Mind the police don't catch you out
Be careful not to get caught by the police

Here, whatcher doing with all them books
What are you doing with all those books?

I could have been a student, too
I, too, could have been a student

Don't judge a girl on how she looks
Don't judge a girl based on her appearance

I know a lot of things, I do
I have a lot of knowledge and information

Poor Eponine, the things you know
Eponine, it's unfortunate the things you know

You wouldn't find in books like these
The knowledge Eponine possesses is not typically found in these books

I like the way you grow your hair
I appreciate the way you style your hair

I like the way you always tease
I enjoy how you playfully tease others

Little he knows, little he sees
He knows very little and is unaware of many things

Here's the old boy, stay on the job
Here comes the old man, stay focused on the task

And watch out for the law
Be cautious and alert for the presence of the police

Stay out of this
Do not get involved in this situation

But Eponine
Except for you, Eponine

You'll be in trouble here
You will face trouble or danger in this situation

It's not your concern
This situation does not involve or pertain to you

You'll be in the clear
You will be safe or free from harm

Who is that man?
Who is that person?

Leave me alone
Go away and stop bothering me

Why is he here?
What is the reason for his presence here?

Hey, Eponine!
Hey, Eponine!

I didn't see you there, forgive me
I apologize for not noticing you earlier

Please M'sieur, come this way
Please, sir, follow me in this direction

Here's a child that ain't eaten today
Here is a child who hasn't had anything to eat today

Save a life, spare a sou
Save a life by giving some money

God rewards all the good that you do
God will reward you for your good actions

Wait a bit, I know that face
Wait a moment, I recognize that face

Ain't the world a remarkable place?
Isn't the world an extraordinary and surprising place?

Men like me don't forget
Men like me have good memory and don't forget things

You're the bastard that borrowed Cosette
You're the illegitimate person who took Cosette away

What is this? Are you mad?
What is happening? Are you crazy?

No, Monsieur, you don't know what you do
No, sir, you do not understand the consequences of your actions

You know me, you know me
You are aware of who I am

I'm a con, just like you
I am a swindler or trickster, just like you

It's the police! Disappear!
The police are here! Hide and disappear!

Run for it! It's Javert!
Escape quickly! It's Javert!

Another brawl in the square
Another fight or disturbance in the public square

Another stink in the air
Another foul smell is lingering in the air

Was there a witness to this?
Was there someone who saw what happened?

Well, let him speak to Javert
Allow him to talk to Javert

M'sieur, the streets are not safe
Sir, the streets are dangerous

But let these vermin beware
But these despicable people should be cautious

We'll see that justice is done
We will ensure that justice is served

Look upon this fine collection
Take a look at this impressive group of individuals

Crawled from underneath a stone
Emerging from a lowly and insignificant background

This swarm of worms and maggots
This group of disgusting and worthless people

Could have picked you to the bone
Could have completely taken advantage of you

I know this man over here
I am familiar with this man standing here

I know his name and his trade
I know his identity and his occupation

And on your witness, M'sieur
And based on your testimony, sir

We'll see him suitably paid
We will make sure he is appropriately punished

But where's the gentleman gone
But where did the gentleman disappear to?

And why on earth did he run?
And why did he run away?

You will have a job to catch him
You will have a difficult time catching him

He's the one you should arrest
He is the one you should be arresting

No more bourgeois when you scratch him
You will find he is not a respectable gentleman when you investigate further

Than that brand upon his chest!
He is more than just the mark on his chest!

Could it be he's some old jailbird
Is it possible he is a former convict?

That the tide now washes in?
That has now ended up in this part of town?

Heard my name and started running
Heard my name and immediately started fleeing

Had the brand upon his skin
Had the visible mark on his skin

And the girl who stood beside him
And the girl who was standing next to him

When I turned they both had gone
When I looked, they had both disappeared

Could he be the man I've hunted?
Could he be the man I have been searching for?

Could it be he's Jean Valjean?
Could it be that he is Jean Valjean?

In the absence of a victim
Since there is no victim present

Dear Inspector, may I go?
Dear Inspector, may I be allowed to leave?

And remember when you've nicked him
And remember that when you have captured him

It was me who told you so!
I am the one who informed you about his presence!

Let the old man keep on running
Allow the old man to continue fleeing

I will run him off his feet
I will chase him until he is exhausted

Everyone about your business
Everyone, go back to what you were doing

Clear this garbage off the street
Get rid of this trash that is cluttering the street

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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