The Final Battle
The 'Les Misérables 2010' Company 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 them pay through the nose
Make them pay for every man!
Let others rise




To take our place
Until the earth is free!

Overall Meaning

This excerpt from The Final Battle in the musical Les Misérables is a motivational speech given by the character Enjolras to his fellow revolutionaries at the barricades in the midst of the June Rebellion in 1832. He acknowledges that they are facing difficult odds against the government forces, but insists that it is still better to fight and die for their cause rather than give up without a fight. Enjolras urges them to make the most of their time left, by inflicting as much damage on their enemies as possible and making them pay for every life taken. Furthermore, he encourages his comrades to keep fighting, and even if they do fall, to know that others will rise up in their place until liberty is achieved.


Line by Line Meaning

You at the barricade listen to this
Attention, those of you who are standing at the barricades!


The people of Paris sleep in their beds
While we are fighting for our freedom, the rest of Paris is resting comfortably.


You have no chance, no chance at all
Our situation looks bleak and our success is unlikely.


Why throw your lives away?
Why risk your lives for a cause that may be lost anyway?


Let us die facing our foes
Let us show our enemies that we will not back down, even if it means we die fighting.


Make them bleed while we can
While we have the opportunity, let's inflict as much harm as we can on our enemies.


Make them pay through the nose
Let's make our enemies pay a hefty price for the harm they have caused us.


Make them pay for every man!
Let's hold our enemies accountable for every person they have harmed or killed.


Let others rise
Let others continue the fight for freedom after we are gone.


To take our place
To continue where we left off and carry on our legacy.


Until the earth is free!
Until freedom is achieved, no matter how long it takes.




Writer(s): Alain Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg, Kretzmer Herbert

Contributed by Brody O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@baldstheatre

if only all bootlegs were this good quality 😔

@eloisesmith5157

The best quality footage from this tour so far

@fan.of.feet2310

Just saw this cast last night in Des Moines
Really good show!!

@mcd2173

I loved this cast

@chewy7830

PLEASE UPLOAD MORE!!!

@ryaneliasbaker

Thanks so much for posting this. This was the cast that I saw last year, and that show changed my life. It's awesome to see what these people actually looked like; I was so far in the stands. You're a saint! :)

@eloisesmith5157

Omg thank you for this

@GlitchZ_owl

Yoooo I saw this today ❤❤❤


Gavoche was my fav character 😔❤

@kathylopez127

The kid playing gavroche was amazing as soon as i heard his voice i was certian it was the same cast i got to see

@user-mp2cf2io4z

Very nice recording! I can’t wait to see this performance in Schenectady:)

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