Merry Christmas!
Yes, this is the TAC libretto. Not the complete lyrics from the CSR, but only the lyrics sung on the TAC. Why? Well, a long time ago, before I got the CSR for myself, all I had to listen to was the TAC. So, I got bored, and realized I didn't have lyrics to the TAC, so I made my own. And here they are!
Note: When lyrics are in colors, they are sung by certain characters. Here is the guide to characters and their corresponding colors:
Javert Valjean Bishop of Digne Fantine Young Cosette Madame Thenardier Thenardier Cosette Gavroche Enjolras Marius Grantaire Eponine Chorus, students, and minor characters
I find this saves space. Enjoy!
Prologue
Look down, look down * Don't look 'em in the eye * Look down, look down * You're here until you die * The sun is strong, it's hot as hell below * Look down, look down * There's twenty years to go * I've done no wrong, sweet Jesus, hear my prayer * Look down, look down * Sweet Jesus doesn't care * I know she'll wait, I know that she'll be true * Look down, look down * They've all forgotten you * When I get free, you won't see me here for dust * Look down, look down * Don't look 'em in the eye * How long, O Lord, before you let me die * Look down, look down * You'll always be a slave * Look down, look down * You're standing in your grave * Now bring me prisoner 24601 * Your time is up and your parole's begun * You know what that means * Yes, it means I'm free * No, it means you get your yellow ticket-of-leave * You are a thief * I stole a loaf of bread * You robbed a house * I broke a window-pane * My sister's child was close to death * And we were starving * You will starve again * Unless you learn the meaning of the law * I know the meaning of those 19 years * A slave of the law * Five years for what you did * The rest because you tried to run * Yes, 24601 * My name is Jean Valjean * And I am Javert * Do not forget my name * Do not forget me, 24601 * Look down, look down * You'll always be a slave * Look down, look down * You're standing in your grave
On Parole/The Bishop
Freedom is mine * The earth is still, I feel the wind * I breathe again * And the sky clears * The world is waking * Drink from the pool, how clean the taste * Never forget the years, the waste * Nor forgive them for what they've done * They are the guilty, every one * The day begins, and now let's see * What this new world will do for me * You'll have to go, I'll pay you off for the day * Collect your bits and pieces there and be on your way * You have given me half what the other men get * This handful of tin wouldn't buy my sweat * You broke the law, it's there for people to see * Why should you get the same as honest men like me * And now I know how freedom feels, a jailer always at your heels * It is the law * This piece of paper in my hand * That makes me cursed throughout the land * It is the law * Like a cur, I walk the street * The dirt beneath their feet * Come in sir, for you are weary * And the night is cold out there * Though our lives are very humble * What we have, we have to share * There is wine here to revive you * There is bread to make you strong * There's a bed to rest 'til morning * Rest from pain and rest from wrong * He let me eat my fill, I had the lion's share * The silver in my hand cost twice what I had earned * In all those 19 years, that lifetime of despair * And yet he trusted me * The old fool trusted me, he'd done his bit of good * I played the grateful serf and thanked him like I should * And when the house was still, I got up in the night * Took the silver, took my flight * Tell his reverence your story * Let us see if he's impressed * You were lodging here last night * You were the honest bishop's guest * And then out of Christian goodness * When he learned about your plight * You maintain he made a present of this silver * That is right * But my friend, you left so early * Surely something slipped your mind * You forgot I gave these also * Would you leave the best behind * So messieurs, you may release him * For this man has spoken true * I commend you for your duty * And 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 bought your soul for God
Valjean's Soliloquy
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 had 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 the world * From the world of Jean Valjean * Jean Valjean is nothing now * Another story must begin
At the End of the Day
At the end of the day you're another day older * And that's all you can say for the life of the poor * It's a struggle, it's a war * And there's nothing that anyone's giving * One more day standing about, what is it for * One day less to be living * At the end of the day you're another day colder * And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill * And the righteous hurry past * They don't hear the little ones crying * And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill * One day nearer to dying * At the end of the day there's another day dawning * And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise * Like the waves' crash on the sand * Like a storm that'll break any second * There's a hunger in the land * There's a reckoning still to be reckoned * And there's gonna be hell to pay * At the end of the day * At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing * Sitting flat on your butt doesn't buy any bread * There are children back at home * And the children have got to be fed * And you're lucky to be in a job * And in a bed * And we're counting our blessings * Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today * With his terrible breath and his wandering hands * It's because little Fantine won't give him his way * Take a look at his trousers, you'll see where he stands * At the end of the day it's another day over * With enough in your pocket to last for a week * Pay the landlord, pay the shop * Keep on grafting as long as you're able * Keep on grafting 'til you drop * Or it's back to the crumbs off the table * You've got to pay your way * At the end of the day * And what have we here, little innocent sister * Come on, Fantine, let's have all the news * Dear Fantine, you must send us more money * Your child needs a doctor * There's no time to lose * Give that letter to me, it is none of your business * With a husband at home and a bit on the side * Is there anyone here who can swear before God * She has nothing to fear, she has nothing to hide * What is this fighting all about * Will someone tear these two apart * This is a factory, not a circus * Now, come on, ladies, settle down * I run a business of repute * I am the mayor of this town * I look to you to sort this out * And be as patient as you can * Now someone say how this began * At the end of the day she's the one who began it * There's a kid that she's hiding in some little town * There's a man she has to pay * You can guess how she picks up the extra * You can bet she's earning her keep * Sleeping around * And the boss wouldn't like it * Yes, it's true there's a child, and the child is my daughter * And her father abandoned us, leaving us flat * Now she lives with an innkeeper man and his wife * And I pay for the child * What's the matter with that * At the end of the day, she'll be nothing but trouble * And there's trouble for all when there's trouble for one * While we're earning our daily bread * She's the one with her hands in the butter * You must send the slut away * Or we're all gonna end in the gutter * It's us who'll have to pay * At the end of the day * I might have known the bitch would bite * I might have known the cat had claws * I might have guessed your little secret * Ah, yes, the virtuous Fantine * Who keeps herself so pure and clean * You'd be the cause, I had no doubt * Of any trouble hereabout * You play a virgin in the light * But need no urgin' in the night * She's been laughing at you while she's having her men * She'll be nothing but trouble again and again * You must sack her today * Sack the girl today * Right, my girl * On your way
I Dreamed a Dream
There was a time when men were kind * When their voices were soft * And their words inviting * There was a time when love was blind * And the world was a song * And the song was exciting * There was a time * Then it all went wrong * I dreamed a dream in time gone by * When hope was high and life worth living * I dreamed that love would never die * I dreamed that God would be forgiving * And I was young and unafraid * When dreams were made, and used, and wasted * There was no ransom to be paid * No song unsung, no wine untasted * But the tigers come at night * With their voices soft as thunder * As they tear your hope apart * As they turn your dreams to shame * He slept a summer by my side * He filled my days with endless wonder * He took my childhood in his stride * But he was gone when autumn came * And still I dream he'll come to me * That we will live the years together * But there are dreams that cannot be * And there are storms we cannot weather * I had a dream my life would be * So different from this hell I'm living * So different now from what it seemed * Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
Lovely Ladies
I smell women, smell 'em in the air * Think I'll drop my anchor in that harbor over there * Lovely ladies, smell 'em through the smoke * Seven days at sea can make you hungry for a poke * Even stokers need a little stoke * Lovely ladies, waiting for a bite * Waiting for the customers who only come at night * Lovely ladies, ready for the call * Standing up, or lying down, or any way at all * Bargain prices up against the wall * What pretty hair * What pretty locks you've got there * What luck you've got * It's worth a centime, my dear * I'll take the lot * Don't touch me, leave me alone * Let's make a price * I'll give you all of ten francs * Just think of that * It pays a debt * Just think of that * What can I do * It pays a debt * Ten francs may save my poor Cosette * Old men, young men, take 'em as they come * Harbor rats and alley cats and ev'ry kind of scum * Poor men, rich men, leaders of the land * See 'em with their trousers off, they're never quite as grand * All it takes is money in your hand * Lovely ladies, going for a song * Got a lot of callers, but they never stay for long * Come on, Captain, you can wear your shoes * Don't it make a change to have a girl who can't refuse * Easy money, lying on a bed * Just as well they never see the hate that's in your head * Don't they know they're making love to one already dead
Fantine's Arrest
Here's something new, I think I'll give it a try * Come closer, you, I like to see what I buy * The usual price, for just one slice of your pie * I don't want you * No, no, m'sieur, let me go * Is this a trick * I won't pay more * No, not at all * You've got some nerve, you little whore * You've got some gall * It's the same with a tart as it is with a grocer * The customer sees what he gets in advance * It's not for the whore to say yes sir or no sir * It's not for the harlot to pick or to choose * Or to lead me a dance * I'll kill you, bastard, try any of that * Even a whore who has gone to the bad won't be had by a rat * Tell me quickly, what's the story * Who saw what and why and where * Let him give a full description * Let him answer to Javert * In this nest of whores and vipers * Let one speak who saw it all * Who laid hands on this good man here * What's the substance of this brawl * Javert, would you believe it * I was crossing from the park * When this prostitute attacked me * You can see she left her mark * She will answer for her actions * When you make a full report * You may rest assured, m'sieur, that she will answer to the court * There's a child who sorely needs me * Please, m'sieur, she's but that high * Holy God, is there no mercy * If I go to jail she'll die * I have heard such protestations * Every day for twenty years * Let's have no more explanations * Save your breath and save your tears * Honest work, just reward * That's the way to please the Lord * A moment of your time, Javert, I do believe this woman's tale * But, m'sieur Mayor * You've done your duty, let her be * She needs a doctor, not a jail * But, m'sieur Mayor * Can this be * Where will she end * This child without a friend * I've seen your face before * Show me some way to help you * How have you come to grief * In such a place as this * M'sieur, don't mock me now, I pray * It's hard enough I've lost my pride * You let your foreman send me away * Yes, you were there * And turned aside * I never did no wrong * Is it true, what I have done * My daughter's close to dying * To an innocent soul * If there's a God above * Had I only known then * He'd let me die instead * In His name, my task has just begun * I will see it done * But, m'sieur Mayor * I will see it done * But, m'sieur Mayor * I will see it done
The Runaway Cart
Can this be true * I don't believe what I see * A man your age, to be as strong as you are * A mem'ry stirs * You make me think of a man * From years ago * A man who broke his parole * He disappeared * Forgive me sir, I would not dare * Say what you must * Don't leave it there * I have only known one other * Who can do what you have done * He's a convict from the chain gang * He's been ten years on the run * But he couldn't run forever * We have found his hideaway * And he's just been rearrested * And he comes to court today * Well, of course he now denies it * You'd expect that of a con * But he couldn't run forever * No, not even Jean Valjean
Who am I?--The Trial
He thinks that man is me * He knew him at a glance * That stranger he has found * This man could be my chance * Why should I save his hide * Why should I right this wrong * When I have come so far * And struggled for so long * If I speak, I am condemned * If I stay silent, I am damned * I am the master of hundreds of workers * They all look to me * Can I abandon them, how would they live * If I am not free * If I speak, I am condemned * If I stay silent, I am damned * Who am I * Can I condemn this man to slavery * Pretend I do not see his agony * This innocent who wears my face * Who goes to judgement in my place * Who am I * Can I conceal myself forevermore * Pretend I'm not the man I was before * And must my name until I die * Be no more than an alibi * Must I lie * How can I ever face my fellow men * How can I ever face myself again * My soul belongs to God, I know * I made that bargain long ago * He gave me hope when hope was gone * He gave me strength to journey on * Who am I * Who am I * I'm Jean Valjean * And so, Javert, you see it's true * This man bears no more guilt than you * Who am I * 24601
Fantine's Death
Cosette, it's turned so cold * Cosette, it's past your bedtime * You've played the day away * And soon it will be night * Come to me, Cosette, the light is fading * Don't you see the evening star appearing * Come to me, and rest against my shoulder * How fast the minutes fly away and every minute colder * Hurry near, another day is dying * Don't you hear, the winter wind is crying * There's a darkness which comes without a warning * But I will sing you lullabyes and wake you in the morning * Oh, Fantine, our time is running out * But Fantine, I swear this on my life * Look, m'sieur, where all the children play * Be at peace * Be at peace evermore * My Cosette * Shall live in my protection * Take her now * Your child will want for nothing * Good m'sieur, you come from God in heaven * And none will ever harm Cosette as long as I am living * Take my hand * The night grows ever colder * Then I will keep you warm * Take my child * I give her to your keeping * Take shelter from the storm * For God's sake, please stay 'til I am sleeping * And tell Cosette I love her * And I'll see her when I wake
The Confrontation
Valjean, at last, we see each other plain * M'sieur le Mayor, you'll wear a different chain * Before you say another word, Javert * Before you chain me up like a slave again * Listen to me, there is something I must do * This woman leaves behind a suffering child * There is none but me who can intercede * In mercy's name, three days are all I need * Then I'll return, I pledge my word * Then I'll return * You must think me mad * I've hunted you across the years * Men like you can never change * A man such as you *
Believe of me what you will * There is a duty that I'm sworn to do * You know nothing of my life * All I did was steal some bread * You know nothing of the world * You would sooner see me dead * But not before I see this justice done * I am warning you, Javert * I'm a stronger man by far * There is power in me yet * My race is not yet run * I am warning you, Javert * There is nothing I won't dare * If I have to kill you here * I'll do what must be done * |
Men like me can never change * Men like you can never change * No, 24601 * My duty's to the law * You have no rights * Come with me, 24601 * Now the wheel has turned around * Jean Valjean is nothing now * Dare you talk to me of crime * And the price you had to pay * Every man is born in sin * Every man must choose his way * You know nothing of Javert * I was born inside a jail * I was born with scum like you * I am from the gutter too * |
I swear to you, I will be there |
I swear to you, I will be there |
There is a castle on a cloud * I like to go there in my sleep * Aren't any floors for me to sweep * Not in my castle on a cloud * There is a room that's full of toys * There are a hundred boys and girls * Nobody shouts or talks too loud * Not in my castle on a cloud * There is a lady all in white * Holds me and sings a lullaby * She's nice to see and she's soft to touch * She says, Cosette, I love you very much * I know a place where no one's lost * I know a place where no one cries * Crying at all is not allowed * Not in my castle on a cloud * Oh help, I think I hear them now * And I'm nowhere near finished sweeping and scrubbing and polishing the floors * Oh it's her * It's Madame * Now, look who's here * The little madam herself * Pretending once again she's been so awfully good * Better not let me catch you slacking * Better not catch my eye * Ten rotten francs your mother sends me * What's that going to buy * Now take that pail * My little mademoiselle * And go and draw some water from the well * We should never have taken you in in the first place * How stupid the things we do * Like mother, like daughter, the scum of the street * Still there, Cosette * Your tears will do you no good * I told you, fetch some water from the well in the wood * Please, do not send me out alone * Not in the darkness on my own * Enough of that, or I'll forget to be nice * You heard me ask for something * And I never ask twice
Master of the House
Welcome, m'sieur * Sit yourself down * And meet the best innkeeper in town * As for the rest * All of 'em crooks * Rooking the guests * And cooking the books * Seldom do you see * Honest men like me * A gent of good intent * Who's content to be * Master of the house * Doling out the charm * Ready with an handshake and an open palm * Tells a saucy tale * Makes a little stir * Customers appreciate a bon-viveur * Glad to do my friends a favor * Doesn't cost me to be nice * But nothing gets you nothing * Everything has got a little price * Master of the House * Keeper of the zoo * Ready to relieve them of a sou or two * Watering the wine * Making up the weight * Picking up their knick-knacks when they can't see straight * Everybody loves a landlord * Everybody's bosom friend * I do whatever pleases * Jesus, don't I bleed 'em in the end * Master of the house * Quick to catch your eye * Never wants a passerby to pass him by * Servant to the poor * Butler to the great * Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate * Everybody's boon companion * Everybody's chaperone * But lock up your valises * Jesus, won't I skin you to the bone * Enter, monsieur * Lay down your load * Unlace your boots * And rest from the road * This weighs a ton * Travel's a curse * But here we strive to lighten your purse * Here the goose is cooked * Here the fat is fried * And nothing's overlooked * 'Til I'm satisfied * Food beyond compare * Food beyond belief * Mix it in a mincer and pretend it's beef * Kidney of a horse * Liver of a cat * Filling up the sausages with this and that * Residents are more than welcome * Bridal suite is occupied * Reasonable charges plus some little extras on the side * Charge 'em for the mice * Extra for the lice * Two percent for looking in the mirror twice * Here a little slice * There a little cut * Three percent for sleeping with the window shut * When it comes to fixing prices * There are lots of tricks he knows * How it all increases * All in bits and pieces * Jesus, it's amazing how it grows * Master of the house * Quick to catch your eye * Never wants a passerby to pass him by * Servant to the poor * Butler to the great * Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate * Everybody's boon companion * Gives 'em everything he's got * Dirty bunch of geezers * Jesus, what a sorry little lot * I used to dream that I would meet a prince * But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since * Master of the house * Isn't worth my spit * Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong shit * Cunning little brain * Regular Voltaire * Thinks he's quite a lover, but there's not much there * What a cruel trick of nature * Landed me with such a louse * God knows how I've lasted * Living with this bastard in the house * Master of the house * Master and a half * Comforter, philosopher * Don't make me laugh * Servant to the poor * Butler to the great * Hypocrite, and toady, and inebriate * Everybody bless the landlord * Everybody bless his spouse * Everybody raise a glass * Raise it up the master's arse * Everybody raise a glass to the master of the house
Merry Christmas!
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