So after quite a lot of deliberation, I've finally settled on one of my favorite songs from Les Miserables, Red and Black, which is sung by the "barricade boys." Along with all the other songs from Les Mis, it was written by Alain Boubil, and Claude-Michel Schönberg.
What's wrong today?
You look as if you've seen a ghost.
Some wine and say what's going on!
I am agog!
I am aghast!
Is Marius in love at last?
I have never heard him `ooh' and `aah'
You talk of battles to be won
But here he comes like Don Ju-an
It's better than an opera!
It is time for us all
To decide who we are...
Do we fight for the right
To a night at the opera now?
Have you asked of yourselves
What's the price you might pay?
Is it simply a game
For rich young boys to play?
The colors of the world
Are changing
The time is near...
So near.. it's stirring the blood in their veins!
And yet beware...
Don't let the wine go to your brains!
For the army we fight is a dangerous foe
With the men and the arms that we never can match
Oh, it's easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies
But the national guard will be harder to catch.
We need a sign
To rally the people
To call them to arms
To bring them in line!
So near.. it's stirring the blood in their veins!
And yet beware...
Don't let the wine go to your brains!
For the army we fight is a dangerous foe
With the men and the arms that we never can match
Oh, it's easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies
But the national guard will be harder to catch.
We need a sign
To rally the people
To call them to arms
To bring them in line!
Marius, you're late.
What's wrong today?
You look as if you've seen a ghost.
Some wine and say what's going on!
A ghost you say... a ghost maybe
She was just like a ghost to me
One minute there, then she was gone!
She was just like a ghost to me
One minute there, then she was gone!
I am agog!
I am aghast!
Is Marius in love at last?
I have never heard him `ooh' and `aah'
You talk of battles to be won
But here he comes like Don Ju-an
It's better than an opera!
It is time for us all
To decide who we are...
Do we fight for the right
To a night at the opera now?
Have you asked of yourselves
What's the price you might pay?
Is it simply a game
For rich young boys to play?
The colors of the world
Are changing
Day by day...
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
Marius:
Had you been there tonight
You might know how it feels
To be struck to the bone
In a moment of breathless delight!
Had you been there tonight
You might also have known
How the world may be changed
In just one burst of light!
And what was right
Seems wrong
And what was wrong
Seems right...
Had you been there tonight
You might know how it feels
To be struck to the bone
In a moment of breathless delight!
Had you been there tonight
You might also have known
How the world may be changed
In just one burst of light!
And what was right
Seems wrong
And what was wrong
Seems right...
Grantaire: [mocking...]
Red...
Red...
Marius:
I feel my soul on fire!
I feel my soul on fire!
Grantaire:
Black...
Black...
Marius:
My world if she's not there...
My world if she's not there...
All:
Red...
Red...
Marius:
The color of desire!
The color of desire!
All:
Black...
Black...
Marius:
The color of despair!
The color of despair!
Enjolras:
Marius, you're no longer a child
I do not doubt you mean it well
But now there is a higher call
Who cares about your lonely soul
We strive toward a larger goal
Our little lives don't count at all!
Marius, you're no longer a child
I do not doubt you mean it well
But now there is a higher call
Who cares about your lonely soul
We strive toward a larger goal
Our little lives don't count at all!
All:
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
Enjolras:
Well, Courfeyrac, do we have all the guns?
Feuilly, Combeferre, our time is running short.
Well, Courfeyrac, do we have all the guns?
Feuilly, Combeferre, our time is running short.
Gavroche:
Listen!
Listen!
Enjolras:
Grantaire, put the bottle down!
Do we have the guns we need?
Grantaire, put the bottle down!
Do we have the guns we need?
Gavroche:
Listen to me!
Listen to me!
Grantaire:
Give me brandy on my breath
And I'll breath 'em all to death!
Give me brandy on my breath
And I'll breath 'em all to death!
Gavroche:
Listen everybody!
Listen up!
Listen everybody!
Listen up!
Gavroche:
General Lamarque
Is dead!
General Lamarque
Is dead!
Enjolras:
Lamarque is dead...
Lamarque! His death is the hour of fate.
The people's man...
His death is the sign we await!
On his funeral day they will honor his name.
With the light of rebellion, a blaze in their eyes.
From the candles of grief we will kindle our flame!
On the tomb of Lamarque shall the barricade rise!
The time is here!
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer
Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts
But a jubilant shout
They will come one and all
They will come when we call!
Lamarque is dead...
Lamarque! His death is the hour of fate.
The people's man...
His death is the sign we await!
On his funeral day they will honor his name.
With the light of rebellion, a blaze in their eyes.
From the candles of grief we will kindle our flame!
On the tomb of Lamarque shall the barricade rise!
The time is here!
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer
Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts
But a jubilant shout
They will come one and all
They will come when we call!
So this song occurs at a point in the musical when we are just getting acquainted with the barricade boys, and we see them planning their student revolution. We see the contrast of opinions between Marius and Enjolras in this song. Enjolras is overwhelmingly focused on the revolution, getting irked that not everyone else (namely Marius) is as completely invested in it as he is.
The chorus that Enjolras sings has imagery about fighting in the revolution while Marius sings about all this love crap. Enjolras talks about the "blood of angry men" as well as "a world about to dawn/ the night that ends at last." With these lines, he is anticipating the coming revolution and how they hope it will change France for the better.
Meanwhile Marius is being a blockhead and using a different meaning of the color red. While Enjolras used it to represent blood, Marius uses it to mean looove. Namely his love for Cosette. He's a bit of a drama queen as well. Case and point: "Black: my world if she's not there." Come on Marius, you met the girl a couple hours ago and just stared at each other. There's more important things to be thinking about, like I don't know, a revolution! Enjolras sums it up well with "who cares about your lonely soul."
The song has some obvious light/dark themes running through it, with the constance of the word black representing the dark times in which the people of France have been living. Enjolras uses the contrasting brightness of the color red to signify a hopeful future for France. Marius also borrows some of this light imagery for his description of Cosette. He calls her a "burst of light." That sums up the characters pretty well. Enjolras' light is a new and better France, while Marius' is a lousy girl.
Here's the movie version of the song because in my opinion, you can just feel the annoyance radiating off of Enjolras.
No comments:
Post a Comment