Javert
Now bring me prisoner 24601
Your time is up
And your parole's begun
You know what that means
Valjean
Yes, it means I'm free
Javert
No
It means you get
Your yellow ticket-of-leave
You are a thief
Valjean
I stole a loaf of bread!
Javert
You robbed a house!
Valjean
I broke a window pane!
My sister's child was close to death
And we were starving!
Javert
And you will starve again
Unless you learn the meaning of the law.
Valjean
I know the meaning of these 19 years
A slave of the law
Javert
Five years for what you did
The rest because you tried to run
Yes 24601
Valjean
My name is Jean Valjean
Javert
And I am Javert
Do not forget my name
Do not forget me
24601
Choir
Look down, look down
You will always be a slave
Look down, look down
You're standing in your grave.
Valjean
Freedom is mine. The earth is still.
I feel the wind. I breathe again.
And the sky clears, the world is waiting.
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, everyone.
The day begins...
And now lets see
What this new world
Will do for me!
Employer
You'll have to go
I'll pay you off for the day
Collect your bits and pieces there
And be on your way.
Valjean
You've given me half
What the other men get!
This handful of tin
Wouldn't buy my sweat!
Laborer
You broke the law
It's there for people to see
Why should you get the same
As honest men like me?
Valjean
Now I know how freedom feels
The jail is always at your heels
It is the law
This piece of paper in my hand which bids me cast throughout the land
It is the law
Like a cur
I walk the streets
The dirt beneath their feet
Bishop
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 till morning
Rest from pain and rest from wrong
Valjean
Let me eat my fill
I have my lying share
The silver in his hand cost twice what I had earned
In all those nineteen 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
But when the house was still
I got up in the night
Took the silver
Took my flight!!
Constable 1
Tell his reverence your story
Constable 2
Let us see if he's impressed
Constable 1
You were lodging there last night
Constable 2
You were the honest Bishop's guest.
Constable 1
And then, out of Christian goodness
Constable 2
When he learned about your plight
Constable 1
You maintain he made a present of this silver -
Bishop
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
May 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!
On Parole/The Bishop Lyrics performed by Claude-Michel Schönberg are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that On Parole/The Bishop Lyrics performed by Claude-Michel Schönberg is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD