Les Misérables: 30- Turning

From the Original Broadway Cast

[BloodylocksBathory]

"Someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried"
"Where's that new world, now the fighting's done?"
most effective lyrics for me

[janeyrevanescence]

The production of Les Mis I saw had each of the revolutionaries wear a distinctive piece of clothing (for example Enjolas had a dark blue shirt) and for this song, each of the women (who were dressed in mourning) were holding the same pieces of clothing, now bloodstained. It was really effective and still haunts me.

[AnneEyreS]

"they were schoolboys, never held a gun!"

well, I guess that kind of explains why they lost..?

[dASDFGism]

Unpopular opinion: this is one of the best songs in the entire musical

[chinosarah]

"Nothing changes, nothing ever will" is so relevant it hurts

[bm]

my eyes always get wet at "they were schoolboys, never held a gun" :'(

[swtorhelpsithwarriorinquis]

This is one of the saddest songs in the whole musical

[cadence]

The line that hits me hardest in this song is, "Wheres that new world now the fighting's done?"

[Pattycake]

I love listening to Javert's suicide then this. The combination of Javert singing of "Staring into The Void" and then the women singing about the pointlessness of the whole ordeal that just happened really slams the feels right into your face

[AlmostLoverChou]

"Who will wake them?
No one ever will.
No one ever told them
That a summer day can kill.
They were schoolboys
Never held a gun
Fighting for a new world
That would rise up like the sun
Where's that new world
Now the fighting's done?" This verse always gets to me (especially the first four lines) because it's drawing attention to how young all of the revolutionaries were and how they all had bright futures ahead of them that were gone in a matter of hours.

[jase.]

It's a shame they didn't include the full song in the film.

[oliverwirth]

nothing ever changes...

nothing ever will.

[RainbowEssence-cw]

This song is so underrated imo. This is one of my favorite songs from the musical, especially the line "someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried". It's just so poignant; every single person on planet earth was once an innocent baby. Every single person was once cradled by their mothers or fathers or someone else who loved them. Truly, there is not a single person whose death is not mourned by at least one other person. I wonder, if everybody saw things in such a way, would we still fight? Would war and murder continue? If we all stopped and looked at the person on the other end of the gun, envisioned them when they were just helpless little infants, would we still have the heart to pull the trigger? Or would we finally have world peace?

[StarboyJuno]

"Who will wake them?"
"No one ever will"
Got me crying like a baby, and "Where's that new world now that fighting done" too, the way the wemon cleaning the blood seem to be proud of them in a way for trying but they can't decide if those schoolboys were brave or stupid 😭👏

[clotildebesson]

I find it jarring that this same melody is used when Fantine is at her lowest point in Lovely Ladies in Act 1, it hammers down how much despair these women feel as a consequence of hardships imposed on them by the more powerful

[GreenEyedMonsterNad]

Children, the inevitable sacrifice of every war

[AbsolXGuardian]

I'm making my way through the entire book, unabridged, right now. And well, the insane length of the book really works to drive the point of this song home. Unlike modern books, there is no continuing POV. Even minor characters get names and backstories, way more than they need. The guy under the cart Jean Valjean saved, yeah he has a name and short backstory. The criminal who was almost convicted in Jean Valjean's place, he also has a name. It really strikes home how much more of the world there is. The world keeps turning after Marius, Enjolas,  and the others die.

[tannergitcheff]

Does anyone else find this song to fit in with today's society? Like, if you take out the revolution aspect, you'll realize that this could fit in with all the shootings and gun control acts that go along with it. Every year, shootings happens, and the aftermath is always the same damn thing. GUN CONTROL! CONSPIRACY! It's the same old story, turning through the years.

[TheMBEAR]

This musical is simply fantastic. Listen to all the songs properly, and you notice many of the tunes are the same- and you can draw comparisons between the two. In particular, Valjean's Soliloquoy and Javert's Suicide are very interesting. They even share several lines. Beautiful and unique musical.

[ZSchrink]

"nothing changes; nothing ever will"
So sad, so true