VALJEAN
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, everyone

The day begins and now let's see
What this new world will do for me

FARMER
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 of 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 every door is closed to me
Another jail, another key, another chain
For when I come to any town
They check my papers and they find the mark of Cain
In their eyes, I see their fear, we do not want you here

INNKEEPER'S WIFE
My rooms are full and I've no supper to spare
I'd like to help a stranger, all we want is to be fair

VALJEAN
I will pay in advance, I can sleep in a barn
You see how dark it is, I'm not some kind of dog

INNKEEPER
You leave my house or feel the weight of my rod
We're law-abiding people here, thanks be to God

VALJEAN
And now I know how freedom feels
The 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 my 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
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 nineteen years, that lifetime of despair
And yet he trusted me

The old fool trusted me, he's 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 ONE
Tell his reverence your story

CONSTABLE TWO
Let us see if he's impressed

CONSTABLE ONE
You were lodging here last night

CONSTABLE TWO
You were the honest Bishop's guest
And then out of Christian goodness
When he learned about your plight

CONSTABLE ONE
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
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

See also:
JustSomeLyrics
102
102.81
Hunters & Collectors Honey In The Jar Lyrics
Luc Plamondon & Richard Cocciante Le mot Phoebus Lyrics