Do You Hear the People Sing?

**National anthem of *Les Misérables* (not really)**

"**Do You Hear the People Sing?**", known in the original French version as "**À La Volonté Du Peuple**" ("At the Will of the People"), is a famous song from 1980 musical *Les Misérables*, in which the song is sung twice. The melody was composed by French singer-songwriter Claude-Michel Schönberg, and the original French lyrics were written by
Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. It has been translated into various languages. Since then, the song has been used worldwide mainly as a protest song in various countries in which protests have taken place.

The song is first sung in Act I by Enjolras and other students at the ABC Cafe as they prepare themselves to launch a rebellion in the streets of Paris during the funeral procession of General Jean Maximilien Lamarque. The song is sung again in the finale as the final song of the musical. The second version, which immediately follows a number by Jean Valjean among others, is sung by the entire cast with revised lyrics, and becomes progressively louder with each stanza.

The song is a revolutionary call for people to overcome adversity. The "barricades" referred to in the song are erected by the rebel students in the streets of Paris in the musical's second act. They are to draw the National Guard into combat and ignite a civilian uprising to overthrow the government, but their rebellion eventually fails.

## Lyrics

### French original

**Refrain:**

À la volonté du peuple

Et à la santé du progrès,

Remplis ton cœur d'un vin rebelle

Et à demain, ami fidèle.

Nous voulons faire la lumière

Malgré le masque de la nuit

Pour illuminer notre terre

Et changer la vie.

Il faut gagner à la guerre

Notre sillon à labourer,

Déblayer la misère

Pour les blonds épis de la paix

Qui danseront de joie

Au grand vent de la liberté.

***Refrain***

À la volonté du peuple,

Je fais don de ma volonté.

S'il faut mourir pour elle,

Moi je veux être le premier,

Le premier nom gravé

Au marbre du monument d'espoir.

***Refrain***

### English version

The English lyrics were written in 1985 by Herbert Kretzmer, a South African-born English journalist and lyricist, with the help of Cameron Mackintosh.

**Chorus:**

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing the song of angry men?

It is the music of the people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes.

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Beyond the barricade

Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight

That will give you the right to be free!

***Chorus***

Will you give all you can give

So that our banner may advance

Some will fall and some will live

Will you stand up and take your chance?

The blood of the martyrs

Will water the meadows of France!

***Chorus***

### Arabic version

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring in the spring of 2013, the song was adapted into Arabic. It was performed by 27 contestants from across the Arab world on the final episode of the second season of *Arab Idol*, titled "Hear the Voice of the Oppressed" (سامع صوت المقهورين). An Egyptian Arabic version titled سامع صوت الجماهير was created by Fabrica, an Egyptian theatrical team. The song, among a few others from the musical, was performed on *Al Bernameg*, which aired on 14 June 2013.

Iraqis during the 2019–21 Iraqi protests released a music video of the song.

### Chinese version

In the Sinosphere, there are many dialectal versions of the song. Among the most popular is the one in Mandarin, translated from the English version. The ones in Cantonese (問誰未發聲) and in Taiwanese (你敢有聽着咱的歌) are versions that mix the dialectal translations with the English lyrics. They include specific references to the corresponding political demonstrations, including the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.

In April 2022, a clip of the 2012 film version circulated on Twitter in protest of the lockdown during Shanghai COVID-19 outbreak. The Chinese government blocked the clip to prevent further protests.

### Dutch version

Between 1991 and 1992, *Les Misérables* was performed for the first time in the Netherlands at the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam, and in the new Circustheater in Scheveningen. For the occasion, a version titled "**Hoor je 't zingen op de straat?**" was created. Henk Poort played the role of Jean Valjean, and Bill Van Dijk played the role of Enjolras.

### Japanese version

A Japanese version was created in 1994. It has been used by the professional football club Yokohama F. Marinos (横浜F・マリノス).

**コーラス:**
闘う者の歌が聞こえるか？
鼓動があのドラムと響き合えば
新たに熱い生命が始まる
明日が来たとき　そうさ明日が！

列に入れよ我らの味方に
砦の向こうに世界がある
闘え　それが自由への道

**コーラス**

悔いはしないなたとえ倒れても
流す血潮が潤す祖国を
屍超えて拓け　明日のフランス

**コーラス**

**コーラス:**
たたかう もの の うた が きこえる か？
こどう が あの ドラム と ひびき あえば
あらた に あつい いのち が はじまる
あす が きた とき、そう さ あす が！

れつ に いれよ われら の みかた に
とりで の むこう に せかい が ある
たたかえ、それ が じゆう へ の みち

**コーラス**

くい は しない な たとえ たおれて も
ながす ちしお が うるおす そこく を
しかばね こえて ひらけ、あした の フランス

**コーラス**

**Kōrasu:**
Tatakau mono no uta ga kikoeru ka?
Kodō ga ano Doramu to hibiki aeba
Arata ni atsui inochi ga hajimaru
Asu ga kita toki, sō sa asu ga!

Retsu ni ireyo warera no mikata ni
Toride no mukō ni sekai ga aru
Tatakae, sore ga jiyū e no michi

***Kōrasu***

Kui wa shinai na tatoe taorete mo
Nagasu chishio ga uruosu sokoku o
Shikabane koete hirake ashita no Furansu

***Kōrasu***

**Коорас:**
Татакау мононо утага кикоеру ка?
Кодога ано Дорамуто хибики аеба
Аратани атуй инотига хазимару
Асуга китатоки, со са асуга!

Ретуни иреё варерано микатани
Торидено мукони секайга ару
Татакае, сорега зиюухено мити

***Коорас***

Куйва синайна татое таоретемо
Нагасу тисиога уруосу сококуво
Сикабане коете хираке, аситано Франс

***Коорас***

### Multilingual version

At the special 10th anniversary concert for *Les Misérables* in 1995, "Do You Hear the People Sing?" was sung by 17 different actors who have played Jean Valjean around the world. Each actor performed a line of the song in their own language: English, French, German, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Polish, Dutch, Norwegian, Czech, Danish and Icelandic.

### Filipino version

In 2017, on the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an unofficial Filipino adaptation titled "**Di Mo Ba Naririnig?**" was used as a protest song.

### Turkish version

An unofficial adaptation into Turkish titled "**Duyuyor Musun Bizi İşte Çapulcu'nun Sesi**" was sung during the Gezi Park protests on 28 May 2013.

## Use in protests

### Armenia

In April 2022, the song was used in the Armenian protests against Nikol Pashinyan.

### Belarus

In September 2020, amidst the Belarusian protests, students of MSLU were detained after playing the song.

### Kazakhstan

In January 2022, the song was used during the Kazakh protests in response to corruption by the government, expressing dissatisfaction towards Qassym-Jomart Toqaev as president, and Nūrsūltan Nazarbaev as chairman of the Security Council.

### South Korea

The song was used as a protest song at the 2016–17 South Korean protests.

### Sri Lanka

In April 2022, the song was used as a protest song in the 2022 Sri Lankan protests against then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

### Ukraine

This song was used during Euromaidan in 2014 by the group Ukraine 2020, who released a music video for the song on YouTube.

## Use in politics

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump this song in a Miami rally under the parody title "Les Déplorables", in response to Hillary Clinton's controversial "basket of deplorables" comment.

## References

1. ↑ Comment une chanson des Misérables (et de Michel Sardou) est devenue l'hymne des manifestants hongkongais
2. ↑ Chanson de Michel Sardou, cartes postales, drapeaux: les symboles des manifestants de Hong Kong
3. ↑ Arab Idol - المشتركين الـ 27 - البؤساء
4. ↑ سامع صوت الجماهير ؟
5. ↑ سارة ادم - هل تسمع غناء هذا الشعب / Sarah Adam Do you hear the people sing
6. ↑ 华语演唱2分钟起 Do You Hear The People Sing?悲惨世界 民众呐喊 人民之歌 in Chinese from 2:00 闪聚 快闪 Les Miserables 中文 国语
7. ↑ China Web Users Race to Post Censored Video on Lockdown Troubles (2022-04-23). *Bloomberg*.
8. ↑ https://www.uta-net.com/song/285157/
9. ↑ https://www.vividlife57.com/peoplessonglyric/
10. ↑ https://lyricstranslate.com/ja/%E6%B0%91%E8%A1%86%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%8C-song-people.html
11. ↑ Filipino Version of Iconic ‘Les Miserables’ Song Becomes National Day of Protest Anthem
12. ↑ Duyuyor musun bizi İşte Çapulcunun Sesi Do you hear the people sing HD) (2013-06-18). Farkı Keşfet via YouTube.
13. ↑ https://mobile.twitter.com/amritahapu/status/1515368022638170112
14. ↑ "Чи ви чуєте цей спів?"
15. ↑ Donald Trump enters stage to Les Mis theme, welcomes deplorables (2016-09-16). *Entertainment*.
16. ↑ Trump walks onstage to theme of 'Les Miserables,' greets 'deplorables' at his Miami rally (2016-09-16). Darcy, Oliver. *Business Insider*.