[THE POOR] At the end of the day you´re another day older And that´s all you can say for the life of the poor It´s a struggle, it´s a war
And there´s nothing that anyone´s giving One more day standing about, what is it for? One day less to be living.
At the end of the day you´re another day colder And the shirt on your back doesn´t keep out the chill And the righteous hurry past They don´t hear the little ones crying And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill One day nearer to dying!
At the end of the day there´s another day dawning And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise Like the waves crash on the sand Like a storm that´ll break any second There´s a hunger in the land There´s a reckoning still to be reckoned and
There´s gonna be hell to pay At the end of the day!
[The foreman and workers, including Fantine, emerge from the factory]
[FOREMAN] At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing Sitting flat on your butt doesn´t buy any bread
[WORKER ONE] There are children back at home
[WORKERS ONE AND TWO] And the children have got to be fed
[WORKER TWO] And you´re lucky to be in a job
[WOMAN] And in a bed!
[WORKERS] And we´re counting our blessings!
[WOMAN TWO] Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today? With his terrible breath and his wandering hands?
[WOMAN THREE] It´s because little Fantine won´t give him his way
[WOMAN ONE] Take a look at his trousers, you´ll see where he stands!
[WOMAN FOUR] And the boss, he never knows That the foreman is always in heat
[WOMAN THREE] If Fantine doesn´t look out Watch how she goes She´ll be out on the street!
[WORKERS] At the end of the day it´s another day over With enough in your pocket to last for a week Pay the landlord, pay the shop Keep on grafting as long as you´re able Keep on grafting till you drop Or it´s back to the crumbs off the table You´ve got to pay your way
At the end of the day!
[GIRL (Grabbing a letter from Fantine)] And what have we here, little innocent sister? Come on Fantine, let´s have all the news!
[Reading the letter]
Ooh..."Dear Fantine you must send us more money... Your child needs a doctor... There´s no time to lose..."
[FANTINE] Give that letter to me It is none of your business With a husband at home And a bit on the side!
Is there anyone here Who can swear before God She has nothing to fear? She has nothing to hide?
[They fight over the letter. Valjean (M. Madeleine) rushes on to break up the squabble.]
[VALJEAN] Will someone tear these two apart What is this fighting all about? This is a factory, not a circus! Now, come on ladies, settle down I run a business of repute I am the Mayor of this town
[To the foreman] I look to you to sort this out
And be as patient as you can-
[He goes back into the factory]
[FOREMAN] Now someone say how this began!
[GIRL] At the end of the day She´s the one who began it! There´s a kid that she´s hiding In some little town There´s a man she has to pay You can guess how she picks up the extra You can bet she´s earning her keep Sleeping around And the boss wouldn´t like it!
[FANTINE] Yes it´s true there´s a child And the child is my daughter And her father abandoned us Leaving us flat Now she lives with an innkeeper man And his wife And I pay for the child What´s the matter with that?
[WOMEN] At the end of the day She´ll be nothing but trouble And there´s trouble for all When there´s trouble for one! While we´re earning our daily bread She´s the one with her hands in the butter You must send the slut away
Or we´re all gonna end in the gutter And it´s us who´ll have to pay At the end of the day!
[FOREMAN] I might have known the bitch could bite I might have known the cat had claws I might have guessed your little secret Ah yes, the virtuous Fantine Who keeps herself so pure and clean You´d be the cause I had no doubt Of any trouble hereabout You play a virgin in the light But need no urgin´ in the night.
[GIRL] She´s been laughing at you While she´s having her men
[WOMEN] She´ll be nothing but trouble again and again