09 Scene 3 - The Grievances Of The People (2005-Ca Ira)
[RINGMASTER] The sparrow, bedraggled, looks up through the rain And dreams of a little more grain The peacock, plump in his place in the sun Ignores the sound of the distant guns Their thunder falls upon deaf ears The peacock never sniffs the air He fails to see that a starvation diet brings The scent of riot on the breeze The King; The State; La France Each of the above must with regret cut off all payment The cupboard is bare The State of France lies in disrepair
[REVOLUTIONARY PRIEST] The Bishops hide the grain; to the attics it's sent If everyone is hungry, tell me, who can be content?
[SOLO BOY] Altogether now!
[CHILDREN'S CHORUS] We hand out pamphlets, we join a club We shout out slogans that we make up We thumb our noses, at those above We hand out pamphlets, we join a club
[TROUBLEMAKER] We join a club, a safety net But it's more like a gin trap that's been carefully set
[REVOLUTIONARY PRIEST] We write what we can on the cow's flayed hide Our grievances are noted and then brushed to one side But the pain we feel keeps us alive
[TROUBLEMAKER] Bushes and bones and sticks and stones
[CHORUS] Now, then, women and men
[REVOLUTIONARY PRIEST] In Manosque the bishops get what they deserve Stoned to death and we retrieve the grain from their reserves
[FEMALE CHORUS] We plunder all the bakeries
[CHORUS] Searching for our courage in...
[MALE CHORUS] Searching for our courage in...
[REVOLUTIONARY PRIEST] Searching for our courage in...