Uploaded August 2016 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
"Do You Hear the People Sing?" or À la volonté du peuple (At the people's will) in the original French version, is one of the principal and most recognizable songs from the musical Les Misérables. A stirring anthem, it is sung twice in the stage musical.
The song is first sung in Act I by Enjolras and the other students at the ABC Cafe as they prepare themselves to launch a rebellion in the streets of Paris during the funeral procession of the general, and member of the parliament, Jean Maximilien Lamarque. The song is sung again in the "Finale" as the final song of the musical. This second version, which immediately follows a number by Jean Valjean and 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 persecution and adversity. The "barricades" referenced 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 meant to overthrow the oppressive government, but their rebellion eventually fails.
The footage used in this video is from the 1978 Les Miserables film.
"Do You Hear the People Sing?" or À la volonté du peuple (At the people's will) in the original French version, is one of the principal and most recognizable songs from the musical Les Misérables. A stirring anthem, it is sung twice in the stage musical.
The song is first sung in Act I by Enjolras and the other students at the ABC Cafe as they prepare themselves to launch a rebellion in the streets of Paris during the funeral procession of the general, and member of the parliament, Jean Maximilien Lamarque. The song is sung again in the "Finale" as the final song of the musical. This second version, which immediately follows a number by Jean Valjean and 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 persecution and adversity. The "barricades" referenced 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 meant to overthrow the oppressive government, but their rebellion eventually fails.
The footage used in this video is from the 1978 Les Miserables film.
