Les Miserables Cast - Turning Lyrics






Did you see them going off to fight?
Children of the barricade who didn't last the night
Did you see them lying where they died?
Someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried
Did you see them lying side by side?

Who will wake them?
No one ever will
No one ever told them that a summer day can kill
They were schoolboys, never held a gun
Fighting for a new world that would rise up like the sun
Where's that new world now the fighting's done?

Nothing changes
Nothing ever will
Every year another brat, another mouth to fill
Same old story, what's the use of tears?
What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears?
Turning, turning, turning, turning, turning through the years

Turning, turning, turning through the years
(Turning, turning)
Minutes into hours, and the hours into years
(Minutes into hours)
Nothing changes, nothing ever can
(Nothing changes, nothing ever can)
Round about the roundabout
(Round about the roundabout)
Round and round and back where you began!





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Les Miserables Cast Turning Comments
  1. F.... ....

    this is often a forgotten song, but it's dang emotional for me... I cried once :(

  2. C.... G....

    The lyric "no one ever told them that a summer's day could kill" always bothered me because it's so blatantly false. They're told over and over again that they can die, and even acknowledge it themselves multiple times. Other than that, this is an amazing song.

  3. F.... m....

    So pretty and yet so sad.

  4. R.... C....

    This song is so much deeper than the simple melody line would suggest. It always bothered me, though, that it's to the same tune as "Lovely Ladies." That just doesn't fit.

  5. D.... O....

    My like gave this video a total like of 666. Even though I'm not religious, I didn't like it and had to log in on my other account to make the count 667.

  6. L.... ....

    Who cames from the movie to hear the full song?

  7. D.... ....

    Unpopular opinion: this is one of the best songs in the entire musical

  8. b.... ....

    This song always come into my head after I hear about a school shooting.

  9. C.... ....

    This song is so underrated.

  10. E.... H....

    I have the original recording on CD.

  11. e.... ....

    Did you see them going off to fight?
    Children of the barricade who didn't last the night
    Did you see them lying where they died?
    Someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried
    Did you see them lying side by side?
    Who will wake them?
    No one ever will
    No one ever told them that a summer day can kill
    They were school boys never held a gun
    Fighting for a new world that would rise up like the sun
    Where's that new world when the fighting's done?
    Nothing changes nothing ever will
    Every year another brat
    another mouth to fill
    Same old story what's the use of tears?
    What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears?
    Turning, turning, turning, turning, turning through the years
    Turning, turning, turning through the years
    Minutes into hours and the hours into years
    Nothing changes, nothing ever can
    Round and round the roundabout and back where you began!
    Round and round and back where you began!

    e.... ....

    This gives me serious PJO,HOO, (and whatever else Rick Riordan wrote) vibes. Because no matter how many demigods and monsters there are to fight, it just goes on and on throughout history and the Gods don't seem to care because it's just seems like another Tuesday to them.

  12. A.... ....

    This song always gives me goosebumps

  13. C.... ....

    The line that hits me hardest in this song is, "Wheres that new world now the fighting's done?"

  14. L.... F....

    "they were schoolboys, never held a gun!"

    well, I guess that kind of explains why they lost..?

  15. A.... G....

    I'm making my way through the entire book, unabridged, right now. And well, the insane length of the book really works to drive the point of this song home. Unlike modern books, there is no continuing POV. Even minor characters get names and backstories, way more than they need. The guy under the cart Jean Valjean saved, yeah he has a name and short backstory. The criminal who was almost convicted in Jean Valjean's place, he also has a name. It really strikes home how much more of the world there is. The world keeps turning after Marius, Enjolas, and the others die.

    A.... G....

    Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I love the book. It really is great.

  16. A.... S....

    To the barricades! #Hayir

  17. D.... D....

    my heart is being ripped out by the powerfulsad amazing lyrics noooooooooooooooimdead

  18. J.... N....

    ATTACK ON TITAN ANYONE?

  19. B.... D....

    Unpopular opinion: I definitely prefer the movie version, it's a lot more emotional

    B.... D....

    Bre Doyle oh my god, I agree with you fully. In this one, it's more detailed but at the end, it starts to get upbeat and the women start to sound more scornful, like they thought they boys were complete idiots for even trying.

    in the movie one, it was shorter sure, but it had more of an impact because the women spoke in soft whispers as they cleaned up the blood, in short clips that cracked, as if they were holding in tears. Honestly, Next to Empty Chairs, it was one of the few songs that impacted me the most.

    B.... D....

    Bre Doyle Yes! In fact, a more detailed version of this song would have been welcomed in the 2012 movie 😅 It would have showed that some students had families or friends who actually cared about them... It would have shown the grieving of the ones alive 😄 (Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I'm french 😅)

    B.... D....

    Bre Doyle *stupid opinion

  20. T.... G....

    Does anyone else find this song to fit in with today's society? Like, if you take out the revolution aspect, you'll realize that this could fit in with all the shootings and gun control acts that go along with it. Every year, shootings happens, and the aftermath is always the same damn thing. GUN CONTROL! CONSPIRACY! It's the same old story, turning through the years.

    T.... G....

    Yup it's so sad. Though this happens with many things like wars today as well

  21. O.... V....

    nothing ever changes...

    nothing ever will.

    O.... V....

    What's the use in praying if there's nobody who hears?

    O.... V....

    Beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see?
    Who will join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?

  22. I.... M....

    my eyes always get wet at "they were schoolboys, never held a gun" :'(

    I.... M....

    Isabella M you can’t say the same lyric for some schoolboys these days

  23. j.... ....

    The production of Les Mis I saw had each of the revolutionaries wear a distinctive piece of clothing (for example Enjolas had a dark blue shirt) and for this song, each of the women (who were dressed in mourning) were holding the same pieces of clothing, now bloodstained. It was really effective and still haunts me.

    j.... ....

    janeyrevanescence12 that is such a great directing choice!

    j.... ....

    janeyrevanescence12
    There was something simallar in the movie.You can see during gavroches death two coffins,blue (small like Gavroche) and red (big like Enjorlas) right before gavroche dies they shoot the blue one

    j.... ....

    +hopegirl518 Ashlynn What makes it more tragic is that Gavroche's mother isn't going to be joining these women in the mourning...poor kid...

    j.... ....

    @CJCroen1393 Gavroche is actually the Thenardiers son so while you're right she's not mourning it's because she's sick not because she's dead

  24. B.... ....

    "Someone used to cradle them and kiss them when they cried"
    "Where's that new world, now the fighting's done?"
    most effective lyrics for me

    B.... ....

    +BloodylocksBathory for me, it's "Same old story, what's the use of tears? What's the use of praying when there's nobody who hears?"

    B.... ....

    @janeyrevanescence12 For me, you're both right

  25. P.... O....

    I love listening to Javert's suicide then this. The combination of Javert singing of "Staring into The Void" and then the women singing about the pointlessness of the whole ordeal that just happened really slams the feels right into your face

  26. s.... h....

    This is one of the saddest songs in the whole musical

    s.... h....

    this and "Empty chairs at empty tables"

    s.... h....

    What gets me is the subtle but strong implication that at least some, if not most of these women are the revolutionaries' mothers.

  27. J.... E....

    It's a shame they didn't include the full song in the film.

    J.... E....

    I kind of liked the way it bled so smoothly into empty chairs and empty tables in the movie, but yeah this version definitely deserves a listen.

  28. A.... C....

    This reminds me of Attack on Titan:

    "Childern of the Baricade..."  Anyone??

    A.... C....

    I thought the same thing! And the "fighting for a new world" bit

    A.... C....

    Yep! They all die :3

  29. E.... M....

    I'm in a community theater production of Les Mis... and our libretto is quite different from this (lyrically) in places...

    E.... M....

    The musical was largely edited in 1997 for the show's tenth anniversary. Then a lot of lyrics were cut at the very end of 2000 so they wouldn't have to pay the crew overtime.

  30. E.... S....

    "Who will wake them?
    No one ever will.
    No one ever told them
    That a summer day can kill.
    They were schoolboys
    Never held a gun
    Fighting for a new world
    That would rise up like the sun
    Where's that new world
    Now the fighting's done?" This verse always gets to me (especially the first four lines) because it's drawing attention to how young all of the revolutionaries were and how they all had bright futures ahead of them that were gone in a matter of hours.

    E.... S....

    In some productions, it's implied that at least some the women singing this song are the revolutionaries' _mothers._

  31. B.... D....

    i wish they put the rest of the song in the film...

  32. A.... ,....

    wonderful music  
    loving it  ♥  ♥ 

  33. A.... ....

    can't believe that one of these women singing 'Turning' is Katie Hall, the person who played Cosette in the 25th anniversary.

  34. T.... ....

    This musical is simply fantastic. Listen to all the songs properly, and you notice many of the tunes are the same- and you can draw comparisons between the two. In particular, Valjean's Soliloquoy and Javert's Suicide are very interesting. They even share several lines. Beautiful and unique musical.

  35. R.... l....

    i wish there are more movies just like Les Miserables.

    R.... l....

    This is the musical

    R.... l....

    @Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way It's also a movie though, he probably only saw the movie and not the musical.

  36. S.... ....

    did you see them lying side by side? sad song :(

  37. l.... p....

    so sad I always think of our men/women of our armed forces

  38. G.... ....

    Children, the inevitable sacrifice of every war

  39. m.... ....

    Gosh this song is really beautiful. Some of these women have angelic voices.

  40. T.... ....

    Yay you put more up!!!