Empty Chairs At Empty Tables (“Les Misérables”) Lyrics
Michael Ball
Lyrics
There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone
Here they talked of revolution
Here it was they lit the flame
Here they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came
From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
And I can hear them now
The very words that they have sung
Became their last communion
On this lonely barricade, at dawn
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken
And there's a pain goes on and on
Phantom faces at the window
Phantom shadows on the floor
Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more
Oh my friends, my friends don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friend will sing no more
Song & Lyrics Facts
"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is a song from the musical “Les Misérables”. It was written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, and first appeared on the original cast recording of the show in 1985.
The song is performed by Michael Ball, who played Marius Pontmercy in the London production of Les Misérables. The song is a reflection of Marius’ grief as he remembers his friends who died during the Paris Uprising of 1832. He mourns their loss while sitting alone in an empty café, surrounded by the chairs they once occupied. This melancholy ballad has been covered by numerous artists since its release, including Josh Groban and Susan Boyle. Its poignant lyrics capture the sadness and despair of those left behind after a tragedy.