Do You Hear the People Sing? Do You Hear the People Sing? "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ("À la volonté du peuple", "The people's will", in the original French version) is one of the principal and most recognisable songs from the musical "Les Misérables". 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 General Jean Maximilien Lamarque. The song is sung again in the finale as the final song of
Do You Hear the People Sing? 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 adversity. The "barricades" referred to 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 to overthrow the government, but their rebellion eventually fails. There are unofficial adaptations of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in