Marius: "God Help the Outcasts" Georgia Merry (Maya)
Marius: “God Help the Outcasts” Georgia Merry
Lyrics:
I don't know if You can hear me
Or if You're even there
I don't know if You will listen
To a gypsy prayer
They tell me I am just an outcast
I shouldn't speak to You
Still, I see your face and wonder
Were You once an outcast, too?
God help the outcasts
Hungry from birth
Show them the mercy
They don't find on earth
The lost and forgotten
They look to You still
God help the outcasts
Or nobody will
I ask for nothing
I can get by
But I know so many
Less lucky than I
God help the outcasts
The poor and down trod
I thought we all were
The children of God
I don't know if there's a reason
Why some are blessed, some not
Why the few You seem to favor
They fear us
Flee us
Try not to see us
God help the outcasts
The tattered, the torn
Seeking an answer
To why they were born
Winds of misfortune
Have blown them about
You made the outcasts
Don't cast them out
The poor and unlucky
The weak and the odd
I thought we all were
The children of God
Analysis:
The original version of “God Help the Outcasts," sung by Bette Midler, comes from the soundtrack of the animated movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so it is unsurprising that it can be said to fit Les Miserables when both books were written by Victor Hugo. The overall message is fitting for when Marius realizes the true misery of the les miserables, despite the fact that the singer, Esmeralda, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is singing to God. Marius’ conversation with Eponine reveals to him that he had never noticed that, “his brothers in the people, were suffering death agonies beside him!” (Hugo 290). Despite the fact that Marius, himself, is not financially well-off either, he cannot help but despair for the Jondrettes as well as others in similar situations as them. Esmeralda, sharing a similar viewpoint, sings, “I ask for nothing / I can get by, / But I know so many / Less lucky than I.” Both feel that those in poverty deserve better, and even though they, too, are suffering, they are far more concerned with the well-being of others than with the well-being of themselves.
While the places in which they seek compensation for the suffering of the poor differ, the overall sentiment of the song still applies. Esmeralda asks God to care for these people, whereas Marius does not specifically seek God out, instead posing the question, “is it not when the fall is lowest that charity ought to be the greatest?” (Hugo 291). The two both wonder why the poor are left, forgotten and disregarded, whether it be by God, society, or both. Esmeralda finishes the song by singing, “I thought we all were / The children of God.” The poverty-stricken, in Marius’ eyes, are “his brothers in Jesus Christ” (Hugo 290). They are both faced with a terrible question: if all people are equal, especially in the eyes of the Lord, then why are those at the bottom of the economic and social hierarchy faced with such misfortune?
Audio:
Have blown them about
You made the outcasts
Don't cast them out
The poor and unlucky
The weak and the odd
I thought we all were
The children of God
Analysis:
The original version of “God Help the Outcasts," sung by Bette Midler, comes from the soundtrack of the animated movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so it is unsurprising that it can be said to fit Les Miserables when both books were written by Victor Hugo. The overall message is fitting for when Marius realizes the true misery of the les miserables, despite the fact that the singer, Esmeralda, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is singing to God. Marius’ conversation with Eponine reveals to him that he had never noticed that, “his brothers in the people, were suffering death agonies beside him!” (Hugo 290). Despite the fact that Marius, himself, is not financially well-off either, he cannot help but despair for the Jondrettes as well as others in similar situations as them. Esmeralda, sharing a similar viewpoint, sings, “I ask for nothing / I can get by, / But I know so many / Less lucky than I.” Both feel that those in poverty deserve better, and even though they, too, are suffering, they are far more concerned with the well-being of others than with the well-being of themselves.
While the places in which they seek compensation for the suffering of the poor differ, the overall sentiment of the song still applies. Esmeralda asks God to care for these people, whereas Marius does not specifically seek God out, instead posing the question, “is it not when the fall is lowest that charity ought to be the greatest?” (Hugo 291). The two both wonder why the poor are left, forgotten and disregarded, whether it be by God, society, or both. Esmeralda finishes the song by singing, “I thought we all were / The children of God.” The poverty-stricken, in Marius’ eyes, are “his brothers in Jesus Christ” (Hugo 290). They are both faced with a terrible question: if all people are equal, especially in the eyes of the Lord, then why are those at the bottom of the economic and social hierarchy faced with such misfortune?
Audio:
Comments
Post a Comment