At the End of the Day (Les Misérables)

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At the End of the Day is a song in the first act of Les Misérables.

The music is fast and intricate, with different melodies coinciding as sung by various groups of poor women and men, female workers, solos by certain workers, and repititious instrumentation. It is known as Quand un jour est passé in the original French version.

[edit] Overview

At the End of the Day begins with a chorus of workers and some soloists singing about their lives at a factory owned by Jean Valjean, known as M. Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer, where it takes place. The song then goes on to outline an argument between Fantine and another female worker.

In the end, Fantine's co-workers lie to Valjean's foreman about how the argument arose and Fantine's doing; stating that she has an illegitimate child who is in the care of an inkeeper and who needs to be payed for. The other workers argue that Fantine is a trouble-maker and a whore and pressure the foreman to fire her. He does this, taking revenge on Fantine, who has refused his amorous advances.