Les Miserables - I dreamed a dream


I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life woth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still
I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
so different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed. 

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I Dreamed a Dream

I Dreamed a Dream is a renowned solo sung by Fantine during the first act.

Most of the music is soft and melancholy, but towards the end becomes louder and taut with frustration and anguish; as she cries aloud about the wretched state of her life and her unfair mistreatment.

Overview

The lyrics are about lost innocence and broken dreams. Fantine is abandoned by her lover, gives birth to a daughter, Cosette, out of wedlock, is wrongly dismissed from a desperately-needed job, and forced into prostitution to survive and to support her daughter. It is sung directly after "At the End of the Day".

Relation to "On My Own"

Both the plot and music to "I Dreamed a Dream" bears a close resemblance to "On My Own", a solo sung by ?ponine in Act II of the play. The two can in many ways be considered reprises of each other.

Some notable relations include:

    * "I Dreamed a Dream" starts in Eb Major, then E Minor, then F Major - "On My Own" starts in D Major, moving to Bb Major, and ending in F Major.
    * "I Dreamed a Dream,? outlines unfairness and woe in Fantine's life, the second half dedicated to her former male partner, who deserted her after the conception of Cosette. In "On My Own," ?ponine outlines her desire to be with the character Marius, and (similarly to Fantine), dreams and imagines him by her side.
    * Near the one-minute mark (slightly after in "I Dreamed a Dream"), the final key signature change is made and the music and singing grows louder and more intense, as is done in On My Own.
    * When ?ponine sings her solo, it is the same tune as "Come to Me" also sang by Fantine.
    * Similarly, the duet between Cosette and Marius in "One Day More" is the same tune as Fantine's "I Dreamed a Dream", though higher/lower in pitch and accented differently: their words are of happiness, a great contrast to ?ponine and Fantine.

French Versions

    * 1980 Original French Version - This song is known as J'avais r?v? d'une autre vie (I Dreamed of Another Life).
    * 1991 Parisian Revival Version - This song is known as J'avais r?v? (I Dreamed).