“Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from “Les Miserables”

A young man mourns his friends killed during a revolution

song from les miserables about paint after the death of a loved one“Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is a song from the musical “Les Miserables” based on the book of the same title by Victor Hugo.

Poster for the musical "Les Miserables" which features the song "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"

Credit: metro.co.uk

In the show, one of the characters, Marius, has joined a student revolution to try to improve the quality of life for the poor in France. The revolution is a disaster. School boys prove no match for the French military. Marius is seriously wounded and his friends are killed.

When Marius is well enough to be up and around again, he returns to the bar where he and his friends planned the revolution. There, he mourns his losses.

The tune of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is simple and mournful; the lyrics are direct. The song begins:

“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.

But tomorrow never came.”

As the song continues, Marius realizes that the reasons for fighting that had once seemed so important to him no longer matter. “My friends, my friends! Don’t ask me what your sacrifice was for!” he cries out.

Marius’s grief is all the more sharp because all of his friends have died. The death of a lone loved one is hard enough to endure. But to lose several loved ones at once is agonizing.

A single, lonely chair symbolizes "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"

Credit: tolovearose.com

Multiple deaths may occur as the result of an accident; an act of war as in Marius’s case; an act of terrorism; or an epidemic. Often, the people who get out alive suffer a condition known as survivor’s guilt. People with survivor’s guilt feel that they somehow did something wrong by staying alive while those around them perished.

One of the symptoms of survivor’s guilt is flashbacks. And in “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” Marius is clearly flashing back to how he and his friends planned the revolution, hoping to make the world a better place. Realizing that nothing changed in spite of their efforts and the sacrifice of so many lives makes his grief much more difficult to bear.

“Les Miserables” premiered at the height of the AIDS crisis. And so it was common to hear this song at fundraisers and funerals where the LGBTQ community mourned their dead.

The actor Michael Ball first performed the English version of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” when he debuted the role of Marius in London’s West End in 1985. Since then, many others, including Nick Jonas and Josh Groban, have sung the song. In the movie version of the “Les Miserables” it was performed by Eddie Redmayne.

“Les Miserables” is a beautiful tale of loss and redemption. If you get the chance to see the play, grab it! It’s well worth the price of a seat. In the meantime, watch Michael Ball sing “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” in the video below.

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3 Responses to “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from “Les Miserables”

  1. avatar Vicky Benson says:

    Thanks for your excellent explanation of the meaning of this song. I had never heard it and am not that knowledgeable about Victor Hugo’s classic tale or the play or movie. I just heard Jonathan Antoine sing this and thought it so beautifully poignant for someone like me who, as I get older, am losing more and more friends. But also at this time of pandemic lockdown, the restaurants no longer can provide in-dining service, so there are empty chairs at empty tables in a real and widespread sense. There is a sense of grief about what is happening in the world.

    Your review makes me want to see Les Miserables! Thank you again.

    The video you provided is no longer available. Apparently that channel is discontinued. Here is Jonathan’s version:
    https://youtu.be/6YF0XNMpyoM

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    • avatar Kathleen Clohessy (Blog Writer, SevenPonds) says:

      Hi Vicki,

      Thank you for your kind words. It’s true that what we are experiencing right now is evocative of the sentiments expressed in the song…not only are tables and chairs empty, but in a very real sense we don’t know who will be left when this storm is over. Certainly we hope for the best but as the pandemic wears on we just don’t know. It’s a frightening time.

      Thanks too for the video link. I’ve switched out the one that was in the post. Unfortunately, sometimes the videos we’ve posted expire and we have no way of knowing unless our readers let us know.

      I definitely want to see it again too!

      Report this comment

  2. My cousin Ian Calvin performed with Michael Ball in Les Miserables and features
    In the cast album and in the scene, Empty Chairs
    Ian died of AIDs on 15th February 1987
    The cast of Les Misérables sang at his funeral at Golders Green
    He was one of the first West End Stars to die from AIDs

    Report this comment

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