Thenardier Waltz Lyrics - Les Miserables

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Featuring: Alun Armstrong; Colm Wilkinson; Susan Jane Tanner
• Producers: Alain Boublil; Claude-Michel Schönberg
• Composer & Lyricist: Claude-Michel Schönberg; Alain Boublil; Herbert Kretzmer; Jean-Marc Natel
• Release Date: 1985
• Genre: Musical Theatre; West End; Pop
• Language: English
• Track #: 12
• Album: Les Misérables (Original 1985 London Cast Recording)
• Label: First Night Records

Song Meaning and Annotations

“Thénardier Waltz” is the darkly comic heart of Fantine’s tragedy. Set to a jaunty 3 4 waltz rhythm, the number unfolds as the Thénardiers press their claim to young Cosette, treating her first as “treasure” and then as a commodity. Their honeyed words — “What a gem, what a pearl beyond rubies is our little girl” — glide over a playful melody, only to reveal their greed when Madame Thénardier quips that the child’s costly illnesses have left the family out of pocket.

Valjean’s interjection — “Your feelings do you credit, sir / And I will ease the parting blow” — shifts the tone from extortion to mercy. His flat recitation of “No more words, here’s your price / Fifteen hundred for your sacrifice” turns the waltz into a dance of negotiation, spotlighting the clash between the bishop’s lesson on charity and the Thénardiers’ cynical commerce. The swirl of violins and punctuated chords mirror the dizzying moral spin in which love and loyalty are weighed in silver francs.

In dramatic context, this number follows Fantine’s death and precedes Valjean’s adoption of Cosette. The Thénardiers have already betrayed Fantine’s trust, and now they corner Valjean with haggling that borders on insult. The waltz serves both as parody of high society leisure and as indictment of those who exploit the vulnerable — a reminder that beneath every graceful turn can lurk sharp teeth.

“Dear Fantine, gone to rest / Have we done for your child what is best?”

Here the Thénardiers adopt the guise of concerned caretakers, their false compassion underscored by the springing waltz.

“Not that we begrudged a sou / It’s no more than we Christians must do”

This forced piety drips with irony — the Thénardiers cloak their greed in moral obligation, highlighting their hypocrisy.

“No more words, here’s your price / Fifteen hundred for your sacrifice”

Valjean’s curt payment cuts through their bluster, transforming the bargaining into a solemn ritual of release and rescue.

Thénardier’s Opening

His lighthearted banter — “Shall you carry our treasure away?” — sets a tone of parody, the waltz rhythm suggesting a ballroom while the lyrics speak of profiteering.

Valjean’s Rebuttal

The melody shifts subtly as Valjean speaks; his measured tones and careful phrasing signal his moral authority amidst their moral bankruptcy.

Madame Thénardier’s Inquiry

Her mention of “medicines” and “sou” brings the waltz crashing into harsh reality, the frivolous dance turning into a ledger of suffering made profitable.

Final Bargain

The duet of Thénardier and Valjean resolves the tension. When the payment is made, the waltz completes its circle — Cosette’s fate sealed, the Thénardiers enriched and Valjean committed to his new purpose.

Similar Songs

1. “Master of the House” from Les Misérables
   Both numbers expose theatrical villains using jaunty melody and witty lyrics. “Master of the House” satirises the Thénardiers’ innkeeping swindles, while “Thénardier Waltz” shows their final bargain over Cosette. Each song blends comedy and menace, the performers delivering barbed lines over cheerful accompaniments. They reveal character through transactional language, inviting the audience to laugh even as they recoil. Musically, both exploit syncopation and playful ornamentation to disguise the teeth beneath the tongue.
2. “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago
   A chorus of women recounting crime and betrayal over a rhythmic accompaniment parallels the docks’ use of ensemble irony. “Cell Block Tango” uses snapping percussion and staccato vocals to narrate each woman’s crime, much as the waltz’s lilting beat carries the Thénardiers’ profiteering lines. In both, humor becomes vessel for darker themes — betrayal in the cells and in child custody. The call-and-response structure in each piece underscores communal complicity and shared survival tactics in a world that marginalises them.
3. “Money, Money” from Cabaret
   Sally Bowles’s lament for wealth and “Thénardier Waltz” both critique how money drives human behaviour. The Kit Kat Club’s sultry piano line and the bargainers’ lilting strings highlight desperation living on edge of economic collapse. Lyrics in each song merge seduction with cynicism — “There’s lots of money to be made” versus “Medicines are expensive.” Both employ repetitive motifs to mimic obsession, and both remind us that commodification can turn human connection into a ledger of profit and loss.

Questions and Answers

What is the time signature of the waltz?

It is in 3-4 time, giving the piece its characteristic dance-like sway that contrasts with its dark satire.

Why do the Thénardiers call Cosette “treasure”?

They mockingly elevate her to precious status, only to underscore how they see her as a source of income, not affection.

How does Valjean’s payment transform the scene?

His direct payment ends the haggling and turns greed into charity, marking Valjean’s role as Cosette’s protector.

What does the mention of “Christians” imply?

The Thénardiers invoke faith to justify their greed, revealing their hypocrisy and the gap between piety and compassion.

Where else does this waltz appear?

The film adaptation (2012) includes “The Bargain?/?The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery,” performed by Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen under Tom Hooper’s direction.