Claude-Michel Schönberg
Valjean’s Confession
[MARIUS]
M'sieur, this is a day I never can forget
Is gratitude enough for giving me Cosette?
Your home shall be with us and not a day shall pass
But we will prove our love
To you, whom we shall call
A father to us both
A father to us all

[VALJEAN]
Not another word, my son
There's something now that must be done
There lived a man whose name was Jean Valjean
He stole some bread to save his sister's son
For nineteen winters, he served his time
In sweat, he washed away his crime
Years ago
He broke parole and lived a life apart
How could he tell Cosette and break her heart?
It's for Cosette this must be faced
If he is caught, she is disgraced
The time has come to journey on
And from this day he must be gone
Who am I?
Who am I?
[MARIUS]
You're Jean Valjean
Monsieur, you cannot leave
Whatever I tell my beloved Cosette
She will never believe!

[VALJEAN]
Tell her I've gone on a journey a long way away
Tell her my heart was too full for farewells
It is better this way
Promise me, M'sieur, Cosette will never know
What I have spoken, why I must go

[MARIUS]
For the sake of Cosette, it must be so