"Ain't but one kind of blues." "And that consisted between male and female that's in love." "In love, just like I sung one of them songs a while ago and I put a verse in there saying that love hide all fault and make you do things you don't wanna do." "Love sometimes will leave you feeling sad and blue." "I'm talking about the blues!" "I ain't talking about monkey junk." "And it consisted between male and female." "And that means two people, supposed to be in love when one or the other deceives the other through their love." "Ronnie?" "Are you okay?" "Baby?" "Baby." "Baby." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." "I never laid a hand on her in anger." "Not one time, R.L. Not even when I was drinking." "But this here business got me wondering what a good shake and slap would do for her." "We gonna keep that talk between us now." "Don't you go in there with that shit on your tongue." "I ain't start this shit, R.L." "You wanna pray with me before you go in, Laz?" "Heavenly Father, we do not question your divine plan for us, but in these times, when our spirit lies in shadow, when we are lost, we ask for your strength." "We ask for strength to surpass all understanding." "In your name we pray." "Amen." "Can't remember the last time I saw you in that suit." "At your mamma's funeral." "I was a pallbearer, remember?" "How about I get you folks some coffee before I take your order?" "We won't be staying long." "Coffee will be fine." "We leaving this weekend." "Deke got a friend in Mobile..." "You gonna talk about that motherfucker," "I'm just gonna get up and leave you sitting here in that new shit he bought you." "I thought we was gonna be friendly about this." "You sneaking around behind my back, got everybody in town looking at me like I'm a fool." "What's friendly about that?" "I'm not ready to grow old, Laz." "Living with you, I feel it." "Like I'm one foot in the dirt." "Saw what happened to my mamma, and that's not gonna happen to me." "I got living to do." "And you gonna do that living with him." "Look, Rose, when folk get sick, they do what they can to get on the mend, get well." "Our marriage, it just done got sick." "Don't talk to me about sick!" "I ain't been right since I moved into that drafty house." "Keeps the heat on." "That damn, rusty radiator about burned the skin off my legs." " Kept us warm for 12 years." " Laz, you can't say nothing that's..." "Look, look, look." "Look, maybe we can do like R.L. said, come down to the church and get with one of them counselors." "I don't love you no more." "I'm sorry you hurting." "I said my piece." "God forgive you for what you done to me." "Let me go." "My daddy told me a younger woman would bleed me dry, and that's what you've done." " Laz, I said let..." " You better pray, gal." "You hear me?" "You best pray." "Don't you lay a curse on me!" "Yeah, go on, look." "See if I give a shit about any of you people!" " You still want a lift?" " Yeah." "Transmission's shot." "Hey." "Make sure you go see my Aunt Lori." "You gotta get rid of that cough." "This ain't gonna work." " Rae..." " I don't see why we gotta pretend about it when you and I both know it ain't gonna work." " Rae, please don't do this, okay?" " It's stupid!" " Rae." "Rae!" " It's so fucking stupid!" "Look it." "I got something for us, okay?" "Give me your hand." "Give me your hand." "Look." "See?" "Both these watches are gonna beep at the same time, every night." "So no matter how far away we are, we'll be thinking about each other." "Hey, look at me." "Look at me." "I gotta believe we can do this, or I ain't gonna make it." "Okay." "God, I love you." "Ronnie, wait!" "Ronnie!" "Fuck." "No, no." "Hey, you got any money?" "Thought you had a man for that." "I said we weren't gonna talk about him." "How many times we done done this shit?" "Look, I ain't calling you no ho or nothing, but I ain't gonna let you play me like no trick, neither." " Remember, you called me." " Save it." "Save it for those dumb fuckers you sell crack to." "How much money you need, ho?" "The hell you call me?" "You wanna get rough, huh?" "Is that what you doing?" "Tehronne." "Tehronne, let me go." "Let me go!" "Bye." "It's already noon, Rae." "You think them shorts should still be on?" "Well, if they weren't, you could kiss my rebel cootch, you faggot." "Cough drops or condoms?" "I didn't know you was working here." "Yeah, well, you know how it is." "I just love getting dressed up in these goddamn blue vests." "Your meal ticket get shipped out today?" "Just let me know if I can be of any assistance." "Here you go, Linc." "Keep the change on that." "Thanks, Mr. Laz." "But if you wanna tip me, best do it in butter beans." "Mamma wants a bag of yours." ""None of that store-bought junk." That's what she said." "All right, you keep the change anyhow." "Come on out to the house, I'll load you up." "Yes, sir." "Why y'all stop having dances on Saturday night?" "You used to have live bands and all kind of shit." "Feels like a wake up in here now." "Folks can dance if they want." "I didn't buy that mirror ball for nothing." "Y'all seen my snakeskin shoes?" " They from New York." " Yeah." "My niece, she gets them on the computer." " Is that right?" " They got blue snakes up north?" "No." "They got blue dye, though." "You think them boots on your feet come from a black cow?" "You wanna get on somebody about live music?" "Get on old Laz there." "He the one who got this joint shaking back in the day." "You ain't gotta tell me." "Me and my girlfriends, we used to talk about how hard his fingertips get just picking that guitar." "They hard from picking peas, not strings." "And they still hard." "Mayella, it ain't never happened." "It damn sure ain't gonna happen tonight." "Oh, Laz, I know you hurting." "But you should know more than me, ain't no better cure for the blues than some good pussy." "Now that's a whole lot of woman right there." "Yeah." "She sure do like to spread it around." "Hey, Laz." "Me and you friends and all, but promise me you'll keep your cool in my joint." " I'm gonna finish my beer." " All right then." "Mind if I sit?" "Rose said that it didn't go too well this afternoon." "See, I told her." "I said, "Rose," ""we ain't leaving till we make peace with Laz."" "And that's the God's truth." "I laid it down." " You laid it down?" " I did." "That's funny." "You laying it down for my wife." "You think I wanna hurt you, Laz?" " Man, I'd take a bullet for you!" " Would you now?" "We can put that to the test." "Say, Bo, would you still got that little.22 over behind the bar?" "My little brother here say he'd take a bullet for me." "All right now, slow your roll now." "You come in here to ease your heart, huh?" "Well, I ain't gonna help you do that." "You took her into your bed, now you got to lay in it." "I'll always love you, Laz." "Till the end of my days." " Laz, what you doing, man?" " Laz, God damn it!" "Cain slew Abel." "Slew him out of envy." "God put his mark on Cain for his sins." "Is that what you want, Deke?" "Huh?" "Is that what you come here for?" "I'll do it for you." "All you got to do is say it again." "Say you love me." "Say you love me, nigger!" " Ronnie ship out this morning?" " Yeah." "He's so stupid." "Why do you think he's stupid?" "He told me he don't want nothing to do with no military career." "He wants to go up in Knoxville, start an auto body shop with his uncle." " I said, "Let's go!" "Let's do it now!"" " Really?" "Shit, Ronnie knows cars." "Fixed that Buick for my Uncle Dale." "Then he starts talking all this shit about honor and duty." "I swear." "If he gets hurt up there, I'm gonna kill him." "It's not like you're married." "He ain't even proposed." "He don't give a shit about me." "I begged him not to go." "I fucking begged him." "Oh, my God!" "Hey, you all right?" " Yeah." "I'm okay." " You wanna go home?" "No, it just gets worse there, leaving me to my own head." " Better?" " Yeah." " Hey, Jess." " Hey, Batson." "You Robotripping tonight?" "No, but I will smoke that joint." "Well, check this out." "I got eight packs of DXM." "I got OxyContin." "I got a whole shitload of Coricidin if you wanna get out-of-body and all." "Coricidin?" "You're just trying to get me out of my clothes." " I'll be right back, okay?" " All right." " Hey." " What you want?" "Ain't no reason I can't go out and have fun with my friends." "What, you think I'm Ronnie's spy or something?" "Come tomorrow, his dumb ass gonna be halfway around the world trying to keep his head on his shoulders." "You think he's gonna be thinking about you?" "You go to hell." "Hey, how many to get me fucked up?" "Just like a bird without a feather" "You know I'm lost without your love" "Just like a bird without a feather" "You know I'm lost without your love" "You know I need your lovin'" "Just like the angels need heaven above" "Well, I done shot that woman" "Shot her 'cause she done me wrong" "Yeah, I love that woman" "Says she ain't love no one but me" "Yeah, but I caught that woman cheatin'" "Now our home ain't where it used to be" "Jess!" "Jess!" "Jess!" "Stop!" " Stop!" "Stop!" " Stop what?" "Stop." "I'm spinning." "Don't." "Oh, God, that feels so much better." "Come on, I'll take you home." "Thought you had some shorts on earlier." "I got others." "This thing you got..." "I've heard people say you'd fuck a tree if it was handy." "I can see that." "But that nigger, Tehronne?" "He thinks he's some player 'cause he hustles dope and stolen hubcaps, I mean," "I can see a tree." "But that piece of shit?" "I begged him not to go." "But he went." "I begged him." "I bet you did." "Just had to get that black cock up in you." "That's not..." "What the fuck you laughing at?" "You ain't got a half of what Tehronne got." "Not a half." "Get up!" "I ain't playing!" "You gotta open your goddamn eyes!" "God damn it!" "Jesus Christ." "Hey, man, wake up." " Lazarus." " Bojo called." "Said you got to see your brother at the long end of a broken bottle." "What, you call to preach me about turning the other cheek now?" "I think you did all right by God, under the circumstances." "Your people are here for you, Laz." "This is your home." "Ain't no shame in showing your face around here." "Yeah, all right." "Shit." "Oh, shit!" "Little lady?" "Little lady, listen to me." "Miss." "Miss, now, I need you to open your eyes for me, all right?" "Come on now." "Open your eyes." "Now, you can do that for me, can't you?" "Come on." "Come on." "There you go." "Just like that." "That's good." " Tehronne." " Huh?" " Tehronne." " Tehronne?" "He did..." "He did..." "He didn't do this to..." "It's all right." "I'm fixing to go to town and get some medicines so I can fix you up." "You just rest, all right?" "Just try to get some sleep." "Take that chill off of you." "God damn." " Lazarus?" " Miss Angie." "You gave me a start." "I'm sorry, it's these soft shoes I wear for my back." " You hurt your back?" " No, no, I'm standing most of my day." "They're just for support." "Didn't see you in church this morning." "Oh, I'm real busy with the crops." "And if I don't work on Sunday, then I have to hire some extra hands." "Well, it's good to see you." "Look here, Miss Angela, my little niece, she got a real bad cough." " You take her to a doctor?" " No." "She can't go..." "Well, ain't no money for a doctor." "Her daddy off work and he asked me to take care of her." "I don't..." "I don't know what to do." "You wait right here." "Is your niece older than 12?" "Okay." "My sister got a bad cough with her pneumonia so I just copied her prescription." "You don t need to pay anything." "Just take it." "And if she gets worse, you give me a call." "I put my number on the bottle." "You ain't gonna get into no trouble about this, is you?" "Not if no one finds out." "Hey, Laz." "You know we closed on Sunday, man." "I need to talk to Tehronne." "Yo, T!" "Laz wanna holla at you, man." "Come on back, Cuz." "You call it a game when one man wins each time?" "I call it a motherfucking shame." " What you want?" " Can I get a word?" "Come on." " You want some weed?" " No, man, I don't mess with that stuff." "You know a white girl about yay high, dirty blonde hair split down the middle like?" "That ain't up to me to hook you up, pop." " She on her own, you know?" " Huh?" "I don't pimp that." "But if you talking about who I think you talking about, you talking about Rae." "Rae Doole." "Sexy little split tail, like you say." "Can't hook you up with that." "But I do got two ho." "One of them ain't in town and the other one pregnant, so you on your own." "Well, this Rae, you get with her?" " Shit, man, who ain't fucked her?" " What you mean?" "Man, she got a spare minute, she snatch up anybody." "Sometime she needs the real deal, so she calls me up." "Girl got a itch, you know?" "What's a nigger to do?" "Now this girl, Rae, she like it rough?" "You know, like beating on her or whatnot?" "That ain't my scene." " That something you into?" " No." "See, look, nigger, that girl's in my favor." "You fuck with her rough, you got me to fuck with." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Collar that dog, boy." "I don't wanna mess with her." "I just wanna know who she is, that's all." "Like I say, you wanna hook up with that, I ain't in your way." "That switch of hers been all over town anyway." " She got that sickness, you know?" " What sickness?" "What I'm saying is, she gotta get dick or she goes crazy." "Get my money ready, nigger." "Miss?" "Miss Rae?" "Hey!" "Hey, you hear me?" "Come here." "Come on." "Come on now." "Hey." "Oh, shit!" "You burning up!" "Hey, listen to me." "Look me in the eye now." "Come on." "Look at me." "See, ain't no harm here." "Ain't no harm." "All I wanna do is get you well." "My name is Lazarus." "Lazarus Redd." " Lazarus." " That's right." "My name is Lazarus." " Lazarus Redd." " Lazarus." "And I'm gonna take good care of you, all right?" "Okay?" "Lazarus!" "Lazarus!" "Lazarus!" "Get off me!" "Get off me!" "See if I give a shit about any of you people!" "Lazarus!" "Lazarus!" "Lazarus!" "I know." "I know it hurts." "I know it hurts!" "We gotta break that fever!" "I ain't gonna let you die!" "I ain't letting you die!" "Now breathe." "Come on." "Breathe now." "Calm down." "There you go." "You cooling off already." "Girl, you put the fear of the devil in me." "I was scared as a kid on Halloween night in the graveyard." "Ronnie?" "Ronnie?" "Ronnie, where did you go?" "Where did you go?" "Where did you go?" "Where did you go, Ronnie?" "Where did you go?" "Ronnie?" "Ronnie?" "Ronnie!" "Ronnie!" "Say, gal..." "Hey." "Is you hearing the sound of my voice?" "You traveling now, girl." "Why don't you come on back in the house with me now?" "Come on now." "Come on!" "Hey." "Hey." "Hey." "Hey, you all right?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa now." "Come on." "Hey, hey." "It's all right." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Come on." "Come on." "You all right." "You all right." "It's all right now." "It's okay." "Just rest, all right." "It's okay." "It's okay." " Oh, no, no, no." " It's okay." "Hey." "Hey." "We ain't gonna do that, all right?" "Here you go, Rae." "You're safe now." "Listen." "Listen." "Listen here." "I went" "Down to the church house" "I heard a voice" "Tell me to pray" "I got down on my knees" "But I had no words to say" "No words to say" "You know I could not pray" "If I, I was a catfish" "Swimming, Lord, in the deep blue sea" "I'd have all you big leg women" "Fishing after me" "Fishing after me" "Well, there's two, two trains runnin'" "They run, they run my way" "You know one run 'round midnight" "The other run just 'fore day, just 'fore day" "That train, Lord, took my baby away" "Took my baby away" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, now." "Just take it easy." "Don't go too fast." "How long I been out?" "You been in and out, I don't know, I guess two days." "Two days?" "Well, you wake up in spells, you know." "Just long enough to get some of this medicine in you." "Can you turn that shit off?" "Oh, yeah." "Found you out by the side of the road." "Looked like somebody took to beating on you pretty bad." "You know who done that to you?" " Where's Ronnie?" " I don't know who that is." "No, wait, wait." "He left." "I don't got any money or anything, you know, for fixing me up." "I don't need none." "I guess I best be on my way." " I think we need to talk some." " No, sir." "I gotta be on my way." "Best to get your wits about you before..." "I wanted to tell you about that." "Why you got me chained?" "What the fuck you been doing to me?" "I ain't laid a hand on you, except to break your fever." " Like I said..." " Get this goddamn chain off me!" "Look, girl, you been running wild on me!" "Between them fits and them fever dreams you having," "I been chasing you all over this place at night." "Well, I'm woke now." "You can take this off." "No." "You ain't right yet." "I'm right enough to stand on my own two feet." "Now get this goddamn chain off me!" "Why you let them mens treat you like that?" "What?" "All them mens you up under, why you let them do you like that?" "What the hell you know about me?" "You ain't got no right to talk to me about that shit!" " Who the fuck do you think you are?" " I saved your life, girl!" "I can do or say whatever the fuck I want!" "Now, I done give you enough chain so you can get around the house here." "You can get to the kitchen." "Bathroom, back yonder." "You got enough food around here." "A few more swallows left in that medicine over there." "Whatever you want, you know, if you wanna have me, you can take me." "I'll do whatever you like." "Just, when you're done, I gotta go." "You know?" "'Cause I can't stay here with you." "God seen fit to put you in my path." "And I aim to cure you of your wickedness." " You some kind of pervert?" " No, ma'am." "Some crazy Jesus freak, gonna fuck the spirit into me?" "You watch your tongue in my house!" " Look it, mister..." " Now, you sick!" " You got a sickness!" " Look it, mister..." " We done broke the fever." " I will do whatever you want." "Now, we gonna break the hold the devil got on you!" "I can't stay here!" "I can't stay here!" "Help!" "Somebody help me!" "We ain't gonna be moved." "Listen here, gal." "I ain't gonna be moved on this." "Help!" "Let me go!" "You can holler all you want." "Ain't nobody gonna hear you." "Ain't gonna bend my will, neither." "Right or wrong, you gonna mind me." "Like Jesus says, I'm gonna suffer you." "I'm gonna suffer you!" "Get your ass back in my house!" "Or what?" "Or what?" " Quit it!" "It hurts!" " Now, whose doing is that?" "God damn it!" "Okay!" "You hungry?" "I put a lot of backache into growing them greens." "Some love into cooking the rest of it." "If you slow down, you might taste some of it." "Oh, you like this?" "Walking me through this field all day like I was your mule?" "Can't lay around on the sofa all day." "Gotta get your legs strong." "If I break one, you gonna shoot me?" "My daddy was one of the first mens in these parts to start a soil conservation group." "They got a group of farmers together, every year they rotate the crops." "Know why they do that?" "Keep the soil healthy." " That sting?" " Itches." "That mean it's healing." "Now, I done seen it in nature and I done seen it in men." "You gots to change, rotate the crop." "Gotta have change, else that seed won't take." "Hell, girl, you gotta cut that shit out." "Laying up under all them fools, rutting on you like you some bitch in heat, like you somebody's dog." "A man or woman that enters into union with Almighty God in the sanctity of marriage, should not demean theyselves by bending to another's will." "Hell, girl, is you crazy?" "I ain't no saint." "I ain't saying I ain't weak." "I mean, playing guitar in them blood-bucket jukes all your life, a nigger learn how to sin." "And I do got sin in me." "I ain't gonna lie about that." "But I got respect!" "And all you got in you is bile!" "Just bile!" "Running around behind my back, whoring with my brother!" " Killing my baby!" " Get off!" "I didn't mean to go off like that." "Why you old men gotta talk so much?" "You gotta talk yourself into fucking me?" "Like little boys." "It's okay." "I'm grown." "I know." "We can go slow." "You gonna give me another bath?" "Well, Archie, there goes our fortune." "Laz, we've been doing good since you been away." "What time Ella Mae's open up?" "You needing to buy some pantyhose?" "Couple of dresses, actually." " May I help you, sir?" " Yessum." "I'm looking to get some things for a woman." "You know, some dresses and such and maybe some shoes." "But they gotta be nice things, you know, proper things for a woman." "You know, things that make a woman feel like a woman and not look like a hussy or a floozy." "Well, that makes it easier." "Hello?" "Hey!" "Asshole." "I just wanted to bring something to show my appreciation." "Some squash, tomatoes, corn, butter beans." "Oh, you didn't have to do that." "Well, my niece is all better now, thanks to you." "That's good." "I'm happy to hear it." "Oh, and I put something special in here." "This whipped body cream." "Got a scent to it." "That there is ginger soufflé." "Say, you put it on after a hot bath or shower, it'll make you soft, smell good." "That's real sweet of you." "Just hope you enjoy it." "Thank you." "Mr. Lazarus!" "Hey, Mr. Laz!" "I come for the butter beans!" "Mr. Laz?" "Mr. Laz, you in there?" "Mr. Laz!" "I'm coming inside!" "There now!" "Hush up!" "God damn!" "Girl, I can't leave you alone for a minute!" "Get your ass away from around here!" "Lincoln." "Lincoln!" "Was that Lincoln James I seen running off?" "Why his britches down around his knees?" "R.L., you gonna have to get on." "Can't have nobody around my place." "You get a call from Rose?" "This ain't got nothing to do with that woman." "I just don't wanna be bothered with nobody right now." "Something wrong with your phone?" "I been trying to call you for a few days." "Going dove hunting?" "R.L., now I done told you to get on." "I ain't playing." "You saying that gun is for me if I don't." "I ain't letting you talk me out of shit no more, R.L." "I done made up my mind on this, I ain't gonna be moved." ""Ain't gonna be moved."" "There ain't no room for preaching around here no more!" "Now, I done told you to get on!" " Or what?" " Go on now!" "Go on." "Shoot me." "Shoot me, killer." "I ought to stomp your ass, pointing this thing at me." "Damn it, Laz." "I know we ain't blood, but we was raised like brothers, since the very first day we was slapped on the ass." "Now you gonna go point a gun at me?" "If you were in some kind of trouble, then we gonna figure something out." "You and me." "Here." "Go on, wipe your face off." "This got something to do with Rose?" "Then what?" "I didn't wanna do it." "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" "Man in your line of work ought to not use the Lord's name in vain like you just did." "A half-naked white woman chained up in your house!" "Now look here, I found that girl beat on and left for dead out on the road!" "I just brung her home!" "Laz, I know that girl!" "She had a whole mess of crabs and STDs!" "What you thinking?" "I swear on my mamma's grave, R.L., I ain't touched that girl." "My wick dry on this." "You say she was beat on." "You call the Sheriff on this?" "R.L., now put yourself in my place." "You out here by yourself with, as you say, a half-naked white woman who love to fuck." "Now, I done been toe to toe with the law in this town a heap of times just for being black and nearby." " What's that chain around her waist for?" " Go on in there and ask her." "Now this girl been rut on and beat on all her days." "She need to talk to somebody with some sense and some reasoning." "That's you." "Just go in there and talk to her." "Please." "And I'm fixing steaks for supper." "I expect you to stay." "You expect me to sit down and eat with that woman chained up the way she is?" "R.L., you watch yourself in there." "That gal be on your dick like stank on shit." "Lincoln." "Come here, boy." "Come on." " I ain't hurt you none, did I?" " No, sir." "Look here." "What happened up yonder at the house, that wasn't your fault." "Ain't a young man alive could've kept his pants on with that girl in heat like she is." "Why she got a chain on her?" "Well, now, that's between me and her, that's private." "So," " that your first time?" " Yes, sir." "Shit!" "I remember my first time was out behind my uncle's barn with my second cousin." "Man, that girl must've weighed two tons if she weighed a pound." "Could've done a lot better for myself." "Hell, look like you sure enough did." " You want a cigarette?" " No, sir." "That's usually what you do when you get through, you know." "You either smoke or leave them smoking." " You a preacher?" " That's right." "Can I ask you a question?" "You know how people are always saying, you gotta get right with Jesus if you want not to go to hell, you know." "Gotta say you're sorry and Jesus will let you into heaven." "You can put it that way." "That's so fucking stupid." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I don't mean to curse." "I just..." "No, no, no." "What's on your mind?" "What's on your mind?" "You can't go around hurting people and then just say you're sorry and it all gets washed away." "Why would heaven want people like that?" "I'm gonna tell you something, and it's just gonna be between you and me." "I think folks carry on about heaven too much." "Like it's some kind of all-you-can-eat buffet up in the clouds, and folks just do as they're told so they can eat what they want behind some pearly gates." "There's sin in my heart." "There's evil in the world." "But when I got no one, I talk to God." "I ask for strength." "I ask for forgiveness." "Not peace at the end of my days when I got no more life to live or no more good to do, but today." "Right now." "What's your heaven?" "Ronnie." "Holy shit." "Hey, Jim, let's get Ronnie set up here." "Thank you." "Hey, Herman." "Hey, Ronnie." "They buy you that Big Chicken Dinner?" "The what?" "They got different names for things in the Corps when they trying to get rid of you." "I don't know what it's like in the Guard, but there's a thing called the Bad Conduct Discharge, a BCD." "It's not the same as the brig, but it'll sure fuck you up for life if you ever wanna work for the government." "How do you get one of them deals?" "Well, blowing boys in the head..." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, son!" "I ain't saying shit about you." "I'm just talking." "You don't know what you're talking about, so shut the fuck up!" "All right, man." "All right!" "It's all right!" "Hey, Herman." "Come on, man." "He just got back." "Shit." "To get back he had to have gone somewhere." " Fuck you!" " All right, man." " Come on, sit down." " God damn it." "So what happened?" "They been keeping a folder on me 'cause of my stomach." "Like how I used to get before games back in school." "I can't shoot." "I mean, target practice, I'm a pro." "I can tag right between the numbers, but..." "Something happens when I get around loud noises." "I get shaky and start to lose my breath." "They called it anxiety." "Severe anxiety." "Anyway, they sent me home." "I guess it could be worse." "Could be coming back in a body bag." "Hey, I can't get Rae on the phone." "I mean, I called, she's not at home." "None of her friends seem to know where she is." "She's around." "Always is." "I don't know." "I just feel like something bad's happened." "You'd tell me if you knew something, right?" "Now that's sharp." "That is sharp." "You ain't had no trouble with that chain, did you?" "No." "Well, steaks is on." "Potatoes is boiling." "R.L. and Lincoln are out there grilling the corn." "I'm about to throw these biscuits in the oven." " What you know how to fix?" " I don't fucking cook." "You know, Rae, I known a whole bunch of hard-cussing people in my day..." "All right, all right." "Now, look." "I put the goddamn dress on, okay?" "I think I'm handling myself with a little bit of fucking restraint, how you got me chained up here like I'm some kind of dog!" "Rae." "Rae!" "I ain't arguing with you." "All I'm saying is I know you got more in you than filth." " You saying you can't cook nothing?" " No." " Can you boil water?" " I think I can handle that." "All right." "Get to handling it." " We gonna eat with her?" " That's what I'm told." " She still gonna have that chain on?" " Well, I'm working on that." "We ask you to bless this meal put before us." "May this food nourish our bodies and may the fellowship nourish our spirit." "In Jesus' name we pray." "Amen." "Amen." "Y'all let me know if these steaks is too dry, all right?" "And don't be shy now." "Got plenty over here." " This all looks wonderful." " I skipped lunch today." "These eggs got a little kick to them." "What you put in this?" "I expect you need to ask the chef here." "Cayenne pepper." "Rae?" "Rae?" "Kitchen looks just like I left it." "She ever tell you she was thinking of taking off?" "You know how she gets!" "With her history..." "God damn!" "I guess I could see how she could get scared." "All right." "All right, man." "Sit down." "Her mamma works down at the grocery down on the square." " Hell, maybe she's seen her." " Ronnie." "You can't see it 'cause you're too close to it." "Anxiety spells you get, you never had that shit back in school." " That's not true..." " You joined up in that monkey troop 'cause you had a plan for yourself!" "Army's gonna pay for school." "Gonna get yourself a degree." "Maybe something in business or agriculture." "You were gonna make something of yourself." "Then you had to go and fall in love with the school slut." "Hey, I know about how she was like." "Hey, I was the only one she talked to about it." "How she was abused." " Terrible things, Gill." " Bullshit." "Terrible things." "Things you don't even wanna know about." "You had a plan!" "You had a goddamn life and she just fucked the guts out of you!" "She had to take care of me the whole time!" "Shit, I'd start throwing up, choking!" "And I got better." "You know?" "And since we been together she put all that junk behind her." "She been faithful." "First weekend away, when you was off playing soldier on Saturdays," "I come over, drop off spare keys like you want me to." "You weren't gone two hours and she was aching to get me inside of her." "I mean, every time you leave town, that pussy's up for grabs." "You're a liar." "Is that right?" "Don't you think it's funny how I know where everything in your house is?" "I don't care if that hurts you or not." "I really don't." "Truth is" "I don't even know who you are anymore." "So fuck it." " You gonna steal my truck now?" " Make yourself at home." "You've done it already." " You take it straight?" " Sure." "Jesus!" " You want another one?" " Sure." "We drinking buddies now?" "To" "freedom." "Still making jokes." "This ain't no joke." "Come here." "It ain't on me to change your life or nobody else's." "Shit." "People gonna do what the hell they wanna do anyway." "You ain't got but one life." "You ought to live it the way you want." "I can take you back to town now if you want." "Laz, will you do something for me?" "Whatever you want." "I ain't played for nobody in years." "I wanted me some kids, a whole mess of them." "But for Rose, my wife, kids is for another time." "Then one spring," "I seened a change in her." "Her breasts started swelling up." "Couple of mornings, I hear her in the bathroom throwing up." "I done seen it in other women before, so I knew." "Then one day," "Rose said she had to go to Jackson, visit her folks, and she ain't wanted me to go, so I stayed here." "You know how they talk about a woman having that glow?" "She didn't have it no more." "She done cut it out." "Got rid of it." "That voice in my head, every time I think it's gone, it comes howling back." "Calls me when I'm ailing, when I can't find my way home." "Lost in the pines." "I calls it the Black Snake Moan." "Black snake all in my room" "Black snake all in my room" "Some pretty mamma" "Better get this black snake soon" "Sing, Laz." "Please keep singing." "Black snake is evil" "Black snake is all I see" "Black snake is evil" "Black snake is all I see" "Woke up this morning" "Black snake moved in on me" " Where you gonna be?" " I'm gonna be right here." " Be here all afternoon." " Okay." "Hey." "You sure you ready for this?" "Yeah." "Yeah, no big deal." "I'm just gonna get some girlie stuff." "You know, like some makeup and stuff." "All right." "Hey." "You know, this town ain't going nowhere." "Take all the time you need." "All right." "She a friend of mine." "I bet you got a lot of loyal customers." " Hey, Miss Angie." " Hey." "Like what I brung you, huh?" "I've been eating like a princess all week." "I even got enough for us to take lunch." "That'd be nice." "And I got that lotion on you gave me." "Can you smell it?" "Now that's nice, too." "Hey." "What happened to your face?" "I got in a little accident." "I was thinking, since you're working on the square now, if you wanted to, we could get coffee or something some morning." " You need money again?" " No." "No, I..." "Why we always gotta do this?" "You and me been at each other as far back as I can remember." "I'm your daughter." " I'm the only family you got." " You never needed nobody, Rae." "You always made that perfectly clear to me." "I know I did." "But I'm trying to be different, you know." "I'm trying to get some peace." "Yeah, well, I'm working here now." "Can't you see that?" "I just wanted some makeup." "All that shit's on aisle five." "I just think you should've kept him off me, that's all." " What the hell are you talking about?" " Now don't do that, Mamma." "I will go along with all the crap you talk about me, but you can't pretend no more on that." "'Cause I was just a kid." "I didn't know about all that shit he was doing to me." "And you let him do it." "Some big nobody in your life and you let him do whatever the fuck he wanted!" "No." "Okay." "All right." "I'm sorry, Mamma." "I didn't mean to shout." "Sorry, I didn't mean to get upset." "I just..." "All my life I've been putting out your fires while you been giving out your snatch to every wagging dick in this town!" "And now you're gonna put the blame at my feet?" "Mamma, if we can just talk about it." "If you could just tell me, we could be eye to eye on this." "I'm just not gonna take your shit." "No, I'm not." "You don't have to say you're sorry!" "Just tell me how you knew!" "The only thing I'm sorry for is for ever listening to my parents and having you and not doing what I should've done." "Tell me you didn't know, you goddamn liar!" "Tell me!" "You fucking liar!" "Fuck you!" "You were in the next goddamn room, you bitch!" "What you be doing with yourself when you ain't working?" "I was thinking about singing in the choir." "Up at the church?" " Why don't you sing me something?" " When?" "Now?" " Yeah." " Oh, no." "Come on now, don't be shy." "Just go ahead and let it out." "All right." "Let's see." "There is a balm in Gilead" "To make the wounded whole" "There is a balm in Gilead" "To heal the sin sick soul" "What?" "What is it?" "Get off!" "My God!" "Turn her loose!" "Turn her loose, God damn it!" "Do you hear the sound of my voice?" "Y'all get on out the way now." "Move, man!" "This your niece?" "You took care of your wife like you do me?" "I tried." "Ain't no use in us fighting this shit." "You and me, we night owls." "Get dressed." " What's wrong?" " Nothing." "All right, see if you can find yourself a seat over there in the corner on that bench." "Go on." "Ain't nobody gonna fuck with you." "Who the hell's all this?" "What?" "I called Bojo, like you said." "Called the fellas in the band." "Where the fuck all these people come from?" "I been drinking in this shithole all my life," "I ain't never seen this many people in here at once." "Shithole?" "Kiss my ass, Laz." "Back at you, motherfucker." "I bet both of y'all called all these people, didn't you?" "That's right, preacher, get me drunk so I don't stick my foot up your ass." "I just know how you get." "Good to know you still got some butterflies in your gut." "All right, here we go." "Hey, y'all." "All right." "Ced." "Ken." "Thank y'all for coming." "All y'all, hush up." "Shut up." "All right now." "Y'all ready for some shit?" "Is you ready for some shit?" "Alice Mae." "If you see my baby" "They call her Alice Mae" "Yeah!" "You home now, old man!" "You just walked through the door!" "Yeah!" "If you see my baby" "They call her Alice Mae" "You wanna cut it up, baby?" "Tell all them fellas" "They'd better stay away" "Tell all them fellas" "In this here neighborhood" "Tell all them fellas" "In this here neighborhood" "This here's my woman" "That chacha will do you no good" "Whoa!" "Yeah!" "This here a song from back in the day" "Nineteen hundred and sixty-two" "My woman put my black ass out in the cold" "I said, "Baby, why you leaving?"" "She said, "Our love done gone cold"" "Well, I waded through water and I waded through mud" "Till I come to this place they call the Bucket of Blood" "You know, that bartender give me a dirty look and a dirty glass" "I said, "Say, motherfucker!" "Do you know who I am?"" "He said, "Hell no, nigger!" "I don't give a goddamn!"" "I reached down in my pocket and pulled out my shiny.44" "Shot that motherfucker twice!" "He hit the goddamn floor" "'Bout that time you could've heard the drop of a pin" "That's when that bad motherfucker Billy Lyons walked in" "'Bout that time a pimp eased up and turned out the lights" "That's when I had old Billy Lyons dead in my sights" "When the lights come back on old Billy gone to rest" "I pumped nine of my bullets in his motherfucking chest!" "Sometime, that kind of blues will make you even kill one another or do anything that kind of low." "It goes here, on this side." "That's where the blues started." "It ain't on this side." "It's over here." "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "This little light of mine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of..." "This little light of mine" "Look like somebody know a song." "No." "I got the words in my head but, you know..." "I don't know where I learned it." "But I can't play." "How you feeling?" "You know how you feel when you come out of a bad hangover?" "You know, like you could open your eyes a little more?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm there." "I got up real early this morning." "You know, the sun was shining." "And I thought maybe I'd see if I could play this, but..." " You can." " No, I can't." "Yeah, you can." "Right here." "Right here, see?" " I tell you what." "You sing." " All right." " I'll see if I can pick it out for you." " Okay." "All right, now." "Just close your eyes and think on what you love." " Get a real good picture of it." " What I love." "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine" "Hide it under a bushel" "No, I'm gonna let it shine" "Hide it under a bushel" "No, I'm gonna let it shine" "Hide it under a bushel" "No, I'm gonna let it shine" "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine" "Ronnie!" "No!" "It ain't been but a week and you already some nigger's whore." "Oh, did you think I wouldn't find out?" "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" "Gill told me how you and him..." "How you and everybody..." "Did you have fun with her, huh?" "Sweet as a peach, I bet!" "Huh?" " No!" " Shut up, bitch!" "Shut the fuck up!" "Be careful where you aim that gun, boy." "Or what?" "Huh?" "Or what?" "You come to talk, boy, or you come to kill somebody?" "You ain't gonna be calling me boy when I blow your fucking face off!" "Boy, you so green you couldn't stomp a baby duck." "Are you testing me?" "Huh?" "Just what kind of test would that be, huh?" "Test if you're a man?" "If you're a killer?" "Hell, that ain't hard to find out, is it?" "All you gotta do is pull that trigger back." "Go on." "Go ahead." " Okay, Ronnie..." " God damn it, Rae!" "Keep that gun trained on me, boy." "Now, you wanna kill a man, and all you need's a reason, right?" "Well, you know she been out here with me." "Been all over town giving up that switch you thought was yours." " Shut up!" " Give all your love to one woman and she give it to another man." "Now that's a reason to kill a man there." "Then won't be no questions." "She'll know you a man!" " A real killer!" " Don't say that to me!" "I'm too old to play house or cowboys." "You gonna do it or get out of my face." "Go on." "Do it!" "Ronnie." "Ronnie." "Ronnie, baby, look at me." "Ronnie, look at me." "Look at me." "Come on, look at me." "Baby, it's all right." "I got you." "I got you." "Come on." "Come on." "Hold on." "Hold on, baby." " Hey, it's me." " It's okay." "I need you to get over here." "Yeah, right now!" "We did a lot of dreaming, me and Rae." "Made big plans to get out." "I'd go do my tour and move out of here." "Maybe go to Knoxville." "But when Rae gets like she does" "and does the things that she does..." "Go on, Ronnie." "Go on." " This is fucking stupid." " Go on." "What Rae did for me," "she fixed me." "But I can't fix her." "Rae, we don't wanna fix you or judge you." "Only you and the good Lord can do that." "But I want you to tell me about these spells you get." "Well," "I get these thoughts in my head, you know." "Like shit I done or shit that's been done to me, and I can't get them out." "And it burns, you know, it hurts." "It starts in my head and moves down to my hands, and my stomach, and then lower, and..." "You know, sometimes I can stop them but mostly I can't." "The only thing that ever made that feel better was Ronnie 'cause I love him so much." "Why don't you look at Ronnie and tell him how you feel?" "I think..." "I think we're fucked up." "Both of us." "I mean, I know I am." "But that don't mean that what I feel isn't real, that I can't love somebody." "And I know how I've been and what I've done is real, real bad." "But..." "So if you wanna quit on me, I understand." "But please don't." "So, what you two gonna do about this?" "Hi, Miss Angie." "You wasn't at your work so I just figured I'd drop by." "What you need?" "I need your help again." "More cough syrup?" "Come on." "Shit." "You Ronnie?" "Yeah." "I'm Lincoln." "I'm gonna be your best man." "Okay." "You having trouble with that tie?" "'Cause I'm pretty good at it." "Gotta do it like this or I'll get all turned around." "Laz, she's ready." "Ain't she pretty?" "I'll give y'all some time together." "Now that is sharp!" "Girl, you sharp as a tack." "Old Miss Ella Mae done you right, didn't she?" " Yeah." " You like it?" "I've had nice things before but, you know, I always seem to ruin them somehow." "This here one yours." "I know you gonna take care of it." " I'm gonna try." "But, Laz..." " Hey, hey." "We ain't gonna have no talk like that today, all right?" "You and me, we gonna get through this." "We gonna be just fine." "You go on and live your life." "Get your shit together and live your life." "Okay." "I don't want you to let go of me." "You and me, we always gonna have hope to each other." "When I was a child, I talked like a child," "I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child." "When I became a man, I put aside my childish ways." "All right." "You got her now." "And now these three remain, faith, hope and love." "But the greatest of these is love." "Ronnie?" "I gotta pull over." "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "This little light of mine" "I'm gonna let it shine" "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine" "Baby." "See?" "See?" "We're okay." "We're okay."