Original subtitles

(Water dripping)

(Bluesy harmonica play)

(Coughs)

Damn!

(Coughs)

(Whistles)

(Whistle replies)

Shot in the hole

Shot in the hole

Danny! What in god's name are you doing i got a shot set up

Back there

Word come down from turley

(Indiscernible)

They brung it down to 90 cent a ton

Damn!

Them dagos are holding fast in #3

He says take it or leave it

Sephus what we gonna do?

Hit were 19 and 20 in the southwest field and things were

Tough

The miners was trying to bring the union to west virginia

The coal operators and their gun thugs was set on keeping em out

¶(mining song)�

Them was hard days, they paid you by the ton and they didn't

Care no more for a man that'd done for a draft mule

Them was hard people, your coalminer then they wasn't

Nobody you wanted to cross

¶(mining song)�

So push come to shove and pretty soon we had us a war down there

In mango county

Which in them days was known as bloody mango

That's where it all come to a head, there on tug fork

In the town of matewan

We done it mama, we gonna have the union

(Conductor talking) (train stopping)

(Indiscernible talking)

What in the hell are we stopping for?

Step down gentleman this here will be your new home

How come we ain't getting off in town?

-Just get in line

(Yelling)

(Train horn blows)

I'm gonna kill him!, kill him!

Get on the train! Get on!

C'mon bill!

Come on! Come on bill!

Gimme your hand man

-Get out of here!

When do we get to matewan? -You don't want to go there

Mister, ain't nothing but crazy people

Hi

Hi

Everybody was here, then the got worried and the gone on up the

Line a ways

Some kind of union bizness

Yeah i saw -You best steer clear of it

My names bridey mae tolliver

Uh, joe kenehan

Uh, you know

Radner's boarding house? -Big white house

Right on past the coal dock, she's a real sourpuss though

Elma radner

Thank you

You gonna be in town long?

It depends

I'll see you around

I hope so

These picks and shovels are to be considered a loan

From the stone mountain coal company

They're costs will be deducted from your first months' pay

Tool sharpener provided by the company's 25 cents a month

Use of the wash house is 75 cents a month

Medical doctor provided by the company is 2 dollars a month

Special procedures extra

Your train ride here provided by the company will be deducted

From your first months' pay

Your pay will be issued as company script

Redeemable for all goods and services at the stone mountain

Company store

Purchases of any items available at the company store from

Outside merchants will result in firing without pay

What's to keep y'all from jacking up the prices at your

Store?

Name?

Johnson, they calls me few clothes

Powder, fuses, lamps, head gear, all appropriate clothing will be

Available at the company store

And stone mountain will generously advance you a month's

Supply of these items

Payment to be deducted

I'm going to take you over to camp now where you'll be living

There is some italian gentleman that are very eager to meet you

Rentals will be for one room, 250 a month

Company rule, no more than two people to one room

Children included

Electricity where that is feasible will be 1 dollar a

Month

Mrs. Radner?

Yes.

My name is joe kennehan

I'm going to be in town for a bit and your place here was

Recommended

What do you do?

Uh, i guess i'm looking for work

You with the company?

The company? -If you ain't with the company,

There ain't no work

Look mister don't act a lamb with me, what's your business

Here -Mama!

Mama it's hillard the scabs done it mama off the line a mile they

Was all colored this time, they bust his nose

You got any ice?

Some in the back -Fetch me two chunks about this

Big and a piece of rag

You a doctor? -No, but i seen my share of

Broken noses

Now just put it up in the air buddy just like your watching

The clouds

We'll get that bleeding stopped

(Indiscernible)

Say what? -He said he got his licks in

Seems to be all the men around here care about wives starving

So they can get their licks in

It's just frustration is all

And you can't take care of them you care about

I know it ain't their fault

Here you go -This freezes up all them little

Veins inside

It's just so they close up and they don't let any more blood

Out

You a doctor?

No.

I'm just a guy looking for a place to stay

5 dollars a week cash

That includes dinner and clean sheets

Hope i'm not making a mistake

Name is joe kennehan

Mostly i work for the railroads laying track

Kansas, missouri

I went out west for a bit and worked in a lumbar camp

A little of whatever pays an honest dollar

I'm a coalminer at least until we come out i was had me over in

Section 3 i was a trapper boy

Ain't you a little young? -I'm almost 15

There are some in there younger than me

Of course with the strike now i work mostly on running this

Place

I help a little don't i?

It's gonna be a long one

That superintendent at stone mountain he said

He'd go broke before he let one union sumbitch so much as step

Into his coalmines

-Danny sorry ma'am but that's what he

Said

Daniel is a preacher -Is that so?

You ought to hear him testify

What church you with?

Well round here there's the missionary folks they are hard

Shell baptist and then there's the free will folks which is

Your soft shell baptist

Right now i preach for both

(Knock at door)

Ill get it

Daniel is gonna preach tonight over at the missionary

I never was religious myself

It's sephus mama

Hello elma

Ms. Knightes

Have a seat -I come to have a word with your

New boarder

If he don't mind

Excuse me

Claims he's the fella the union sent us

Can you prove it?

Don't take nothing to have a card printed up

I guess you'll just have to trust me

Who wrote the iron hill

Jack london -Where's joe hillbury dead?

All over the world they scattered his ashes

Which eye is big bill hayward missing?

His right one -How did frank little die?

Bute, montana, they hung him from a railroad trestle

You know your stuff

I was with the wobbley's -Me too

Back when it meant something

One big union -Not around here buddy

C.E. Lively

This is my restaurant, fellas are waitin'

They don't give a damn whether we live or die

Just so long as they get the coal out of the ground

They had us pulling pillars and the roof was working, you know

Like it does before it's going to fall down

If i say i ain't dying in here and walk away

They'll put me down in some damn puddle in a 2 foot seam

And no air to breathe..A man can't mine coal that way

They're just pushing us further than we can go

The check wayman he'll take 50 pound off your load for slate

When there ain't a pebble in it

It's down in the bottom where they ain't looking for it

Then they raise the prices that the company store the same god

Damn week that they lower the tonnage rate

And they still ain't rock dusted that damn hole

Who am i talking about? -Jesus

I can't hear you? -Jesus!

I still can't hear you? -Jesus!!

Jesus christ our lord do you know his name?

Hallelujah, say yeah

Have you felt the warming comfort of his precious love

Praise jesus

Praise his holy name

Parise his blessed spirit

Praise his everlasting love jesus christ our lord

Listen to me now, listen to me

The prince of darkness

Is upon the lion

Amen

-In the bible his name is beelzebub

Lord of the flies

Right now on earth today

His name is bolshevick

Socialist!, communist!, union man

Lord of untruth sower of evil seed, enemy of all that is good

And pure and this creature

Walks among us

What are we going to do about it?

First thing we got to have is all of these niggers and all

These dagos that come in here to take our jobs thrown out of the

Mines

Mines hell! They got 'em in our houses, they're setting at our

Tables right now

And they're sleeping in our beds while we're out living under a

Piece of canvas at the back of the holler

I been a union man my whole life

I know the story with these coal operators and their gun thugs

The only thing they understand is the bad end of a bullet

If we show them, we just assume blow up their damn mines than

Seen them worked by a bunch of scabs and then they gonna listen

Someone is coming, it's alex. He got someone

Where did you find him?

He come right up on the steps

They told me that c.E. Lively is where the union mens meet

So?

I biznus wit the union

That's so?

What's your name son?

They calls me few clothes (laughs)

I didn't come here looking for no trouble

A mans got to eat

-So why don't you go eat, back where you come from?

They told me that they was jobs here

Go home nigger -God damn scab

You watch your mouth peckerwood

I been called nigger and i can't help that the way white folks is

But i ain't never been called no scab!

And i ain't fixin to start up now

I got ton for ton loading coal with any man here

And when i do, i expects the same dollar for the same work

You get out of this hollar alive son you be doin' good for

Yourself

Union men my ass!

You want to be treated like men

You want to be treated fair

You ain't men to that coal company

Your equipment

Like a shovel, a gondola car

A hunk of wood brace

They'll use you till you wear out or you break down

Or your buried under a slate fall and then they'll get a new

One

And they don't care what color it is or where it comes from

It doesn't matter how much coal you can load

Or how long your family has lived on this land

If you stand alone you just so much sh*t to those people

You think this man is your enemy?

Huh?

This is a worker

Any union keeps this man out

Ain't a union

It's a god damn club

Now they got you fighting white against colored

Native against foreign, holler against holler

When you know there ain't but two sides to this world

Them that work and them that don't

You work

They don't

That's all you got to know about the enemy

You say you got guns

Well i know that you all are brave men

And i know you could shoot it out with the company if you had

To

But the coal company don't want this union

And the state government don't want it

The federal government don't want it

And all of them just waiting for an excuse to come down and crush

Us to nothing

Fellas we're in a hole full of coal gas here

The tiniest spark at the wrong time is going to be the end of

Us

So we got to pick away at this situation slow

And careful

We got to organize and build support

We got to work together

Together!

Till they can't get their coal out of the ground without us

Because we're a union

Case we're the workers damn it! And we take care of each other

How can we shut the mines down if we don't dynamite them

The men walk out

All of them

Fat chance

And every man that walks out on his own steam

We take into the union

All the dagos and all the colored?

That's what a union is fellas

You better get used to it

So this fella owns a vineyard, goes out first thing one morning

And he hires some workers

Says he'll give 'em a dollar for the day which was decent wages

In biblical times

Well then he's at the marketplace and he sees some

Other fellas and he hires them

And some more at noon and some at 2 and some at 5 and every

Time it's the same deal

A dollar for the day and he's hiring all day long right up

Till 1 hour before quitting time

Look we're real sorry to barge in on you like this

But it's come to a point where we got to talk to you

Now i know you people got it hard coming to a new country

You don't know the rules

Don't know how things work

You don't know sh*t about mining coal that's for sure

They been dying like flies in that #3 hole

But how it is

You don't have a whole lot of choice in this thing

You know what a union is?

Cindagato cindagato?

What the situation is

We need every.. -We join the union they shoot us

We no join the union you shoot us

Well, that's one way of looking at it

Those dagos are driving me crazy

Now what's he playing? -Shhhh

Now who's that?

(Harmonica playing)

Peckerwood is gone pass

Union men will be up in a few minutes

What we talking here for? -You want to walk back to

Alabama?

The sun goes down and he sends for his foreman and he says to

Go pay off the workers starting with the ones he picked up just

An hour ago and to pay everyone of them the same dollar a day

And of course the fellas that went out first

Is roped off about this

So they get to agitating, complaining so loud that the

Owner come up and he says look it

We dealt for a dollar and that's what you get

And what i pay anybody else is none of your look out so there

Now that's all the gospel story says except for the moral jesus

Drew out of it

And so jesus says

Thus it will be in the kingdom of heaven the first will be last

And the last will be first

Now it's clear from this parable

That jesus hadn't heard nothin' about the union

If he was walking the earth today and seen the situation we

Got with these coal operators he'd changed his tune

A man deserve an hourly wage he'd say for those the pit be

Gassy and the face full of slate, a man still toileth by

The sweat of his brow

And what's a better deal here on earth, no matter i got in store

For him in the hereafter

Praise jesus!

Kennehan

Out kinda late aren't you?

I met some people and we got to talking

Talking?

Yeah

Who are you?

Name is sid hatfield

I'm chief of police around here

It ain't against the law to talk is it?

Depends

I take care of my people

You bring them trouble you're a dead man

Sleep tight kennehan

Hi

Well, look at this grigsy they got up a little reception

Committee for us

(Laughs)

What is your name honey? -Bridey mae tolliver

You like to watch the trains come and go bridey mae?

Yeah

And the people that come into town

There been a lot of new people coming here lately ?

A few

Fella named joe kennehan show up?

Maybe

Are you married bridey mae?

I was

He got killed in the mine

That's too bad

Did you hear that grigsy he got killed in the mine

It's a shame

Was your husband a union man while he was living?

No. He said it wouldn't never take hold down here

He sounds like a smart fella

I think that you are real pretty you know that bridey mae

Thank you

Don't you think she's pretty grigsy?

You are the best looking mountain trash i've seen in a

Long while

We'll see you around

Let's roll grigsy

The sooner we get out of this sh*thole the better

I was putting up blackberry's when tremel blankenship come

Shouting up the hollar that the #5 had blown

I remember i took the pot off the stovetop and warshed up my

Hands before i went down

It took two days to dig through

Then when they brung 'em up you couldn't tell which was which

They found blood on the walls from fellas trying to claw their

Way out

Mrs. Elkins, mrs. Mounts, bridey mae

We all lost our men in that fire

Danny was 7 then

Now he's back in that same hole

How did it start?

Coal dust gets hanging in the air down there and there is a

Spark

Hey could spray the walls down but the company says it costs

Too much

It was..Uh, was sid hatfield ever a miner?

Not for long me don't like to be closed in sid

He's always real friendly, smiling sid

Then the war come

Cable testerman got to be the mayer

He made sid chief of police and then the girl that cable

Married..Well...

I don't want you using danny on no crazy union business

A man has to stand up for what he believes in

Danny ain't no man..

Look it mister you gonna be movin' on

Win or lose your gonna walk out of this holler and we gotta stay

Here

I intend to leave a union when i go

My husband used to talk union

I seen where it got him

-Mama people out front mama

Sorry mister we're full up -Not anymore your not sonny

Stone mountain sent us down here -We're still full up

Can i help you gentleman? -These two are trying to push

Their way in here, i told them it wasn't no use

I don't see where you got any say in the matter

If my mama says you can't stay here then you can't that's all

Danny!

Keep out of this

Look, i only got one room left

Well then somebody is going to have to move don't they?

Let me see your register? -You ain't seen nothin'

Lady we're here as guests of the stone mountain coal company,

They own this house

Good morning

You fellas movin' in?

-Yeah -No

Well you wont find a better night's sleep anywheres in town

It's a shame i got to move over to the hotel it's

Business you know

So you mind if i settle my bill ma'am?

Danny, you sign these two gentleman in

Don't think the company isn't going to hear about this

Boy sometimes you got to bend so as you don't break

Food's awful at the hotel

Mattress got lumps

Probably cooties too

I'll be all right

I'll get my things -Thank you

Now, let's mine down here

Maybe we get some luck, get a hold of something solid

Give the top a little poke

Now, if you get a ranging sound your all set

Nice solid top over your head

You get a hollow sound

Like a drum that says it's sagging a bit

You gotta put in another post

You did coal a long time? -Since i was 10

We make a shoe, everybody in the same fabric in milano

Make a shoe

-Shoes

You make shoes

As soon as they get that union they'll send us back

It could be

But you try and head out of here now, you be on all that money

Like they say company shoot you for a thief

We just be slaves up here, they own our black asses

Gentleman

-Hey few i got a question for you

Yes

Now suppose they let us in this union like they say, we gonna

Have to work with them italian people?

(Laughs)

C'mon babies

C'mon and get it now, c'mon, c'mon

C'mon now

Oh boy

Taking a walk?

I'm going up to the coal camp to meet those new fellas when they

Come off their shifts

Your doing union business ain't ya?

How you like mrs. Radner's?

Well it wasn't room, now i'm at the hotel now

Ain't she a sourpuss though?

Mr. Kennehan! They's evictin' in town mr. Kennehan

It's baldwin, baldwin thugs

This is town property

Who are you?

I'm the mayer

Well, pleased to meet you, my name is bill hickey

This is tom griggs, we're carrying out an eviction for

Stone mountain

You can do what you want up at the coal camp

But this is town property

Stone mountain holds the deeds on these houses cable

You need a writ for eviction

You the law around here?

Well good

Then you can help us, now these people are trespassing on

Company property

They all signed a contract that they wouldn't join any union

You uh, you baldwin-Felts agency?

That's right

Presently employed by the stone mountain coal company

This is from mr. Turley here

And this is from our boss mr. Thomas felts

I've met mr. Felts

Well good, we won't have any problem

I wouldn't pee on him if his heart was on fire

(Laughs)

Neither of these will do for a writ you'll have to see a judge

In charleston

What if we ain't got time to go to charleston?

Then you better find some, now i can't do nothin' about what you

Pull outside town limits

But you bother these people under my jurisdiction i'll put

You under arrest

Yeah?

You and who's army?

All you men own a gun? Go home and get it

Your deputy's as of now

The rest of you people stick close, we'll need witnesses

I'm giving you 10 minutes to get those people's belongings back

In the house

If the rest of the boys was here you wouldn't be so cocky

If the rest of the boys was here, i'd give you 5 minutes

Now move it

You can't win you know, this is going to happen with you,

Without you

You can't stop it

All right boys let's put it back in

This ain't our day

-That a boy sid!

I never seen a law man button a company gun before

He's mostly a real nice feller sid

Intention makes him nervous though

We got a motion on the floor here

And this is coal miners only

All them in favor of keeping them scabs out of the mines

Tomorrow morning using whatever force it looks like it necessary

Raise your hands

It's settled then

Pass them peas boy

Pass the peas danny

You boy deaf or dumb or what?

Daniel ain't dumb, daniel's a preacher

That right boy? You a preacher?

Who do you preach to boy? Squirrels?

Daniel preached at the meeting last night, it was a good number

Of souls there

You a soul saver boy?

You want to have a go at me and grigsy here that ought to be a

Real challenge

He's a squirrel preacher is what stands up on a stump out in the

Woods and

Testifies to the holy rodent -Danny!

You in a hurry to meet your maker boy?

Ain't no guns allowed at the table

Sit down danny

You do what your pretty mama says preacher

You put that away now mister

Pack it away grigsy

Look, we're gonna to be here a while little lady, you can have

It the easy way or the hard way

Now how about them peas?

Boys' gettin' on my nerves

Oh lord!

They told me they would talk to the fellas

I saw they're faces last night joe

They wasn't buying it

We're playing right into the company's plans

The men voted joe, what more do you want?

(Knocking)

I seen the lights on the hill

They're sneaking them in for a night shift

Let's go fellas

Keller told me you sent from the union

Uh-Huh

I bet you seen hundreds of strikes

Yeah

I got thrown clear out of the missionary the other night

Talking union from the pulpit

Are we getting close? -Up there

(Yelling)

They're down the hill!

Over here

Now fellas put their lanterns out

Just hit the dirt

I think this belongs to you

(Yelling in italian)

I'm with him

All of you union men let's welcome our new brothers

(Cheers)

From now on

Stone mountain don't move one piece of coal unless it's a

Union man that moves it

(Cheers)

Let's get out of here

(Singing in italian)

In them days the coal company owned your houses, they owned

Your land, they owned most of the town and the people who run

It

If you wasn't for the company, there wasn't too many places you

Could go that was still on the map

The union didn't have too much they could give to the people

Back then

All we got in common is our misery

Joe kennahan used to say and the least we can do is share it

(Speaking italian)

She got the evil eye that one

Oh mama

Don't you let me catch you peeking over there she got the

Evil eye if i've ever seen it

Well what do we got here?

We bring you some food mama stole it from the company

Quite danny -Well we can use anything you

Got

You people are crazy, you ain't never gonna win this thing

Then what are you helping us for?

I got work to do

Appreciate your help

I ain't never seen everybody all together like this

Company don't stand a chance

Jessie...

What's the pitch?

Well i was just saying to the mayor here how

We're all trying to do our jobs, you, and me and him

And nobody is paying us enough to be dodging no bullets for it

Um, now.

Mr. Felts has authorized me to

Make it more attractive for you gentleman to cooperate

Town ain't for sale mister

What about you?

Now i figure that little show you were putting on out there

The other day was just for bargaining power

Or are you going to be stupid too?

Either you sh*t hogs lift a finger

In town limits i'll put you away

Damn hillbillys always gotta do it the hard way

You boys are going up against some

Pretty big people

Don't push your luck

How's jesse these days? -Oh she's okay sid

You think they're bluffing?

Nope.

Neither am i

Now the way the relief fund works is kind of tricky

Cause all the different situations we got going around

The country

We stretched real thin, there's a lot of strategy to who gets

What and when

I report to the strike committee

They evaluate the progress we're making here and the political

Situation

And then they release the strike fund to us

You mean they cut us off?

No, the amount we get is based on..

What if they think we're going to lose?

Look the strike committee considers what's best for the

Union as a whole but that doesn't mean..

Politics boys

Gonna play union, you gotta play politics

I'm sure joe don't like that no more than you do

I don't like it one damn bit

Me neither, i didn't get into this thing so i can have one

More boss to tell me what to do

The union isn't your boss, it's you

Then why we gotta wait?

For some hunkies up in pittsburgh to give us the word

To move

Cause it's a democracy, it's like the united states

Democracy -That's a joke

Quiet

Get down they're shooting

Just keep your head down son

I'll make a night of it

I think he just got a little piece of bullet left in there

Company doctor said he wouldn't come out

But there's a fella in fifle on the kentucky side that'll treat

Union men on this lie

He'll be here by noon

Will he treat colored?

He treats union. He'll treat colored

More water danny -Yes ma'am

You just hold this up there against that real gentle

Don't press hard -Elma you seen any of the men?

Only them that's wounded

How's ya doing? -Not bad

At least nobody got killed

No thanks to you

Take it easy buddy

Morning joe

Hey bridey

You seen any of the fellas? -Not a one

He's real nice lookin'

He likes me, i can tell

How? -I just know men that's all

That'd make a cat laugh

If you want to make that kind of slop

For dinner you go back home and make it

This is united states here and we do things differently

Listen to me, you can learn

Something here

C'mon ladies what's the problem?

I thought she was going to make up some cornbread with it well

You should see the slop she come up with

Miss elkins

These people got their own way of doing things

Well that is a waste of good corn meal if you ask me

She makes up this porrigly kind of mess i wouldn't feed it to

The pigs

Where's all the men gone to?

That changes the whole picture

What i'm saying is unions is fine for some things

But for other things a man has to go on his own

Of course that's up to you

Roscoe

You make cindicato, you do what the cindicato say

I listen to joe

Few clothes

We gonna be shooting white folks right?

That's the idea

People you hear about black folks shooting white folks

No matter what it's for there's going to be hell to pay

You gotta point

Well then

If you gentleman will excuse us

You people have been put out of stone mountain mine housing

And some of you have seen fit to take along certain items

Of food, furniture and clothing that don't belong to you but

Belong to the company

Now as of the day of the strike your script ceased to be legal

Tender meaning

That any item of food, clothing, and furniture not paid for in

Cash money

Must be turned over to me

And my deputies and i suggest you all cooperate

See my boys

They didn't get much sleep last night so they're kinda jumpy

Besides we got the law on our side

You ain't no law you got to slip around the real law

You just got guns is all

You just thugs

Yeah maybe your right sonny

We just got guns

You still got to hand in them goods

Yellow scab herder you

You hurt? You get up from there

-You gotta list of goods

Don't need one

How you gonna know what belongs to the company and what don't?

He's the red hickey

He's the agitator

Everybody you see i don't got a gun on me

What good do you think that's going to do you red?

You shoot me folks e'll know it was murder

Well that's some cold comfort

Now you listen to me red

We was hunting

You folks are making an awful lot of commotion

You scaredt all the game away

This your machine?

Heard it last night too

It's an offense to the ear

Hold it pops your talking to the law here

He ask you anything?

Where did you get that thing pal? Spanish war?

Nope

War between the states

You all get in this machine and get into town where you belong

Ain't but one law out here and that's the law of nature

Let's get the hell out of here

Folks try and keep the noise down you'll do fine

Help yourself to the bird and the rabbit

You see any hogs they probably ours, we'd appreciate it if

You'd leave them be

Good day to you

Are you okay joe?

Yeah i'll be all right if it weren't for my ribs

Who were those people?

Rossons mostly

And a shuttleworth

They miners? -You never find them folks near

A hole, they have most of their land stole by the company

They's hill people -Foothill people really your

Genuine hill people

They can be dangerous

Now the thing you gotta remember son

Is your fuse burns 1 foot per minute

Make it too long they might see it

Make it too short,

Well i'll be meeting you on the other side

(Knocking at door)

Damn it

Air shaft #4

Go out the back way

Where is all our other friends tonight miss elma?

They get tired of the chuck or what?

I think that old bitty went on strike

Laid down her teeth and protested

They're just particular about who they eat with

What about you miss elma?

Are you particular?

Stone mountain didn't hold the lease here...

Stone mountain didn't hold lease here you'd be peddling puntang

Down in cinder bottom so just shut your mouth about it

Where's the little preacher tonight?

Bitch got no table manners

Elma?

You know where danny is?

No. I don't know where anybody is

Ain't nobody want to tell me either

You okay? -Yeah just tired is all

I been working all day this place

I been working

The day they burned my husband i started and i been working and

It don't ever stop

I get so tired

And

There ain't nobody -Look it's hard

It's hard being on your own

You don't know nothing about it

We're in business buddy let's get going

(Train whistle blows)

What is it? -Sounds like dynamite up in the

Mine, might be that #5 shaft

Might be some shootin'

Hillard! Hillard!

You seen my boy? Anybody seen my boy hillard?

Hillard!

Anybody seen my hillard?

(Gun cocks)

(Car engine running)

They're up the hill!

Shoot low boys cut 'em down

You fellas get on out of here, i'll hold 'em back

Jesus! Get up

Sephus c'mon

Okay boys let's spread out, he's here somewhere

I got him he's over here -Hold it boys it's me

Hold your fire boys it's c.E.

You all right?

You better get back to camp

Judas

Hold his leg

Hold it, hold, hold

Now i'm just going to pull this back from your leg boy

Gimme back that knife hillard

What happened?

We was sold and baldwins come up from behind

Known right when we was laying out

They know'd when the men was out of camp today too

How's she feelin' buddy

You made it. I thought we lost you back there

Well i got off a couple of rounds

Buried myself in the leaves

Seen reese hadley go down though

Sephus get back?

I don't think so

You see what happens when you pick up a gun

All i see is them niggers and dagos weren't there tonight and

We was sold and somebody gonna pay

Something bad is happening out there

Those guns

Hunting party, that's all

Now where was i?

Time to put all shyness

Time to put all shyness aside

And admit to our heartfelt

Attraction

I'm not sure how you spell attraction

How about

Heartfelt desires

Are you sure you want to do this?

Heartfelt desires

Dearest

Joseph

(Dog barking)

Look at that just a cupboard with gore, dogs didn't do all

That

Are you drawing breath son?

Baldwins, we were sold

What's your name?

Sephus

Sephus purcell

Kin to nimrod purcell?

That's daddy's uncle

Say some baldwins took ya

From behind

None of them purcells ever was too bright

Grab his ankles missus and mind your dress

He is bleeding like a stuck pig

I found 'em boys, he's here

It's reese

Got yourself a martyr

I tired to stop this

Any sign of sephus?

We'll maybe smell him before we see him

They found somebody?

Just stay right here honey, don't want to look at that mess

But i got something for mr. Kennehan

I don't think he's in no mood to be bothered right now

I'll see he gets it

Who is it?

Oh just some poor miner whose troubles is finally over

Don't look honey

I talked to elix he says your phonograph machine

Is going to be fixed in a couple days now

It's awful nice of you to do everett

Well we got to take care of our favorite lady now don't we

You been so generous

Thinking about me when that mr. Kenerhan got you all so busy

With the union

That mr. Kenerhan is what i come to talk to you about bridey

I got a suspicion he might not be what he says he is

What do you mean?

Bridey

Did you send kenerhan some sort of letter?

What do you want?

No.

He wouldn't

There's a whole crowd of fellas standing around him i seen

Kenerhan laughing and waving that letter

So i

Come over to see what was so funny

A lot of fellers?

You mind if i have another drink honey

It ain't purdy what i gotta say

He said some things bridey

She been following me around ever since i got here

Trailing after me like a dog in heat

Sniffing around my legs like a brood bitch

She don't wear no drawers he says so she can be ready for

Whatever stumbles down the pathway

He didn't!

He didn't

He said you done it with one of the coloreds

Lying bastard

Bridey

I think it might be worse than that

I think he might be a spy

In with the coal operators

Well he's got the fellas so turned around with all this talk

I need for you to help me bridey

And sometimes you gotta tell a little bit of a lie

Just to get the truth across

We fight them with guns

We lose

That's the whole damn story

I'm not going to bulls*it you fellas and tell you there won't

Ever come a time when the people that own this state send the

Word down to have us all murdered

But if we don't stand together now

As workers we got no hope at all

Help me up

You going somewhere?

This is miner's business and you ain't no miner

You two come along

So, um

Last night he comes up here and

Uh, he's all drunk and everything and i says as how i

Didn't want to have nothin' to do with him and

And i would call some of you fellers

For help and

He says that all of you was

Taking care of

Taking care of huh?

When i seen that there wasn't no help i ...

He uh, kinda

Forced me, he...

He forced me

Easy...

That's okay you better hear this first hand

Go ahead honey, what happened then

And afterwards he

Thrown money on the bed like i were some kind of a whore

You done just fine honey

Now why don't you go sit outside for a minute while we figure out

What we're going to do about this

So he don't have no sense with women

So what?

You know how bridey builds things up

Take a look at this

That our friend left laying on the floor last night

Baldwin felts agency

What it say? -It's a death warrant is what

For mr. Joseph kinerhan

(Knocks on door)

So it's goodbye mr. Kinerhan tonight

Miners?

How'd you manage that?

That tramp that goes to meet the passenger train

Seems she's got the eye for kinerhan

So he put it in her head that kinerhan has been bad mouthing

Her all around town

He's got her down there right now crying to the miners

And..He's got these papers from loufield

I didn't leave my colt like this

You spying little bastard!

What'd you hear huh?

What did you hear? -Nothin'

Horse sh*t hit him bill!

See this medal

You know how i won this preacher boy huh?

I was sitting alone in a ditch in france and this kraut jumps

In right next to me

And i took my bayonets

And i stuck him right in the face

And then another jumps in and i stick him too

And another, and another

And another they just kept coming one at a time all night

Long

And a little bit i got too worried that they weren't all

Dead so

I stuck them all again a couple times just to make sure

And in the morning

They said that i was a war hero

Well i'm going to stay close to you tonight preacher boy

And you let one wrong word fly

And i'm going to put one in your skull

And i'll do the same for your pretty mama

You know i ain't lying don't ya boy?

Yes sir

Man who draws the short straw gets to do the job

And word don't travel beyond this room about who it is

The rest of us will want a good alibi

I figure in that prayer meeting tonight

Right under the preacher's nose

Welcome to the union son

What's the story?

Flutie that the baldwins was coming out here tonight

And i'm supposed to stick by you

You got the sh*t detail again huh?

You all right danny?

You got your sermon memorized?

I bet he don't know anymore scripture than i do

And that ain't a whole hell of a lot is it grigsy?

You know any?

I never got no further was in the beginning was the word guess

We both doomed to the hot place

(Laughs)

Lord relies on little sh*ts like this one to spread his word, i

Don't want no truck with heaven

And as for hell, well we been to west virginia (laughs)

¶(singing a hymn)�

(Laughing in the back)

Ahhh

What in god's name you doin' son? I just got your licks all

Stopped and here your trying to bust them open again

I got to get down there, they got to know

You ain't goin' nowheres unless it's in a pine box

Where's your sense?

I got to

I wish those fellas'd get here

Huh?

If they're comin' i wish they'd hurry up, i don't want any more

Shooting in the woods

You ever use one of those?

10th calvary

In cuba 2nd 98th

San juan hill

Pretty rough down there?

Did what i had to

Is it true you're a red?

Yeah i suppose it is

Then how come you don't carry a gun?

Well we carry little round bombs

Don't you read the papers?

I want to tell you tonight about the blackness in the heart of

Man

Gonna warn you about the many and devious ways in which satan

Will hide from you the truth

Of who your real friends are

I'm going to do it with a story from the patriarchs

Now we all know about joseph and how out of all jacobs 12

Children he was the smartest and the smoothest and how his

Brothers got so jealous they pulled off his coat of many

Colors and whooped on him and left him out to be sold into

Slavery

But joseph was not your ordinary fella even for biblical times,

He had a special way with him

A way of looking at the grand scheme of things

So when this fella podafar bought him for a slave

Joseph just smiled and vowed he was going to be a good one,

Making the best of a bad situation

He put his heart to his work and was honest and friendly in his

Dealings and before you knew it he was just about running

Podafars households and fields and all his business' for him

The only trouble was podafar's wife

Now she was what you might call a loose woman

When i was in leavenworth there was a bunch of mennonites

Mainly because they wouldn't fight in the war, it's against

Their religion

It's also against their religion to shave their beards or

Wear buttons on their clothes and they was being forced to do

Both by the prison guards

So they refused to work

And they went on a strike right there in hell's half acre

They was handcuffed to the bars of a cell house

8 hours a day for two full weeks

They were put with their arms up like this

So's they had to stand on their toes or those cuffs would cut

Into their wrists

Can't nobody stay on their toes 8 hours

So pretty soon

Their fingers would start to swell up

They turned blue and then

They'd crack open

Blood would run down their arms

8 hours a day

Day after day

Still they wouldn't work

Still they tore the buttons off their uniforms every time they

Were sewed back on

They tore them with their teeth because they're hands wouldn't

Close no more

So now i don't claim the fame for myself

But them fellas they never lifted a gun in their lives

And you couldn't find any braver in my book

I wish them fellas would get here

Also in podafar's employ at this time were a couple of spies from

One of his enemies

Fellas that wanted to bring him down in the world and get their

Hands on his fields and houses

They seen the want and lust in miss podafar

And seen it would be good for their purposes to get shed of

The young joseph

So they come to podafar's wife

(Harmonica playing)

She calls joseph in and she asks him one more time, joseph will

You lie with me?

And he says no ma'am i won't

And she sets up and grabs a hold of his garment he's wearing and

Runs it in two before he can get clear

Podafar runs in with his guards and she's bawling her eyes out

And shaking like a leaf, your servant joseph, she says

He come in here and tried to make me lie with him

Only when i called out he fled leaving this here garment as

Evidence

And now only that she says she'd been spying and plotting against

You with your enemies he means to take over here and have you

Killed

But podafar had no reason to misbelieve his wife

Joseph was a slave and a foreigner

So he gathered up his servants and household workers and they

Went and slew joseph dead

Cut him from gut to gizzard and left him bleeding in the street

And though they never learned of miss podafar's lies and went to

Their maker unrepentant with innocent blood on their hands

Draw your own conclusions

¶(singing hymn)�

Gettin' awful late -Shhhhh

You hear something?

No.

Yeah i think i did

Like somebody moaning

Maybe it's the fellas

I think we should go out there and have a look

Who's that?

(Laughs)

That's (laughs)

(Laughs) mingala

Well we better get back to camp -(Laughs)

Wait a minute (laughs)

Well at least we didn't waste a trip

(Fire bell blaring)

No way it won't spread

Is c.E. Inside?

No such luck

Find that son of a bitch

(Fire bell blaring)

(Train whistle blowing)

How come they waste more food in one day than a poor workers

Family has on their table in a week?

Now let me ask you? Who's sweat was it that went into building

Those mansions

-Once they seen hell, they'd almost done an innocent man it

Was like joe couldn't say no wrong

We moved out into mango county then

Spreading the word about the union

Spreading like wildfire over the red jacket

The ragland and dale barton all up and down the tug fork river

Brining the union out to all the folks that needed help

Putting the spirit into them and trying to shut down the whole

Southwest field

-Helping themselves to our land and our labor for too damn long

¶(singing in italian)�

Joe kinerhan said how there was a new day comin' and sometimes i

Could just about see it

But it were a dangerous living for a union man and you didn't

Dare turn your back

Hit with hard times and hit with hungry times too

The union relief was spread thin in hope of a new day you can

Feed your soul

But leave your belly rumbling

Scoot!

Lady?

Since there's just me and hillard, and you got all these

Little ones

Well...

You know what to do with this?

Hillard brung it in

It's for you

I ain't gonna watch no babies go hungry, now here you go on

Here is some navy beans

And these here is ramps now you can cook with these

They put a taste in your stew

Anyhow

Well, i...

Figure we's all in this together

We sure got some pretty babies

Who's your favorite pitcher? -Hot eller

He's from logan county

You get to play ball much?

When the mines were open

Joe...

Yeah

You ever kill anybody?

What brought that up?

Bet sid has

Here in the war

All i saw was workers killin' workers

And it wasn't any point in it

They thrown you in jail cause you wouldn't go?

Them two years kept me from killin some poor stiff that got

Pushed out on a battlefield by rich folks and politicians

And they were worth it

It's gettin' dark danny

You better go get that coal

You see there, right there by the railroad trestle

That's where cap hatfield and his boy joe glen killed three

Men

Boy wasn't but 13

Used a winchester

You think it hurts much? A bullet?

Beats dying in a damn coal mine

Boy wasn't but 13 year old joe glen

Must be in there

He always sleeps with the lights on

Just gotta be quiet though

(Gunshot) -Let's get the little bastards

-Over here

-Grab him, cut him off

Well, well what we got here?

Smarts a little don't it boy?

Hillard right?

Now, how about you give us the names of your ring leaders up in

Logan

Give us 5 names boy, that's all, 5 names and we'll let you go

That's fair isn't it? -Never

Grigsy

Talk to us boy (punches him)

Talk to us

I'll rot in hell first -Have it your way

Mr. Lively

Boy, i sentence you to death for the crime of stealing company

Property

And being a dirty bolshevist human man

You got 10 seconds to talk

Talk

Whoo, what a smell, boy dirtied his diapers

We want names son

I can't

I swear on the bible

Then we're going to have to get down to it son, use the razor

Hold him boys

Just a little nick boy

Get it off your chest son

Clyde matts, bill mann, acer redna, j.T. Kito

5, give us 5 boy

And hiley shelton

-Kill him no!

One of them fellas he named live

Clay hill

Where's that?

It's a cemetery

Them are all fellas that was killed in a gas fire 5-6 years

Ago

Nothin' like a young boy dyin'

To stir things up

(Crying in the distance)

Baldwin's coming into town tomorrow kenerhan

You fellas have any idea what's waiting for us?

You mean they didn't tell you?

Oh i just seen a line in the papers of opportunity for red

Blooded american men

Immediate openings, high pay

Travels, chance for advancement, apply baldwin felts and write

Your own ticket

The natives get restless someplace they put that out

You ever hear of the hatfields and mccoys son?

Yeah of course i have

This is one of their stomping grounds

They'll put a bullet in your brain as soon as they look at ya

Sid, we have authorization to put these miners off company

Property here in town

Not from me you don't

And we also go a warrant for your arrest you give us any

Trouble

This ain't worth sh*t and you know it

One way or another we're going to carry out these evictions

Tomorrow morning

Gentleman

Hey come to kill me

Hillard was my friend

When i first come down to the mines it was hillard who'd show

Me what to do

He was a good coal miner, a good union man

And he always took care of his mama

I don't know how they could have done him like they did

All he wanted to do was live decent, that's all

Sometimes people say how god willed it, how everything is his

Plan

Well...i don't think he planned on hillard laying here amongst

All these elinson's not this young in his life

I think all god plans is we get born and we got to take it from

There

So you rest in peace hillard

You rest easy cause we're going to take up where you left off

Amen

You gonna tell us to turn the other cheek still

Shootin' is what they want now

Then maybe it's what we want too

Expect too much of people joe

Your still after that one big union but most of us

We can't see past this holler

¶(singing gospel)�

I need to talk to the men

Be decent now

I'll call a meeting in the morning

First thing

¶(gospel singing continues)�

Pastor said stay away from town tomorrow

Is something up?

Got a feelin' you know how white folks gets when they're all

Excited

Nothin' is going to bring hillard back you know

And i came here to help

Sure you did

First people come here to help us with some money

Next we know we got no land

Then they say they're going to help us with a job and a place

To live

And they stick us in some damn coal camp

And let us dig out their mines

Now you come here to help us bring in the new day

Well hillard ain't gonna see no new day

We had about as much help as we can stand

We gotta take care of ourselves

We got to take care of each other

¶(harmonica playing blues tune)�

Joe!, joe! The men go to town

See it?

No need for you to be in on this

It's my town too, they're my people

Y'all have no right to come to this here town with all these

People and drawing guns and terrorizing them

The writs you have are not valid for this town

If you can't get one.. -No!!!!!

Oh...

Jesus don't shoot me

I just want to talk

I just want to talk

(Gun firing)

I can't feel my legs

(Softly sobbing)

There was a trial but there wasn't nobody going to pass

Guilty on sid hatfield in mango county

Sid got married to mayor testerman's widow and then the

Baldwins they caught him unarmed

Walking up the steps of the mcdowd county court house

They shot 15 bullets into him

Right in broad daylight and c.E. Lively stepped in and put one

Right through his skull

Wasn't even a trial on that one

That was the start of the great cold feet war and us miners took

The worst of it like joe said we would

It's just one big union the whole world over as joe kenerhan

Used to say

And from the day of the mate 1 massacre that's what i preached

That was mreligion

We buried joe kenerhan with our own

My mama she thought it wouldn't never stay

But now he's with us for always

Laying up here in these west virginia hills

¶(singing slow country song)�