All language subtitles for Fences (2016)_track4_[eng]

- Troy, you ought to stop that lying.
- I ain't lying.

Nigger had a watermelon this big,

talking about,
"What watermelon, Mr. Rand?"

I'd like to fell out.
"What watermelon, Mr. Rand?"

And it sitting there, big as life.

- What Mr. Rand say?
- He ain't said nothing.

He figure, if the nigger was too dumb to
know he's carrying a watermelon,

he wasn't going to get
much sense out of him.

Trying to hide that great, big,
old watermelon under his coat.

Afraid to let the white man
see him carry it home.

I'm like you.
I ain't got no time for them kinda people.

Now, what he look like getting mad

'cause he seen the man from the union
talking to Mr. Rand?

He come up to me, talking about
"Troy Maxson gonna get us fired."

I told him, "Get away from me with that."

He walked away from me
calling you a troublemaker.

What Mr. Rand say?

He ain't said nothing.
Told me to go down

to the Commissioner's office
next Friday.

They called me down there to see them.

Well, as long as
you got your complaint filed,

they can't fire you.

That's what one of them
white fellas tell me.

I ain't worried about them firing me.

What, they gonna fire me
'cause I asked a question?

That's all I did.

I went to Mr. Rand and I asked him.

I asked him, "Why?

"Why you got all the white mens driving,
and the colored lifting?"

Told him, "What's the matter?
Don't I count?

"Think only white fellows
got sense enough to drive a truck?"

"Hell, that ain't no paper job.
Anybody can drive a truck.

"How come you got all the whites driving
and the colored lifting?"

He told me, "Take it to the union."
Well, hell, that's what I done.

Now they want to come up
with this pack of lies.

I told Brownie if the man
come and ask him any questions,

just tell the truth.

Ain't nothing but somebody
trumped it up on you

'cause you filed a complaint on.

Brownie ain't got that much sense.

Man wasn't thinking about nothing.

All I want them to do
is change the job description,

give everybody a chance
to drive the truck.

Brownie can't see that.
He ain't got that much sense.

How you figure he be making out

with that gal,
be up in Taylors' all the time?

- That Alberta gal?
- Who?

Brownie.

Same as you and me,
getting about as much as we is.

- Which is to say nothing.
- It is, huh?

Well, I figure
you doing a little better than me.

And I ain't saying what I'm doing!

Nigger, look here. I know you.

If you had gotten anywhere
near that gal,

20 minutes later,
you'd be looking to tell somebody.

And the first one you gonna want to tell,

that you gonna want to brag to
is going to be me.

I ain't saying that.

I see where you be eyeing her.

I eye all the women.
I don't miss nothing.

Don't never let nobody tell you
Troy Maxson don't eye the women.

Hey, you been doing
more than eyeing her.

You done bought her a drink or two.

Hell, yeah, I bought her a drink.
What that mean?

I bought you one, too.

What that mean,
'cause I buy her a drink?

- I'm just being polite.
- It's all right to buy her one drink.

That's what you call being polite.

But when you want to be
buying two or three,

that's what you call eyeing her.

Look here. As long as you've known me,

you ever known me
to chase after women?

Hell, yeah! Long as I've known you.
You're forgetting, I knew you when.

I'm talking about
since I been married to Rose.

Not since you been married to Rose.

- That's the truth, though. I can say that.
- All right then. Case closed.

I see you be walking up
around Alberta's house.

You supposed to be at Taylors',
and you be walking up around there.

What you watching where
I'm walking for?

I don't be watching after you.

No, I seen you walking
around there more than once.

Hell, you liable
to see me walking anywhere.

That don't mean nothing 'cause
you seen me walking around there.

Where'd she come from, anyway?

She just kinda showed up one day.

Tallahassee. You can look at that
and tell she one of them Florida gals.

They got some big,
healthy women down there.

Grow them right up out of the ground.

She got a little bit of Indian in her.

Most of them niggers in Florida
got some Indian in them.

Yeah, I don't know
about that Indian part,

but she damn sure big and healthy.

Woman wears some big stockings.

Got them crazy big legs,
and hips wide as the Mississippi River.

Legs don't mean nothing.

You don't do nothing
but push 'em out of the way.

But them hips,

- they cushion the ride.
- Troy, you ain't got no sense!

It's the truth.
Like you riding on Goodyears!

What you all out here getting into?

What you worried about
what we getting into for, woman?

This is men talk.

What I care
what you all are talking about?

Bono, you gonna stay for supper?

No, thank you, Rose,

but Lucille say she cooking up
a pot of pigfeet.

Pigfeet? Hell, I'm going home with you.

I might even stay the night,
you got some pigfeet.

You got something in there
to top them pigfeet, Rose?

I'm cooking up some chicken.
I got some chicken and collard greens.

Well, you go on back in the house.

Let me and Bono
finish what we talking about.

This is men talk.
I got some talk for you later.

And you know what kind of talk
I mean, too.

You go on in there and powder it up.

Troy, stop it!

Woman, come here.

Look here, Bono.

When I first met this woman,

I got out that place.

Hitch up my pony
Saddle up my mare

There's a woman out there
for me somewhere

I looked at here, looked at there,
saw Rose, and I latched on to her.

I latched on to her and I told her...
Now, I'm gonna tell you the truth.

I latched on to her and told her,
"Baby, I don't want to marry.

"I just want to be your man."

Rose told me...
Tell him what you told me, Ro.

I told him if he wasn't the marrying kind,

then move out of the way,
so the marrying kind could find me.

That's what she told me,
"Nigger, you in my way.

"You blocking the view.

"Move out the way,
so I can find me a husband."

- I thought it over 2-3 days.
- Two-three days, nothing.

You was back the same night.

I come back, told her, "Okay, baby,

"but I'm gonna buy me a banty rooster

"and put him out there in the backyard.

"And when he see a stranger come,

"he gonna flap his wings and crow."

Look here, Bono. I done
watched that front door by myself.

It was that
back door I was worried about.

Don't talk like that!
Troy, you're not but telling a lie.

Only thing was, we first got married,
forget the rooster. We ain't had no yard.

I hear you tell it.

Me and Lucille was staying
down there on Logan Street.

Had two rooms
with the outhouse in the back.

I ain't mind the outhouse none.

But when that goddamn wind
blew through there in the winter,

that's what I'm talking about!

To this day, I wonder why the hell I ever
stayed down there for six long years.

But, see,
I didn't know I could do no better.

I thought only white folks
had inside toilets and things.

A lot of folks don't think

they can do no better
than they're doing now.

Just something you gotta learn.
A lot of folks still shop at Bella's.

Ain't nothing wrong with Bella's.
She got fresh food.

I ain't said nothing about
if she got fresh food.

I'm talking about what she charge.

She charges 10 cents
more than the A&P.

A&P ain't never done nothing for me.

I spend my money
where I'm treated right.

I go down to Bella, say,

"I need a loaf of bread, I'll pay you
Friday," she gives it to me.

What sense that make
when I got money

to spend it somewhere else

and ignore the person
who done right by me?

That ain't in the Bible.

We ain't talking about
what's in the Bible.

What sense it make to shop there
when she overcharges?

Well, you do your shopping
where you want to,

I do my shopping
where people been good to me.

I don't think it's right for her
to overcharge, that's all.

Look here, I got to be getting on.

Lucille gonna be raising all kind of hell.

Where you going, nigger?
We ain't finished this pint.

Come here finish this pint.

Well, hell, I am,
if you ever turn the bottle loose.

Only thing I'll say about the A&P is,
I'm glad Cory got that job down there.

Help him with
his school clothes and things.

Gabe done moved out,
things getting tight around here.

He got that job,

he can start to look out for himself.

Cory done got recruited
by a college football team.

I told that boy about
that college football stuff.

The white man ain't gonna let
him get nowhere with that football.

I told him
when he first come to me with it.

Now, you come telling me
he done got more tied up in it.

He ought to get recruited
in how to fix cars,

or some way he can make a living.

He ain't talking about
making no living playing football.

It's just something
the boys in school do.

They're gonna send a recruiter by
to talk to you. He'll tell you.

He ain't talking about
making no living playing football.

It's an honor to be recruited.

It ain't gonna get him nowhere,
Bono'll tell you that.

If he be like you in sports,
he gonna be all right.

Ain't but two men ever played
baseball good as you.

That's Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson.

Them the only two men ever
hit more home runs than you.

And what it ever get me?
I ain't got a pot to piss in,

or a window to throw it out of.

Times have changed since
you were playing baseball, Troy.

That was before the war.
Times have changed a lot since then.

How the hell they done changed?

They got a lot of colored boys
playing ball now.

Baseball and football.

You right about that, Ro.
Times have changed, Troy.

You just come along too early.

There ought not never have been
no time called "too early."

Now you take that fellow...

What's that fellow they had playing
right field back then for the Yankees?

You remember
who I'm talking about, Bono,

played right field for The Yankees.

- Selkirk?
- Yeah, Selkirk, that's it!

Man's batting 269, you understand?
269!

What sense that make?
I'm batting 432 with 37 home runs!

He's batting 269,
playing right field for the Yankees!

I saw Josh Gibson's daughter yesterday.

She's running around
with raggedy shoes on her feet.

I bet you
Selkirk's daughter ain't running around

with no raggedy shoes on her feet.
I bet you that.

They got a lot of
colored baseball players now.

Jackie Robinson was the first.

Folks had to wait for Jackie Robinson.

I done seen 100 niggers play baseball
better than Jackie Robinson.

Hell, I seen some teams
Jackie Robinson couldn't even make!

What you talking about,
Jackie Robinson?

Jackie Robinson wasn't nobody!

I'm talking about if you could play ball,

then they ought to let you play.

Don't matter what color you are.

Telling me I come along too early.

If you can play,
then they ought to let you play.

You gonna drink yourself to death.
You don't need to be drinking like that.

Death ain't nothing. I done seen him,

I done wrestled with him.
You can't tell me nothing about death.

Death ain't nothing
but a fastball on the outside corner,

and you know what I do with that.
Look here, Bono, am I lying?

You get one of them fastballs
about waist high

on the outside corner of the plate

where you can get
the meat of the bat on it,

and, good God,
you could kiss it good-bye.

- Am I lying?
- No, you telling the truth.

I seen you do it.

If I'm lying, that's 450 feet worth
of lying. That's all death is to me.

A fastball on the outside corner.

I don't know why you want to
get on talking about death?

Ain't nothing wrong
with talking about death.

That's a part of life!
Everybody gonna die.

You gonna die. I'm gonna die.

Bono gonna die. Hell, we all gonna die.

But you ain't got to talk about it.
I don't like talking about it.

Well, you the one brought it up.

Me and Bono talking about baseball.

You come telling me
I'm gonna drink myself to death.

Ain't that right, Bono?

Now you know I drink just
but one night out the week,

that's Friday night.

I drink just enough to where
I can handle it.

Then I leaves it alone. I cuts it loose.

So, you ain't got to worry
about me drinking myself to death

'cause I ain't worrying about death.

I done seen him,
done wrestled with him.

Look here, Bono.

I look up one day,
and Death is marching straight at me,

like soldiers on parade.

The Army of Death
was marching straight at me.

It was the middle of July, 1941.

And it got real cold,
just like it be winter.

And it seemed like Death, himself,

reached out
and touched me on the shoulder.

He touched me like I touch you now.
I got cold as ice.

Death standing there, grinning at me.

Troy, why don't you hush that talk.

I said, "What you want, Mr. Death?
You be wanting me?

"You done sent your army
to be getting me?"

I looked him dead in the eye.

I wasn't fearing nothing.

I was ready to tangle,
just like I'm ready to tangle now!

Bible says be ever vigilant.

So, I don't get but so drunk.
I got to keep watch.

Troy was right down there
at Mercy Hospital.

You remember he had that pneumonia,

laying there with a fever,
talking plumb out his head.

And Death standing there,
staring at me,

carrying that sickle in his hand.

Finally, he say, "You want to be
bound over for another year?"

Just like that. He say,

"You want to be bound over
for another year?"

I said, "Bound over, hell!
We can settle this right now."

He kinda fell back when I said that.
And all the cold went out of me.

I reached down, I grabbed that sickle.

I threw it as far as I could throw it,

and me and him
commenced to wrestling.

We wrestled for... Carry the six...
Three days and three nights!

Now, I don't know
where I got the strength from,

'cause every time
he tried to get the best of me,

I reached way deep down inside myself,
found the strength to do him one better.

Every time Troy tells that story,

he find different ways to tell it,

different things to make up.

I ain't making up nothing, woman.

I'm telling you
the facts of what happened.

I wrestled with Death
for three days and three nights,

and I'm standing here
to tell you about it.

All right. At the end of the third night,

we done weakened each other
to where we can't even hardly move.

Death stood up.

He threw on that robe,
had a white robe with a hood on it.

He throwed on that robe
and went off to look for that sickle.

He said, "I'll be back."
Just like that. "I'll be back."

I said, "Yeah?
Well, you gonna have to find me!"

I wasn't no fool.

I wasn't going looking for him.

I know Death ain't nothing to play with.
And I know he's gonna get me.

I know I got to join his army,
his camp followers.

But as long as I keep up my strength
and see him coming,

as long as I keep up my vigilance,
he gonna have to fight to get me.

I ain't going easy.

Well, look here,
since you got to keep up your vigilance,

let me have the bottle.

Hell, I shouldn't have told you that part.

I should have left out that part.

Troy be talking all that stuff.

Half the time, he don't even know
what he be talking about!

- Yeah, Bono know me better than that.
- That's right, I know you.

I know you got some
Uncle Remus in your blood.

You got more stories
than the devil got sinners.

Hell, I done seen him, too.
Done talked to the devil.

Nobody wants to be hearing that stuff!

Hey, Pop.

What you come "Hey, Poppin" ' me for?

How you doing, Rose?

Mr. Bono, how you doing?

Hey, Lyons, how you been?

He must've been doing all right.

I ain't seen him around here last week.

Troy, leave your boy alone.
He come by to see you

and you want to start all that nonsense.

I ain't bothering Lyons.
Here, get you a drink.

Me and him got an understanding.

I know why he come by to see me,
and he know I know.

Come on, Pop.
I just stopped by to say hi,

see how you was doing.

- You ain't stopped by yesterday.
- You staying for supper, Lyons?

I got some chicken cooking in the oven.

No, Rose, thanks.
I just was in the neighborhood

and thought I'd stop by for a minute.

Yeah, you was
in the neighborhood all right.

Nigger, you telling the truth there.

You was in the neighborhood
'cause it's my payday.

Well, hell, since you mentioned it,
let me have $10.

I'll be damned. I'll die and go to hell

and play blackjack with the devil
before I give you $10.

That's what I want to know about,
that devil you done seen.

Pop done seen the devil?
You too much, Pop.

- Yeah, I done seen him.
- He ain't seen no devil.

I told him that man
ain't had nothing to do with the devil.

Anything he can't understand,
he want to call it the devil.

Look here, Bono. I go by Hertzberger's
to get some furniture.

You got three rooms for $298.
That what it say on the radio.

"Three rooms, $298."
He made up a little song about it.

I get down there,
man tell me I can't get no credit.

I'm working every day,
can't get no credit.

What to do?

I got an empty house
with some raggedy furniture.

Cory ain't got no bed.

He's sleeping on a pile of rags
on the floor.

Working every day, can't get no credit.

I come back here, Rose'll tell you,

madder than hell,
trying to figure out what to do.

Come a knock on the door.

I ain't been living but three days,
who know I'm here?

I open the door. Devil standing there.

Bigger than life.

White fella,
got on good clothes and everything.

Standing there
with a clipboard in his hand.

Now, I ain't got to say nothing.

First words come out of his mouth,

"I understand you need some furniture
and can't get no credit."

I liked to fell over. He said,
"I'll give you all the credit you want,

"but you gonna have to pay
the interest on it."

Now, I told him,
he give me them three rooms,

he can charge whatever he want.

Next day, a truck pull up here,

two men unload them three rooms.

Man what drove the truck
give me a book.

Said first of the month,
send $10 to the address in the book,

everything'll be fine.

Said if you miss a payment,

the devil was coming back,
and there'll be hell to pay.

That was 15 years ago.

To this day, first day of every month,
I send my $10,

just like clockwork. Rose'll tell you.

- Troy lying.
- I ain't never seen that man since.

Now, you tell me,
who else that gonna be but the devil?

And I ain't sold my soul
or nothing like that.

No, I wouldn't have truck with the devil
over nothing like that.

But I got my furniture.
And I send my $10, just like clockwork.

How long you say
you been paying this $10 a month?

15 years.

Hell, ain't you finished paying for it yet?
How much the man done charge you?

Hell, I done paid for it.
I done paid for it 10 times over.

Fact is, I'm scared to stop paying.

Troy lying.
We got that furniture from Mr. Glickman.

He ain't paying no $10 a month
to nobody.

Hell, woman,
Bono know I ain't that big a fool.

I was just getting ready to say,
I know where there's a bridge for sale.

I'll tell you this.

It don't matter to me if it was the devil.

It don't matter if the devil give credit.

- Somebody got to give it.
- It ought to matter.

You walking around here saying
you gonna make truck with the devil,

God's the one
you're gonna have to answer to.

He's the one gonna be at the Judgment.

Yeah, well, look here, Pop,
let me have that $10.

I'll give it back to you.

Bonnie got a job working at the hospital.

Bono, what did I tell you?

Only time I see this nigger
is when he want something.

That's the only time I see him.

Come on, Pop,
Mr. Bono don't want to hear all that.

Let me have the $10.
I told you, Bonnie's working!

What that mean to me
if Bonnie's working?

I don't care if she working.
Go ask her for $10 if she's working.

Talking about Bonnie working.
Why ain't you working?

Pop, you know I can't find no decent job.

Where am I gonna get a job at?
You know I can't get no job.

I told you,
I know some people down there.

I can get you on the rubbish
if you want to work.

I told you that last time you
come back here asking for something.

No, Pop, thanks, that ain't for me.

I don't want to be carrying
nobody's rubbish.

I don't want to be punching
nobody's time clock.

What's the matter?
You too good to carry people's rubbish?

Where you think that $10
you talking about comes from?

I'm just supposed to
haul people's rubbish

and give my money to you
'cause you too lazy to work?

You're too lazy to work

and want to know
why you ain't got what I got.

What hospital
Bonnie working at, Mercy?

She down at Passavant,
working in the laundry.

I ain't got nothing as it is.
I give you $10,

I got to eat beans the rest of the week?

No, you ain't getting no $10 over here.

You ain't got to be eating no beans.

I don't know why you want to say that?

I ain't got no extra money!

Gabe done moved out,

giving his money over there
to Miss Pearl, paying her rent.

Things done got tight around here.

I can't afford to be
giving you every payday.

I ain't asked you to give me nothing.
I asked you to loan me $10.

I know you got $10.

Yeah, I got it. You know why I got it?

'Cause I don't throw my money away
on them streets.

You want to live the fast life,
being a musician,

running around in them
clubs and things,

then learn to take care of yourself.

You ain't gone find me asking
nobody for nothing!

I spent too many years without.

Hey, you and me is two different people.

I done learned my mistake
and I learned to do what's right by it.

You still trying to get
something for nothing.

Life don't owe you nothing.

You owe it to yourself.
Ask Bono. He'll tell you I'm right.

You got your way of
dealing with the world, I got mine.

Only thing that matters to me
is the music.

Yeah, I can see that.
Don't matter how you gonna eat,

don't matter where your next dollar
coming from.

Yeah, you telling the truth there.

I know I got to eat. But
I got to live, too.

I need something that's gonna help me
get out of bed in the morning,

make me feel like I belong in the world.

I don't bother nobody.

I just stay with my music

'cause that's the only way
I can find to live in the world.

Otherwise, ain't no telling
what I might do.

I don't come by
criticizing you and how you live.

I just come by to ask you for $10.

I don't want to hear all that about
how I live.

Boy, your mama did
a hell of a job raising you.

You can't change me, Pop.
I'm 34 years old.

If you wanted to change me,

you should have been there
when I was growing up.

I come by to see you, ask you for $10,

and you want to talk about
how I was raised?

You don't know nothing
about how I was raised.

Let the boy have $10, Troy.

Hell you looking at?
You know I ain't got no money.

You know what I do with my money.

Go on, give him $10
if you want him to have it.

I will, soon as you turn it loose.

There it is.

Seventy six dollars
and twenty-two cents.

You see this, Bono?
I ain't gonna get but six of that back.

He ought to stop telling that lie.
Here, Lyons.

Thanks, Rose.

Look, I got to run. I'll see you all later.

Wait a minute.
You gonna say, "Thanks, Rose,"

but you ain't gonna look to see
where she got that money from.

- You see how they do me, Bono?
- I know she got it from you, Pop.

- Thanks. I'll give it back to you.
- There you go, telling another lie.

Time I see that $10,
you'll be owing me $30 more.

- See you, Mr. Bono.
- Take care, Lyons.

Thanks, Pop. I'll see you again.

I don't know why that boy don't go
and get him a decent job

and take care of that woman he got.

He'll be all right, Troy.
The boy is still young!

- The boy is 34 years old.
- Let's not get off into all that.

Look here, I got to go. I got to be going.
Lucille gonna be waiting.

See this woman, Bono?
I love this woman.

I love her so much, it hurts.

I love her so much,
I done run out of ways of loving her,

so, I got to get back to basics.

Don't you come by my house
Monday morning,

talking about time to go to work.

- 'Cause I'm gonna still be stroking.
- Troy, stop!

I ain't paying him no mind, Rose.
That ain't nothing but gin talk.

Go on, Troy! I'll see you Monday.

Don't you come by my house, nigger!

I done told you what I'm gonna be doing!

Come back on Tuesday!

Jesus be a fence

All around me

Every day

Good morning.

You ready for breakfast?
I can fix you some

soon as I finish hanging up
these clothes.

I got the coffee on. That's all right.
I just have some of that this morning.

That 651 hit yesterday.

That's the second time this month
Miss Pearl hit for a dollar.

Seems like those that need the least
always get lucky.

Poor folks can't get nothing.

Them numbers don't know nobody.

I don't know why you fool with 'em,
you and Lyons both.

It's something to do.

You ain't doing nothing
but throwing your money away.

Troy, you know I don't play foolishly.

I just play a nickel here
and a nickel there.

That's two nickels you done
throwed away.

Nah, I hit sometimes.
That makes up for it.

Always comes in handy when I do hit.

I don't hear you complaining then.

I ain't complaining now.
I just say it's foolish,

trying to guess out of 600 ways
which way the number gonna come.

If I had all the money these niggers...

You negroes throw away
on numbers in one week,

just one week, I'd be a rich man.

You wishing and calling it foolish

ain't gonna stop folks
from playing the numbers.

That's one thing for sure.

Besides, some good things
come from playing numbers.

Look where Pope done bought him
that restaurant off of numbers.

I can't stand niggers like that.
Man ain't had two dimes to rub together.

He running around with his shoes
all run-over,

bumming money for cigarettes.

All right.
Got lucky there, hit the numbers...

Troy, I know all about it.

Had good sense. I'll say that for him.
Man ain't throw his money away.

I done see niggers go through
$2,000 in four days.

Man built him that restaurant
down there.

Fix it up real nice, too.

Then he won't let nobody come in it.

Negro go in there,
can't get no kind of service.

Seen a white fella go in there,
he orders a bowl of stew.

Pope pick all the meat
out of the pot for him.

Man ain't had nothing
but a bowl of meat!

Negro go in there behind him,

he ain't got nothing
but the potatoes and the carrots.

Talking about
what numbers do for people.

You picked the wrong example there.

Ain't done nothing
but made a worser fool out of him

than he already was before.

Troy.

You ought to stop worrying about
what happened at work yesterday.

I ain't worried.

Just called me down there,
the Commissioner's office,

everybody's worried
about them firing me.

I ain't worrying about them firing me.

You ain't got to worry about that.

Where's Cory? Cory in the house?

- Cory!
- He gone out.

Out? Yeah, he going out

'cause he know
I want him to work on this fence.

I know how he is.
That boy is scared of working.

He ain't done a lick of work in his life.

He had to go to football practice.

Coach wanted them
to get in a little extra practice

before the season start.

Yeah, I got his practice all right.

Running out of here
before he gets his chores done.

Troy, what is wrong with you
this morning?

Don't nothing set right with you.

Go on back in there, go to bed,
and get up on the other side.

Why something got to be
wrong with me?

I ain't said nothing wrong with me.

Well, you got something to say
about everything.

First, it's the numbers,
then it's the way the man

run his restaurant,
then you done got on Cory.

What's it gonna be next?

Take a look up there,
see if the weather suit you.

Or is it gonna be
how you gonna put up this fence

with the clothes hanging in the yard?

You hit the nail on the head then.

I know you
like I know the back of my hand.

Come on in here
and get you some more coffee,

see if that don't straighten you up.

'Cause you ain't right this morning.

Three for a quarter

Come and buy now
'Cause I'm here today

Yes, sir, I got plums

Ask me how I sell 'em

Ten cents apiece
Three for a quarter

Come and buy now

Hey!

'Cause I'm here today
Tomorrow, I'll be gone

There's Troy. Hey, Troy.

Hey, Gabe.

- Hey, Rose.
- Hey, Gabe.

What you got there?

You know what I got, Rose?
I got fruits and vegetables.

Where them plums you talking about?

I ain't got no plums today.
I was just singing that.

I'll have some tomorrow.
I put me in a big order for plums.

I'll have enough plums tomorrow
for Saint Peter and everybody!

Troy mad at me.

I ain't mad at you, Gabe.
What I got to be mad at you about?

You ain't done nothing to me.

I just move over to Miss Pearl's
to keep out from in your way.

I ain't mean no harm by it.

Who said anything about that?
I ain't said nothing about that.

You ain't mad at me, is you?

I ain't made at you, Gabe.
If I was mad at you, I'd tell you about it.

Come on, get on out of the street.
Come on.

I got me two rooms in the basement.
I got my own door, too.

You want to see my key?

That's my own key.
Ain't nobody else got a key like that.

That's my key for my two rooms.

That's good, Gabe.
Got your own key, that's good.

You hungry, Gabe?

I was just fixing to cook Troy
some breakfast.

I'll take some biscuits.
You got some biscuits?

Did you know, when I was in Heaven,
every morning, me and Saint Peter

would sit down by the Gate
and eat some big, fat biscuits?

Yeah, we had us a good time.
We'd sit there and eat us them biscuits.

And then Saint Peter
would go off to sleep,

and tell me to wake him up

when it's time to open the Gates
for the Judgment.

Well, come on,
I'll make you a big batch of biscuits.

Hey, Troy. Saint Peter got your name
in his book. I seen it.

It say, "Troy Maxson."

I say, "I know him.

"He got the same name like what I got.

"That's my brother."

How many times
you gonna tell me that, Gabe?

Ain't got my name in the book.
Don't have to have my name.

I done died and went to Heaven.

But he got your name, though.

One morning,
Saint Peter was looking at his book,

and he was marking it up
for the Judgment,

and he let me see your name.

He got it in there under "M."
He got Rose's name.

I ain't seen it like I seen yours,
but I know it's in there.

He got a great big book!

He got everybody's name
what was ever been born.

That's what he told me.

But I seen your name.
I seen it with my own eye.

Come in the house.

Rose gonna fix you something
to eat now.

I ain't hungry. I done had breakfast

with Aunt Jemima!

She come by,
cook me up a whole mess of flapjacks!

All right. Come on, let's go in the house.
Rose fix us...

Remember how we used to eat
them flapjacks?

Yes, I remember. Come on now.

- I got to go!
- Gabe!

- I got to go!
- Gabe, come on now!

I got to go sell my plums!

I done sold some tomatoes.
Got me two quarters. Want to see?

I'm gonna save 'em
and buy me a new horn,

so Saint Peter can hear me
when it's time to open the Gate.

You hear that?

You hear that? That's the hellhound.

I'm gonna chase them out of here.

Go on! Get out of here! Get out!
Get out!

All you hypocrite members

Wasting your time away

My God is calling for a workman

You had better obey

Better get ready
for the Judgment

Better get ready
for the Judgment morning

Better get ready for Judgment

My God is coming down

Better get ready
for the Judgment

Better get ready
for the Judgment morning

Better get ready
for the Judgment

My God is coming down

Better get ready
for the Judgment

Better get ready
for the Judgment

Where's Gabe?

He's gone off somewhere.

He ain't eating right.

Miss Pearl say
she can't get him to eat nothing.

What you want me to do about it, Rose?

I did everything I could for the man.
I can't make him get well.

Man got half his head blown off,
what you expect?

Seems like something ought to be done
to help him.

The man don't bother nobody.

He just mixed up
'cause of that metal plate

he got in his head. Ain't no sense in...

Thank you. Ain't no sense
in sending him to the hospital.

At least he'd be eating right.

They could help him
take care of himself.

Don't nobody
want to be locked up, Rose.

What you want to lock the man up for?

Man going down there,

over there and fight that war,
messing with them Japs,

getting half his head blown off.

They give him a lousy $3,000.
I got to swoop down on that.

Is you fixing to get into that again?

He got a metal plate in his head.

That's the only reason
I got a roof over my head

is 'cause of that metal plate.

Ain't no sense in you
blaming yourself for nothing.

Gabe was in no condition
to manage that money.

You done what was right by him.

Can't nobody say
you ain't done what was right by him.

Look how long you took care of him.

Till he wanted his own place
and moved over there with Miss Pearl.

That ain't what I'm saying, woman.
I'm just...

I'm just stating the facts.

If my brother
didn't have a metal plate in his head,

I wouldn't have a pot to piss in

or a window to throw it out of.

And I'm 53...

Where you going off to?

You been running out of here
every Saturday for weeks.

I thought you were gonna
work on this fence.

I'm gonna go down to Taylors' and...

Mama?

Cory. Your daddy
like to have a fit with you

running out of here this morning
without doing your chores.

You all right?

He say you supposed to be
helping him with the fence.

I told you I had to go to practice.

And he's been saying that
the last four or five Saturdays,

and then don't ever do nothing
but go down to Taylors'.

- You told him about the recruiter?
- Yeah, I told him.

- Well, what'd he say?
- He didn't say nothing too much.

Go on and get started on your chores
before he gets back here.

Go on and scrub down them steps

before he come back here hollering
and carrying on!

Go! Boy, go!

Go on, Troy.
You liked to scare me to death.

What was the score of the game?

Lucille had me on the phone.
I couldn't keep up with it.

What do I care about the game?
Come here, woman.

I thought you went down to Taylors'

to listen to the game. Go on, Troy.

I thought you're supposed to
be putting up the fence.

I'll put it up when I finish with what...

Is at hand.

Go on, Troy. I ain't studying you!

I'm studying you.
I'm finna do my homework.

Troy, you better leave me alone!

Where Cory?
That boy brought his butt home yet?

He's upstairs doing his chores.

Cory, get your butt...

- Where you going?
- I'll be right back.

- When?
- I'm just going right down the street.

Where? Who?

Troy, go in the house!

You just now coming here
from leaving this morning?

- Yeah, I had to go to football practice...
- Yeah, what?

Yes, sir.

I ain't but two seconds off you, no way.

That garbage
sitting in there, overflowing.

You ain't done none of your chores.

Now you come in here,
talking about, "Yeah."

I was just getting ready
to do my chores now, Pop.

Your first chore is to help me
with this fence on Saturday.

Everything else come after that.

Now, get that saw,
we gonna cut these boards.

Hey, Pop. Why don't you buy a TV?

What I want with a TV?
What I want one of them for?

Everybody got one. Earl, Ba Bra, Jesse.

I ain't asked who had one,
I said what I want with one?

So, you can watch it.
They got lots of things on TV.

- Baseball and everything.
- Yeah?

We could watch the World Series.

- Yeah, how much this TV cost?
- I don't know.

They got 'em on sale for about $200.

- $200?
- That ain't that much, Pop.

No, that's just $200.

You see that roof you got
sitting over your head at night?

Let me tell you something
about that roof.

It's been 10 years
since that roof was last tarred.

See, now snow come this winter,
sit up on that roof like it is,

it's gonna seep inside,
just gonna be a little bit,

you ain't gonna hardly notice it,

then next thing you know,

it's gonna be leaking all over the house.

Then the wood rot from all that water,
and you gonna need a whole new roof.

Now how much you think it cost
to get that roof fixed?

- I don't know.
- $264 cash money. See?

While you be thinking about a TV,

I got to be thinking about the roof
or whatever else go wrong around here.

Now if you had $200,
what would you do?

Fix the roof, or buy a TV?

I'd buy a TV.
And when the roof started to leak,

if it needed fixing, I'd fix it.

Where you gonna get your money from?

You done spent it on a TV.

You gonna sit up in there, let that
water run all over your brand-new TV?

Pop, you got the money. I know you do.

- Where I got it at?
- In the bank.

You want to see my bank book?

You want to see that $73.22
I got sitting up in there?

You don't have to pay for it
all at one time.

You can put a down payment on it,
and carry it on with you.

Not me. I ain't owing nobody nothing
if I can help it.

Miss a payment, they come
and snatch it right out of your house.

Then what you got? See?

Now, when I get $200 clear,
I'll buy me a TV.

Right now, when I get $264,
I'm gonna get that roof fixed.

Pop...

You go get you $200
and buy you a TV if you want to.

I got better things to do with my money.

I can't get $200. I ain't never seen $200.

All right, I'll tell you what.

You get $100,
I'll put the other $100 with it.

All right, I'm gonna show you.

Yeah, show me how you can
cut these boards right now.

There you go. That's $200 worth.

- The Pirates won today.
- Yeah?

That makes five in a row.

I ain't thinking about no Pirates.
They got an all-white team.

Got that boy, though,
that Puerto Rican boy, Clemente?

Don't even half play him.

That boy could be something
if they'd give him a chance.

Play him one day,
sit him on the bench the next.

He gets lots of chances to play.

I'm talking about playing every day,
playing regular,

so you can get your timing,
that's what I'm talking about.

They got some white guys on the team
that don't play every day.

You can't play everybody
at the same time.

If they got a white fellow
sitting on the bench,

you can bet your last dollar
he can't play.

Colored guy got to be twice as good
to get on the team.

That's why I don't want you
getting all tied up in them sports.

Man on the team, what it get him?

Got colored on the team,
don't even use him.

Same as not having them.
All them teams the same.

The Braves got Hank Aaron
and Wes Covington.

Hank Aaron hit two home runs today.
That makes 43.

Aaron ain't nobody.
That's what you supposed to do.

That's how the game's supposed
to be played.

Ain't nothing to it. It's a matter of
getting your timing and follow through.

Hell, I can hit 43 home runs right now.

Not off no major-league pitcher,
you couldn't.

We had better pitching
in the Negro leagues.

I hit seven home runs
off of Satchel Paige.

You can't get no better than that.

Sandy Koufax,
he leading the league in strikeouts.

I ain't thinking about no Sandy Koufax.

You got Warren Spahn
and Lew Burdette. I bet you...

I'm through with it now.

Go and cut them boards.

Your mama told me you got
recruited by a college football team.

Is that right?

Yeah, Coach Zellman say the recruiter
gonna be coming by to talk to you.

Get you to sign the permission papers.

I thought you was supposed to
be working down the A&P.

Ain't you supposed to be
working down there after school?

Mr. Stawicki say
he gonna hold my job for me

until after the football season.

He said starting next week,
I can work weekends.

Boy, I thought we had an understanding
about this football stuff.

You supposed to keep up
with your chores,

hold your job down there at the A&P.

You ain't been around here all day
on a Saturday,

ain't none of your chores done.

Now you come telling me
you done quit your job?

- I'm gonna be working weekends.
- You damn right you are!

And ain't no need for nobody
to be coming around here,

talking to me about signing nothing.

Pop, you can't do that.

He's coming all the way
from North Carolina.

I don't care where he coming from!

Look, boy,

the white man ain't gonna let you

get nowhere with no football no way.

Now you get your book-learning,
so you can

work your way up at the A&P
and learn how to fix cars,

or build houses, get you a trade.

This way, you got something
can't nobody take away from you.

You go in and learn how to
put your hands to good use

besides hauling other people's garbage.

I get good grades, Pop.

That's why the recruiter
want to talk with you.

You got to keep up
your grades to get recruited.

This way, I'll be going to college,
I'll get a chance.

First, you get your butt down there
and get your job back.

Mr. Stawicki done already
hired somebody else

'cause I told him I was playing football.

You a bigger fool than I thought.

You gonna let somebody
take away your job,

so you can play some football.

Where you gonna get your money

to take care of your girlfriend
and whatnot?

What kind of foolishness is that

to let somebody take away your job?

I'm still gonna be working weekends.

No. You getting out of here
and finding you another job.

Come on, Pop. I gotta practice.

I can't work after school
and play football, too.

The team needs me,
that's what Coach Zellman say.

I don't care what nobody say.
I'm the boss. You understand?

I'm the boss around here.
I do the only saying what counts.

- Come on...
- I asked you, "Do you understand?"

- Yeah.
- What?

- Yes, sir.
- All right.

You get on down there to that A&P

and see if you can get your job back.

If you can't do both,
then you quit the football team.

You got to take the crookeds
with the straights.

Yes, sir.

- Can I ask you a question?
- What the hell you got to ask me?

Mr. Stawicki the one
you got the questions for.

How come you ain't never liked me?

Like you?
Who the hell said I got to like you?

What law is there say I got to like you?

You want to stand up in front of my face

and ask a damn fool-ass question
like that.

Talk about liking somebody.

Come here, boy, when I talk to you.

Straighten up, God damn it!
I asked you a question.

- What law is there say I got to like you?
- None.

All right, then. Don't you eat every day?

Answer me when I talk to you.

- Don't you eat every day?
- Yeah.

Nigger, as long as you in my house,

you put a "sir" on the end of it
when you talk to me.

- Yes, sir.
- You eat every day?

- Got a roof over your head?
- Yes, sir.

- Got clothes on your back?
- Yes, sir.

- Why you think that is?
- 'Cause of you.

Hell, I know it's 'cause of me.
But why do you think that is?

'Cause you like me?

"Like" you.

I go out of here every morning,

I bust my butt putting up
with them crackers every day

'cause I "like" you.

You about the biggest fool I ever saw.
It's my job.

It's my responsibility.

A man is supposed to
take care of his family.

You live in my house,
fill your belly with my food,

put your behind on my bed
because you're my son.

Not 'cause I like you.
'Cause it's my duty to take care of you.

I owe a responsibility to you.

Now, let's get this straight
right here and now,

before it go along any further.

I ain't got to like you.

Mr. Rand don't give me my money
come payday 'cause he like me.

He give it to me 'cause he owe me.

Now I done give you everything
I got to give you.

I give you your life!

Me and your mama
worked that out between us,

and liking your black ass
wasn't part of the bargain.

Now don't you go through life

worrying about
whether somebody like you, or not.

You best be making sure
they're doing right by you.

- You understand what I'm saying?
- Yes, sir.

Then get the hell out of my face
and get on down to that A&P!

Why don't you go ahead
and let the boy play football, Troy?

He just want to be like you
with the sports.

I don't want him to be like me.

I want him to get as far away
from my life

as he possibly can get.

You the only decent thing
ever happened to me, Rose.

And I wish him that.

But I don't wish him
nothing else from my life.

I decided 17 years ago, that boy
wasn't gonna get involved in no sports.

Not after
what they did to me in the sports.

Why don't you just admit
you were too old for the major leagues?

For once, why don't you just admit that?

Don't you come tellin' me I was too old.

I just wasn't the right color.
Hell, I'm 53 years old,

I can do better than Selkirk's.269
right now.

How were you gonna play ball
when you were over 40?

Sometimes, I can't get
no sense out of you.

I got good sense, woman.

I got sense enough not to let that boy
get hurt playing no sports.

You mothering the boy too much.

Worrying about whether people
"like" him or not.

Everything that boy do, he do for you.

He wants you to say, "Good job, son."
That's all.

I ain't got time for that, Rose.
He's alive, he's healthy.

He's got to make his own way.
I made mine.

Ain't nobody gonna hold his hand
when he get out there in the world.

Times have changed, Troy.

People change.

The world changing,
and you can't even see it.

Woman, I do the best I can do.

I come in here every Friday,

I carry a sack of potatoes
and a bucket of lard.

You all line up at the door
with your hands out.

I give you the lint from my pockets.
I give you my sweat and my blood.

I ain't got no tears. I done spent them.

We go upstairs in that room at night,
I fall down on you

and try to blast a hole into forever.

I get up Monday morning,
find my lunch on the table,

go out and make my way.

Find my strength
to get me through to next Friday.

That's all I got, Rose.

That's all I got to give.

Can't give nothing else!

Mr. Maxson?

Commissioner will see you now.

Rose!

Hey, Ro!

I wish I could've seen Mr. Rand's face
when he told you.

He couldn't get it out his mouth.
Liked to bit his tongue.

When they called me down there
to the Commissioner's office,

he thought they was gonna fire me,
like everybody else.

I didn't think they was gonna fire you.

I thought they's gonna put you
on the warning paper.

Hey, Rose!
Yeah, Mr. Rand liked to bit his tongue.

I see you run right down there
to Taylors'

and told that Alberta gal.

Hey, Rose! I told everybody. Hey, Ro!

I went down there to cash my check.

Hey!

Hush all that hollering.
I know you out here.

What they say down
at the Commissioner's office?

You supposed to come
when I call you, woman.

Bono will tell you that.

Don't Lucille come when you call her?

Man, hush your mouth. I ain't no dog.

Talk about come when you call me.

You hear this, Bono?
I used to have me an old dog

get uppity like that.

You say, "Come here, Blue,"
he just lay there, look at you.

End up getting a stick chasin' him away,
trying to make him come.

I ain't studying you and your dog.

I remember you used to
sing that old song.

Hear it ring! Hear it ring!

Had an old dog His name was Blue

Nobody wants to hear that old song.

You know Blue was mighty true

Used to have Cory runnin' around here
singin' that song.

Hell, I remember that song myself.

You know Blue Was a good old dog

Blue treed a possum
In a hollow log

That's my daddy's song.
My daddy made up that song.

I don't care who made it up.
Don't nobody want to hear you sing it.

Come here, woman!

You come in here carrying on,
I reckon they ain't fired you.

What they say down there
at the Commissioner's office?

Look here, Rose.
Mr. Rand called me in his office

after I got back from
talkin' to them people down there.

He called me in his office and told me...

They was making me a driver!

- Troy, you kidding!
- No, I ain't. Ask Bono.

That's great, Troy.
Now you don't have to

hassle them people no more.

Oh, hell.
I didn't think I was gonna see you today.

I thought you was in jail.

Got it all over the Courier
about them raiding Seefus' place

where you be hanging out
with all them thugs.

Hey, Pop,
that ain't got nothing to do with me.

I don't go down there gambling.

I just go down there
to sit in with the band.

I ain't got nothing to do
with the gambling part.

They got some good music down there.

They got some rogues is what they got.

How you been, Mr. Bono? Hi, Rose.

I see where you playing down
at the Crawford Grill tonight.

How come you ain't brought
Bonnie like I told you?

You shoulda brought Bonnie.

She ain't been by
in a month of Sundays.

I was just in the neighborhood.

- Thought I'd stop by.
- Here it comes.

Your daddy got a promotion
on the rubbish.

He gonna be the first colored driver.

Ain't got to do nothin' but sit up there

and read the paper,
like them white fellas.

Hey, Pop, if you knew
how to read, you'd be all right.

Nah, nah. You mean
if the nigger knew how to drive,

he'd be all right.

Been fighting with them people
about driving

and ain't even got a license.

Mr. Rand know
you ain't got no driver's license?

Driving ain't nothing.

All you do is point the truck
where you want it to go.

Driving ain't nothing.

Do they know
you ain't got no driver's license?

That's what I'm talkin' about.

I ain't asked if driving was easy.

I asked if Mr. Rand know
you ain't got no driver's license.

The man ain't got to know my business.

Time he find out, I have
two or three of them driver's license.

- Say, look here, Pop.
- I knew it was coming.

I knew what kinda "Look here, Pop"
that was.

Nigger finna ask me
for some money.

It's Friday night, it's my payday.

All them rogues down on the avenue,
the ones that ain't in jail,

and Lyons is hopping in his shoes
to get down there with them.

Now, see, Pop,

if you gave somebody else
a chance to talk sometime,

you'd see I was fixing to pay you back
your $10 like I told you.

Here. I told you I'd pay you
when Bonnie got paid.

No, you keep that $10.
Put it in the bank.

Next time you feel like
you wanna come by here

and ask me for somethin',
you go down there and get that.

Here you go your $10, Pop.

I told you,
I don't want you to give me nothing.

I just wanted to borrow $10.

No, you keep that for the next time
you want to ask me.

Come on, Pop, here go your $10.

Troy, why don't you let the boy
pay you back?

Here you go, Rose. If you don't take it,

I'm gonna hear about it
for the next six months.

You can hand yours over, too, Troy.

You see this, Bono?
You see how they do me?

Yeah, Lucille do me the same way.

Better get
Ready for the Judgment

Better get ready

Hey. Hey, there's Troy's boy!

How you doing, Uncle Gabe?

Lyons!

The King of the Jungle!

Rose. Hey, Rose, I got a flower for you.

I picked it myself.
That's the same rose like you is.

That's right nice of you, Gabe.

What you been doing, Uncle Gabe?

I been chasing hellhounds
and waiting for the time

to tell Saint Peter to open the Gates.

You been chasing hellhounds, huh?

Well, you doing
the right thing, Uncle Gabe.

- Somebody's got to chase 'em.
- Yeah, I know it.

The devil's strong.
The devil ain't no pushover.

Hellhounds
snipping at everybody's heels.

But I got my trumpet waiting
on the Judgment time.

Waiting on
the Battle of Armageddon, huh?

Ain't gonna be too much of a battle

when God get to waving
that Judgment sword.

But the people's
gonna have a hell of a time

trying to get into Heaven
if them Gates ain't open.

You hear this, Pop?

- Uncle Gabe, you all right.
- Lyons.

- The King of the Jungle!
- You stayin' for supper, Gabe?

You want me to fix you a plate?

I'll just take a sandwich, Rose.
I don't want no plate.

I want to eat with my hands.
I'll take a sandwich.

What about you, Lyons? You stayin'?
Got some short ribs cooking.

Nah. I won't eat nothing
till after we finish playing.

You ought to come down,
listen to me play, Pop.

I don't like all that Chinese music,
all that noise.

Go in there and wash up, Gabe.
I'll fix you a sandwich.

Troy mad at me.

What you mad at Uncle Gabe for?

He think Troy mad at him 'cause
he moved over there to Miss Pearl's.

I ain't mad at the man.
He can live where he want to live at.

Well, what he move over there for?
Miss Pearl don't like nobody.

She don't mind him none.
She treat him real nice.

She just don't allow all that singing.

She don't mind that rent he be paying.
That's what she don't mind.

Troy, I ain't goin' through that
with you no more.

He moved over there
'cause he wanted his own place.

He can come and go as he please.

He can come and go as he please here.
I wasn't stoppin' him.

I wasn't putting no rules on the man.

That ain't the same thing,
and you know it.

Now that's the last
I wanna hear about that.

I don't wanna hear nothin' else
about Gabe and Miss Pearl.

- And next week...
- I'm ready for my sandwich, Rose.

And next week, when
that recruiter come from that school,

I want you to sign that paper
and go on and let Cory play football.

That'll be the last
I have to hear about that.

Cory got recruited?
What school he goin' to?

I ain't thinking about Cory nothing.

Boy walking around here
smelling his piss,

thinking he gonna do
what he want to do,

irregardless of what I say.

Look here, Bono,
I left the Commissioner's office

and went down to the A&P.

That boy ain't workin' down there,
he lied to me.

Tellin' me he got his job back,
tellin' me he workin' weekend,

tellin' me he workin' after school.

Mr. Stawicki says
he ain't working down there at all.

Cory just growing up.

He just bustin' at the seams,
tryin' to fill out your shoes.

I don't care what he doing.

When he get to the place
where he want to disobey me,

then it's time for him to move on.
Bono will tell you that.

I bet he ain't never disobeyed his daddy
without paying the consequences.

I ain't never had the chance.

My daddy came on through,
but I ain't never knew him to see him.

Or what he had on his mind,
or where he went.

Just moving on through.
Searching out the New Land.

That's what the old folks used to call it.

See a fella moving around
from place to place, woman to woman,

they call it
"Searching out the New Land."

I can't say if he ever found it.

I come along, didn't want no kids.

I didn't know if I was gonna
be in one place long enough

to fix on 'em right as their daddy.

I figured I was going searching, too.

As it turn out,
I been hooked up with Lucille

for near about as long as
your daddy been with Rose.

Going on 16 years.

Sometimes, I wish
I'd never known my daddy.

He ain't cared nothing about no kids.
A kid to him wasn't nothing.

All he wanted you to do
was learn how to walk,

so he could start you to working.

Come to eating, he ate first.
Anything left over, that's what you got.

Man would sit down, eat two chickens,
and give you the wing.

You ought to stop that, Pop.
Everybody feed their kids.

No matter how hard times is,
everybody care about their kids.

Make sure they have something to eat.

Only thing my daddy cared about

was getting them bales
of cotton in to Mr. Lubin.

That's the only thing
that mattered to him.

Sometimes, I used to wonder
why he was still living,

why the devil hadn't come and got him.

"Get them bales of cotton
in to Mr. Lubin."

Find out he owe him money.

He should have just went on and left

when he saw he couldn't get nowhere.

That's what I would've done.

How he gonna leave with 11 kids?
And where he gonna go?

He ain't knew nothing but how to farm.
No, he was trapped.

I think he knew it, too.
But I'll say this for him...

He felt a responsibility toward us.

May not have treated us
like I felt he should have,

but without that responsibility,
he could have run off and left us,

made his own way.

A lot of them did.

Back in those days,
what you talkin' about?

They walk out their front door

and take off down one road or another
and just keep on walkin'.

There you go.
That's what I'm talkin' about.

Just keep on walking
till they come to something else.

Ain't you never heard of nobody
having the walking blues?

Now, that's what you call it
when you just take off like that.

My daddy ain't had no walking blues.
What you talking about?

He stayed right there with his family,

but he was just as evil as he could be!

My mama couldn't stand him.
Couldn't stand that evilness.

She run off when I was about eight.

She sneaked off one night,
told me she was coming back for me.

I ain't never seen her no more.

All his women run off and left him.
He wasn't good for nobody.

My turn come to head out.

I was 14,

got to sniffing around
Joe Canewell's daughter.

We had this old mule called "Greyboy".

My daddy sent me out
to do some plowing.

I got to fooling around
with Joe Canewell's daughter.

Found us a nice spot,
got real cozy with each other.

She was about 13,
so we done figured we grown anyway.

So, we were down there by
the creek, enjoying ourselves,

ain't thinking about nothing.

Didn't know Greyboy had gotten loose,

wandered back to the house,
and my daddy was lookin' for me.

So, we down there enjoying ourselves
when he come up on us.

Surprised us.

Had them leather straps off that mule,

commenced to whupping me
like there was no tomorrow.

I jump up. I'm mad, embarrassed.

I was scared of my daddy.

Now, when he commenced
to whipping on me,

quite naturally,
I run to get out of the way.

Now, I think he's mad
'cause I ain't done my work.

But I see where he's chasing me off,
so he can have the gal for himself.

When I see what the matter of it was,

I lost all fear of my daddy,
and right there, I became a man.

Fourteen years of age.

Now, it's my turn to run him off.

I picked up them same reins
he used on me.

I picked up them reins,
I commenced to whupping on him.

Gal jump up, she run off.

When he turned to face me,

I knew why the devil
never come and get him

'cause he was the devil himself.

I don't know what happened.

I woke up, laying there by the creek,

and Blue, this old dog we had,
he was licking my face.

Both my eyes were swoll shut.

I thought I was blind,
I couldn't see nothing.

I just laid there and cried.

And I didn't know what I was gonna do.

But I knew the time had come
for me to leave my daddy's house.

Suddenly, the world got big, and...

It was a long time before I could
cut it down to where I could handle it.

Part of that cutting down
was where I got to the place

where I could feel him
kicking in my blood,

and I knew the only thing
that separated us

was a matter of a few years.

What you got there, Uncle Gabe?

I got me a ham sandwich.

Rose gave me a ham sandwich.

I lost touch with everybody
except Gabriel.

But...

I hope he's dead.

I hope he found some peace.

That's a heavy story, Pop.

I didn't know you left home
when you was 14.

Fourteen's kinda young
to be on your own.

I don't know what I would've done.

Well, I got up from that creek,
walked on down to Mobile.

I was through with farming.
I figured I'd do better in the cities.

So, I walked the 200 miles to Mobile.

Wait a minute,
you ain't walked no 200 miles, Pop.

Ain't nobody gonna walk no 200 miles.
You talking about some walking there!

That's the only way you got anywhere
back in them days.

Shit! Damn if I wouldn't have
hitched a ride with somebody.

Who you gonna hitch it with?

There ain't no cars
and things like they got now.

We talking about 1918.

What you all out here gettin' into?

I'm telling Lyons how good he got it.

He don't know nothing
about this I'm talking.

Lyons, that was Bonnie on the phone.
She says you supposed to pick her up.

Yeah, okay, Rose.

I walked on down to Mobile,

hitched up with some fellows
that was coming up this way.

Got up here and found out,

not only could you not get a job,

you couldn't find no place to live.

I thought I was in freedom.

Colored folks living down there
on the riverbanks

in whatever kind of shelter
they could find for themselves.

Right down there
under the Brady Street Bridge.

Living down there in shacks
made out of sticks and tar paper.

Messed around down there.

Went from bad to worse.
Started stealing.

First, it was food.
Then I figure I steal me some money,

I can buy me some food,
buy me some shoes, too.

One thing led to another.
Met your mama.

I was young, anxious to be a man.

I met your mama and had you.
Why'd I do that for?

Now, I got to worry about
feeding you and her.

Got to steal three times as much.

I went out one day
looking for somebody to rob.

That's what I was, I was a robber.

I'mma tell you the truth.

I'm ashamed of it today,
but it's the truth.

I went to rob this fella,
I pull out my knife.

He pulled out a gun,
shot me in the chest.

It felt like somebody had taken
a hot branding iron and laid it on me.

Now, when he shot me,
I jumped at him with my knife,

and they say I killed him.

Locked me up, put me in
the penitentiary for 15 years.

That's where I met Bono.

Where I learned how to play baseball.

Got out that place,
and your mama had taken you,

went on to make a life without me.

Fifteen years was a long time
for her to wait.

But that 15 years
cured me of that robbing stuff.

Rose'll tell you.

I first met her, she ask me if I had

gotten all that foolishness
out of my system.

I said, "Baby, it's you and baseball,

"all what count to me."
You hear me, Bono?

And I meant it, too.
She said, "Which one come first?"

I said, "Well, ain't no
doubt it's baseball.

"But you stick and get old with me,

"and we'll both outlive this baseball."

Am I right, Rose?

And it's true.

Man, hush your mouth.
You ain't say no such thing.

Talkin' about, "Baby, you know
you'll always be number one with me."

That's what you was talking.

- That's why I love this woman.
- Rose will keep you straight.

You get off the track,
she'll straighten you up.

Lyons, you better get on up
and get Bonnie.

She waiting on you.

- Hey, Pop.
- Yeah?

You ought to come down to the Grill,
hear me play.

Man, I ain't goin' down there.

I'm too old to be hanging out
in them clubs.

You got to be good to
play down at the Grill.

Come on, Pop.

- I got to get up in the morning.
- Well, you ain't gotta stay long.

No, I'm gonna eat my supper
and go to bed.

Well, I got to go. I'll see you later.

Don't you come by my house
on my payday!

And pick up the phone,
let somebody know you coming,

and bring Bonnie,
you know I'm always glad to see her.

I'll do that, Rose. You take care now.

- See you, Pop.
- All right.

See you, Mr. Bono.

- See you, Uncle Gabe!
- Lyons! King of the Jungle!

Supper ready, woman?

Me and you got some business
to take care of.

- I'mma tear it up, too.
- Troy, I done told you now!

Hell, woman, it's Bono. Bono like family.
I done know this nigger since...

- How long have I known you?
- It's been a long time.

I done known this nigger
since Skippy was a pup!

Me and him done
been through some times!

You sure are right about that.

Hell, I known him
longer than I known you, Rose,

and we still standin'
shoulder to shoulder.

Look here, Bono,
a man can't ask for no more than that.

I love you, nigger.

Hell! I love you, too.

But I got to get home, see my woman.
You got yours in hand.

I got to go get mine.

What you do that for, Pop?

What's the matter?
Cory, what's the matter?

Pop done went up to the school
and told Coach Zellman

I can't play football no more.

Wouldn't even let me play the game.

Told him to tell the recruiter
not to come.

- Troy.
- What you Troying me for?

Yeah, I did it.
And the boy knows why I did it.

Why you wanna do that to me?
That was the one chance I had!

Ain't nothing wrong
with Cory playing football, Troy.

The boy lied to me.

I told the nigger,
"You want to play football,

"you keep up with your chores

"hold that job down at the A&P."
That was the conditions.

I stopped down to see Mr. Stawicki...

I can't work after school
during the football season, Pop.

I tried to tell you
Mr. Stawicki was holding my job for me.

You don't never want to listen to nobody,

and then
you wanna go and do this to me?

I ain't done nothin' to you.
You done it to yourself.

Just 'cause you didn't get a chance!

You're just scared
I'm gonna be better than you, that's all!

- Come here.
- Troy.

Troy.

Pick it up.

Put it on.

Strap it up.

All right.

See, you done made a mistake.

- I didn't even do nothing!
- I'll tell you what your mistake was.

You swung at the ball
and you didn't hit it.

That's strike one.
You in the batter's box now.

You swung and you missed, see?

That's strike one.

Don't you strike out.

Cory, why don't you come on in here,
help me clean out these cupboards.

I ain't quitting the team.
I don't care what Papa says.

I'll talk to him when he get back.

He had to go see
about your Uncle Gabe.

Police done arrested him again.

Said he was disturbing the peace.

He'll be back directly.

Come on in here and help me
clean out these cupboards.

Come on.

Troy, what they say down there?

They ain't said nothing.
I give them $50, they let him go.

I'll talk to you about it.

Where Cory?

He in the house,
helping me clean out these cupboards.

All right, tell him to
get his butt out here.

All they want is the money.

This makes six, seven times,
I done went down there and got him.

See me coming,
they stick out their hands.

Yeah, I know what you mean.
That's all they care about, that money.

They don't care about what's right.

Nigger, why you got to go
and get some hardwood?

You ain't doing nothin'
but building a little old fence.

Get you some soft pinewood.
That's all you need.

I know what I'm doing.
This outside wood.

You put pinewood inside the house.

Pinewood inside wood.
This here the outside wood.

Now tell me, where the fence gonna be?

You don't need this wood.

You can put it up with pinewood,

and it'll stand as long as
you gonna be here looking at it.

How you know
how long I'm gonna be here, nigger?

Hell, I might live forever.

I'll live longer than old man Horsely.

That's what Magee used to say.

Magee a damn fool.
Now you tell me who you ever heard of

gonna pull their own teeth
with a pair of rusty pliers?

They're old folks.

My granddaddy used to
pull his teeth with pliers.

They ain't had no dentists
for colored folk back then.

Well, get clean pliers.
You understand? Clean pliers.

Sterilize them.
Besides, we ain't living back then.

All he had to do
was go down to Doc Goldblum's.

I see where you and
that Tallahassee gal, that Alberta,

see where you all done got tight.

What you mean, "got tight"?

I see where you be laughing
and joking with her all the time.

I laugh and joke with 'em all.
Bono, you know me.

Ain't the kind of laughing and joking
I'm talking about.

How you doing, Mr. Bono?

Cory, get that saw from Bono
and cut some wood.

He talking about wood too hard to cut.

Stand back there, Jim.

Let the young boy
show you how it's done.

He's sure welcome to it.

Look at that.
Big, ol' strong boy, looks like Joe Louis.

Hell, I must be getting old

the way I'm watching that boy
whip through that wood.

I don't see why Mama
wants a fence around no yard no way.

Damn if I know, either.

I don't know what the hell
she keeping out with it.

She ain't got nothing nobody wants.

Some people build fences
to keep people out,

and other people build fences
to keep people in.

Rose wants to hold on to you all.
She loves you.

Hell, nigger, I don't need nobody
to tell me my wife loves me.

Cory, go in the house
and see if you can find the other saw.

Where's it at?

I said find it. Look for
it till you find it.

What is that supposed to mean?
Want to keep us in?

Troy,

I done known you seem like
damn near my whole life.

You and Rose both.
I known both of you all for a long time.

I remember when you met Rose.

When you was hitting them baseball
out of the park.

A lot of them old gals
was after you then.

You had the pick of the litter.

When you picked Rose,
I was happy for you.

That's the first time
I knew you had any sense.

I said, "My man Troy
knows what he's doing.

"I'm gonna follow this nigger,
he might take me somewhere."

I been following you, too.

I done learned a whole heap of things
about life watching you.

I done learned how to tell
where the shit lies.

How to tell it from the alfalfa.

You done learned me a lot of things.

Showed me how to not
make the same mistakes.

To take life as it come along,

keep putting one foot
in front of the other.

- Rose is a good woman, Troy.
- I know she a good woman.

I've been married to her for 18 years.

What you got on your mind, Bono?

I just say she's a good woman,
like I say anything.

I ain't got to have nothing on my mind.

You just say she a good woman
and leave it

hanging out there like that?

Why are you telling me
she a good woman?

She loves you, Troy. Rose loves you.

You saying I don't measure up?

That's what you tryin' to say.

I don't measure up
'cause I'm seeing this other gal.

I know what you tryin' to say.

I know what Rose means to you, Troy.

I'm just tryin' to say
I don't want to see you mess up.

Yeah.

Well, I appreciate that, Bono.

If you was messing around on Lucille,
I'd be telling you the same thing.

That's all I got to say.

I just say that 'cause I love you both.

Yeah.

You know me.
I wasn't out there looking for nothing.

You can't find a better woman
than Rose, I know that.

But it seems like this woman
just stuck on to me

where I can't shake her loose.

I done wrestled with it
and tried to throw her off,

but now she stuck on tighter.

And now she stuck on for good.

You's in control.
That's what you tell me all the time.

You responsible for what you do.

I ain't ducking the responsibility of it.

As long as it set right in my heart,
then I'm okay.

'Cause that's all I listen to.
It tell me right and wrong every time.

And I ain't talking about
doing Rose no bad turn.

I love Rose.

She done carried me a long ways,

and I love and respect her for that.

I know you do.

That's why I don't want
to see you hurt her.

But what you gonna do
when she finds out?

What you got then?

You try to juggle both of them,

sooner or later,
you gonna drop one of them.

- That's common sense.
- I know what you're saying, Bono.

I been trying to figure a way
to work it out.

Work it out right, Troy.

I ain't trying to get all up
between you and Rose's business,

but work it, so it come out right.

Hell, I get all between
you and Lucille's business.

And when you gonna buy that woman

that refrigerator she be wanting?

And don't tell me
you ain't got no money.

I know who your banker is.

Mellon don't need that money
as bad as Lucille wants that refrigerator.

I know that.

- Tell you what I'll do.
- What?

When you finish building
this fence for Rose,

I'll buy Lucille that refrigerator.

You done stuck your foot
in your mouth now.

Hey, nigger, where you going?

I'm going home.

I know you don't expect me
to help you now.

I'm protecting my money.

I want to see you put
that fence up by yourself.

That's what I want to see.

You'll be here
another six months without me.

Nigger, you ain't right.

When it come to my money,

I'm right as fireworks
on the Fourth of July.

We gonna see.
You better get out your bank book!

What they say down there?
What's happening with Gabe?

I went down there
and got him out. Cost me $50.

Said he was disturbing the peace.

Judge set up a hearing for him
in three weeks

to show cause
why he shouldn't be recommitted.

What'd you say?
What'd you tell the judge?

I told him I'd take care of him.

It didn't make no sense
to recommit the man.

He stuck out his big greasy palm,

told me to give him $50
and take him on home.

Where's he at now?
Where'd he go off to?

Gone about his business.
He don't need nobody to hold his hand.

Well, I don't know, seem like that
would be the best place for him.

To put him in a hospital.

I know what you gonna say,

but that's what I think would be best.

Man had his life ruined
fighting for what?

Now, they want to take him
and lock him up?

Let him be free.
Man ain't bothering nobody.

Everybody got their own way
of looking at it, I guess.

Come on, get your lunch.

I got some lima beans
and cornbread in the oven.

Come on, get somethin' to eat.

Ain't no sense in you fretting over Gabe.

Rose, I got something to tell you.

- Wait till I put the food on the table.
- Rose...

Now, I don't know how to tell you this.

And I can't explain it none.

It just sort of grows on you.

It started off like a little bush,
next thing you know, it's a whole forest.

- Troy, what is you talking about?
- I'm talking, woman. Let me talk.

I'm trying to tell you,

find a way to tell you that

I'm gonna be a daddy.

Yeah, I'm gonna be somebody's daddy.

Troy, you ain't telling me this.
You're gonna be what?

- You're gonna be somebody's daddy?
- Rose...

You're telling your wife this?

Now...

Hey, Troy! Hey, Rose!

I got to wait 18 years
to hear something like this?

Hey, Rose.

I got a flower for you.

That's a rose.
The same rose like you is.

Thanks, Gabe.

Troy, you ain't mad at me?

Them bad mens come
and put me away.

- You ain't mad at me?
- No. No, I ain't mad at you.

Eighteen years,
and you want to come with this?

See what I got?
Got a brand-new quarter.

Rose, it's just that...

Ain't nothing you can say, Troy.
Ain't no explaining it.

The fella that give me this quarter
had a whole mess of 'em!

I'm gonna keep this quarter
till it stops shining.

Gabe, go on up front now.
I got some watermelon in the Frigidaire.

Go on. I'll get you a piece.

Say, Rose, you know,
I was chasing hellhounds,

and them bad mens come
and get me and take me away.

Troy helped me.
He come down there and told them

they better let me go
before he beat them up!

Yeah, he did!

Go up front now, Gabe.
I'll get you some watermelon.

Them bad men is gone now.

Okay. Rose gonna give me
some watermelon,

the kind with the stripes on it.

Why, Troy?

Why?

After all these years,
you come dragging this in to me now?

It don't make no sense at your age.

I could've expected this 10,
or 15 years ago, but not now.

Age ain't got nothing to do with it, Rose.

I done tried to be everything
a wife should be.

Everything a wife could be.

I've been married 18 years,

and now,
I got to live to see the day you tell me

you been seeing another woman
and done fathered a child by her.

And you know I never wanted
no half-nothing in my family!

My whole family is half.

Everybody got different
fathers and mothers

and my two sisters and my brothers.

You could hardly tell who's who.

Could never sit down
and talk about Papa and Mama.

It was always your papa,
your mama, my papa, my mama.

And I ain't never wanted that
for none of my children!

And now,
you want to drag your behind in here

and tell me something like this!

Stop it now. You ought to know.
It's time for you to know.

Well, I don't want to know, God damn it!

Rose?

I just can't make it go away.
It's done now.

I can't wish the circumstances
of the thing away.

And you don't want to, either.

Maybe you want to wish
me and my boy away.

Maybe that's what you want.

Well, you can't wish us away.

I got 18 years of my life invested in you.

You ought to have stayed upstairs
in my bed where you belong.

Now, listen to me.
We can get a handle on this thing.

We can talk this out,
come to an understanding.

All of a sudden it's "we."

Where was "we" at
when you were down there,

rolling around
with some godforsaken woman?

"We" should've
come to an understanding

before you started making
a damn fool of yourself!

You're a day late and a dollar short

when it comes
to an understanding with me.

Rose, it's just that
she gives me a different idea.

A different understanding about myself.

I can step out of this house
and get away from the pressures

and the problems, be a different man.

I ain't got to worry about
how I'll get the roof fixed,

or pay the bills, or...

I can just

be a part of myself
I ain't never been before.

What I want to know is...

What I want to know

is do you plan to continue seeing her?

That's all you can say to me.

I could sit up in her house and laugh.
You understand what I'm saying?

I could laugh out loud, and it feels good.

It reaches all the way down
to the bottom of my shoes.

Rose, I...

I can't give that up.

Well, maybe you ought to go on
and stay down there with her,

if she's a better woman than me.

It ain't about nobody being
a better woman, or nothing.

Rose, you ain't to blame.

A man couldn't ask
for a better wife than you've been.

I'm responsible for it.

I done locked myself into a pattern,

trying to take care of you all,
that I forgot about myself.

Well, what the hell was I there for?

That was my job, not somebody else's.

Rose, listen to me.
I done tried all my life to live decent.

To live a clean, hard, useful life.

I try to be a good husband to you,
in every way I know how.

Maybe I come into the world backwards,
I don't know,

but you're born with two strikes on you
before you come to the plate.

You got to guard it closely,

always looking for the curveball
on the inside corner.

You can't afford a called strike.

You can't let nothing get past you.

If you're going down,
you're doing down swinging.

Everything lined up against you!

What you gonna do?

I fooled them, Rose. I bunted.

When I found you and Cory
and a halfway decent job, I was safe.

Couldn't nothing touch me!

I wasn't gonna strike out no more.

I wasn't going back to the penitentiary.

I wasn't gonna lie in the street
with a bottle of wine.

I was safe. I had me a family, a job.

I wasn't gonna get that last strike.

I was standing on first base,

waiting for one of them boys
to knock me in, to bring me home.

You should have stayed in my bed, Troy.

Then I saw the gal,
she firmed up my backbone.

I got to thinkin' that if I tried,
maybe I could steal second.

- You understand?
- You should've held me tight.

- You should've grabbed me and held on.
- I stood on first base for 18 years,

and I thought, well,
God damn it, go on for it!

We ain't talking about baseball!

We talking about you going off
and laying up with another woman,

then bringing it home to me.

That's what we're talking about.
We're not talkin' about no baseball!

Rose, you're not listening to me.

I'm trying to explain it to you
the best way I know how.

It's not easy for me to admit

that I've been standing
in the same place for 18 years!

Well, I've been standing with you!

I've been right here with you, Troy!
I got a life, too.

I gave 18 years of my life
to stand in the same spot as you!

Don't you think
I ever wanted other things?

Don't you think
I had dreams and hopes?

What about my life? What about me?

Don't you think it ever crossed my mind

to want to know other men?

That I wanted to lay up somewhere
and forget about my responsibilities?

That I wanted someone
to make me laugh,

so I could feel good?

You're not the only one
who's got wants and needs.

But I held on to you, Troy.

I took all my feelings,
my wants and needs and dreams,

and I buried them inside you.

I planted a seed
and watched and prayed over it.

I planted myself inside you
and waited to bloom!

And it didn't take me no 18 years
to realize the soil was hard and rocky,

and it wasn't never gonna bloom!

But I held on to you, Troy.
I held you tighter.

You was my husband.

I owed you everything I had.

Every part of me I could find to give you.

And upstairs in that bedroom,
with the darkness falling in on me,

I gave everything I had
to try and erase the doubt

that you wasn't the finest man
in the world.

And wherever you was going,
I was gonna be there with you,

because you was my husband.

'Cause that's the only way
I was gonna survive as your wife.

You always talking about what you give
and what you don't have to give.

But you take, too, Troy.

You take and
don't even know nobody's giving.

You say I take and don't give.

Troy, you're hurting me.

- Troy, you're hurting my arm, let go!
- I gave you everything I got.

Don't you tell that lie on me.

- Mama!
- Don't you tell that lie!

Troy, you're hurting me!

Troy! Troy!

All right. That's strike two.

You stay away from around me, boy.
Don't you strike out.

You're living with a full count.

Don't you strike out!

Troy, I want to talk to you.

All of a sudden?

After all this time,
you want to talk to me, huh?

You ain't wanted
to talk to me in months.

You ain't wanted to talk to me last night.

You didn't want no parts of me then.

What you want to talk to me about now?

- Tomorrow's Friday.
- I know what day tomorrow is.

You think I don't know
tomorrow's Friday?

My whole life, I ain't done nothing
but look to see Friday coming,

and you got to tell me it's Friday.

I want to know if you're coming home.

I always come home, Rose.
You know that.

Ain't never been a night
I ain't come home.

That ain't what I mean, and you know it.

I wanna know if you're coming
straight home after work.

I figured I'd cash my check,
hang out at Taylors' with the boys.

Maybe play a game of checkers.

Troy, I can't live like this.
I won't live like this.

You're living on borrowed time with me.

Been going on six months now,
you ain't been coming home.

I come home every night.
Every night of the year.

That's 365 days.

I want you to come home
tomorrow after work.

Rose, I don't mess up my pay.
You know that.

I take my pay, I give it to you.

I don't have no money
but what you give me back.

I just want a little time to myself.

A little time to enjoy life.

What about me?
When's my time to enjoy life?

I don't know what to tell you, Rose.
I'm doing the best I can.

You ain't been comin' home from work,

but time enough
to change your clothes and run out.

You wanna call that
the best you can do?

I'm going over to the hospital
to see Alberta.

She went into the hospital
this afternoon.

Looks like she might
have the baby early.

I won't be gone long.

Well, you ought to know.
They went over to Miss Pearl's

and got Gabe today.

She said you told them to
go ahead and lock him up.

I ain't said no such thing.
Whoever told you that is telling a lie.

Miss Pearl ain't doing nothing
but telling a big, fat lie.

She ain't had to tell me.
I read it on the papers.

- What'd it say, huh?
- It said you told them to take him.

Then they screwed that up,
just like they screw up everything.

I ain't worried about
what they got on that paper.

It say the government sends
part of the check to the hospital,

the other part to you.

I got nothing to do with that,
if that's the way it works.

I don't make up the rules...

You did Gabe just like you did Cory.

You wouldn't sign the paper for Cory,

but you signed for Gabe!
You signed that paper!

I told you I ain't signed nothing, woman.

Hell, the only thing I signed
was the release form.

Hell, I can't read,

I don't know what they had
on that paper.

I ain't signed nothing
about sending Gabe away.

I said send him to the hospital,
you said let him go free.

Then you went down there

and you signed him to the hospital
for half his money.

You went back on yourself, Troy.
You're gonna have to answer for that.

You just been over there
talking to Miss Pearl.

She just mad 'cause she ain't gettin'
Gabe's rent money, that's all it is.

Troy, I seen
where you signed the paper!

You ain't seen nothing I signed!

And what she doing got papers
on my brother for, anyway?

Miss Pearl ain't doing nothing
but telling a big, fat lie,

and I'm gonna tell her about it, too!

You ain't seen nothing I signed!

Say...

You ain't seen nothing I signed!

Troy.

Troy.

That was the hospital.
Alberta had the baby.

Yeah? What she have? What is it?

It's a girl.

I...

I better get on down there to see her.

Troy.

I got to go see her now, Rose.
That's only right.

What's the matter?
Baby all right, ain't it?

Alberta died having the baby.

She died? You say she's dead?

Alberta dead?

They said they done
all they could. They...

They couldn't do nothing for her.

What about the baby? Baby all right?

They say it's healthy.

I wonder who's gonna bury her.

She had a family, Rose.

She wasn't living in the world by herself.

I know she wasn't living
in the world by herself.

Next thing you wanna know
if she had any insurance.

You ain't got to talk to me like that!

First thing that jumped out your mouth.
"Who's gonna bury her?"

Like I'm finna take
that task on for myself.

I'm your wife. Don't push me away.

I ain't pushing nobody away.
Just give me some space.

Just give me some room to breathe.

All right, Mr. Death.

I tell you what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna take

and build me a fence
around this yard, see?

I'm gonna build me a fence
around what belongs to me.

And then I want you to stay
on the other side.

You stay over there
till you're ready for me,

then you come on.

Bring your army, bring your sickle,
bring your wrestling clothes.

I ain't gonna fall down
on my vigilance this time.

You ain't gonna...

You ain't gonna
sneak up on me no more.

When you ready for me,

when the top of your list
say Troy Maxson,

then you come on up
and knock on the front door.

Ain't nobody else
got nothing to do with this.

This between you and me.

Man to man!

You stay on the other side of that fence
till you ready for me!

Then you come up and
knock on that front door

anytime you want!

I'll be ready for you.

Bob Clemente with four home runs
and 24 runs batted in.

Rose?

I'm standing here
with my daughter in my arms.

Now,

she ain't but a wee,

bitty little old thing.

She don't know nothing
about grownfolk business.

She innocent,

and she ain't got no mama.

What you telling me for, Troy?

Well...

Guess we'll go sit out here on the porch.

A man's got to do what's right for him.

I ain't sorry for nothing I done.

It felt right in my heart.

What you smiling at?

Your daddy's a great, big ol' man.

Got these great big ol' hands,
but sometimes he's scared.

And right now,
your daddy's scared 'cause we

sitting out here on the porch
and ain't got no home.

I've been homeless before.

I ain't never had no baby with me,
but I've been homeless.

You just be out there on the road
by your lonesome

and just see one of them trains
coming by

and just kinda go, say...

Please, Mr. Engineer
Let a man ride the line

Please, Mr. Engineer
Let a man ride the line

I ain't got no ticket Please

Let me ride the blinds

She's my daughter, Rose, and my...

My own flesh and blood.
I can't deny her.

No more than I can deny them boys.

You and them boys is my family.

You, them, and this child
is all I got in this world, so...

I guess what I'm saying is,

that I'd appreciate it
if you was to help me take care of her.

Okay, Troy,

you're right.

I'll take care of your baby for you.

'Cause, like you say,

she innocent.

You can't visit the sins
of the father upon the child.

Motherless child's got a hard time.

From right now,
this child's got a mother.

But you're a womanless man.

I'm coming in, everybody going out.

I'm taking this cake down
to the church for the bake sale.

Lyons was by to see you.
He stopped by to pay you your $20.

It's laying right here on the table.

Well, here go this money.

Well, put it in there on the table, Troy.
I'll get it.

What time you coming back?

Ain't no use in you studyin' me.
Don't matter what time I come back.

I just asked you a question, woman.
Can't I ask you a question?

Troy, I don't want to get into it.

Now, your food is in there on the stove.

All you got to do is heat it up.

And don't be eating the rest
of them cakes in there now.

I'm coming back for them.

We're having a bake sale
at the church tomorrow.

Hey, Troy.

What's happening, Bono?

I just thought I'd stop by to see you.

Wasn't no one at the house,
so I figured...

What you stop by to see me for?

You ain't stopped by
in a month of Sundays.

Hell, I must owe you
some money or somethin'.

Well, since you got your promotion,
I can't keep up with you.

Used to see you every day.

Now I don't even know
what route you working.

Keep switching me around.

Got me out there in Green Tree now,
hauling white folk garbage.

- Green Tree, huh?
- Yeah.

You lucky.

At least you ain't got to be
lifting them barrels.

Damn if they ain't getting heavier.

I'm gonna put in my two years
and call it quits.

Yeah, I'm thinking about retiring myself.

You got it easy.

You could drive for another five years.

Ain't the same, Bono.

It ain't like working
the back of the truck.

You feel like you working by yourself.
Ain't nobody to talk to.

Naw, I'm thinking about retiring.
How's Lucille?

She all right.

Her arthritis get to acting up
on her sometimes.

Saw Rose on the way here.
She going down to the church, huh?

Yeah, she took up going down there.

All them preachers looking
to fatten their pockets.

Got some gin in here.

No, thanks.
I just stopped in to say hello.

Well, you can take a drink, nigger.
I ain't...

I ain't never known you
to say no to a drink.

- You ain't got to work tomorrow.
- I just stopped by.

I'm thinkin' of going over to Skinner's.

We got us a domino game
going over his house every Friday.

Nigger, you can't play no dominoes.

I used to whup you
four games out of five.

Well, that learned me.
I'm getting better.

Yeah?

That's all right.

Look here, I got to be getting on.

- Stop by sometime, huh?
- Yeah, I'll do that, Bono.

Lucille told Rose
you got her that new refrigerator.

Yeah. Rose told Lucille
you had finally built your fence,

so, I figured we'd call it even.

- I knew you would.
- Yeah.

Okay.

- I'll be talking to you.
- Yeah, good to see you, Bono.

- I'm gonna stop over.
- Yeah. Okay, Troy.

Hear it ring! Hear it ring!

Had an old dog His name was Blue

You know Blue was mighty true

You know Blue Was a good old dog

Blue treed a possum
In a hollow log

Old Blue died
And I dug his grave

Let him down With a golden chain

Every time old Blue barked

Blue treed a possum
In Noah's Ark

- I got to get by.
- Say what? What you say?

You in my way. I got to get by.

You got to get by where?

This is my house. Bought and paid for.

Took me 15 years,
and if you want to go in my house

and I'm sitting on the steps,
you say, "Excuse me,"

like your mama taught you.

Come on, Pop, I gotta get by.

You just gonna walk over the top of me?

I live here, too.

You just gonna walk over
the top of me in my own house?

I ain't scared of you.

I ain't asked you
if you was scared of me.

I asked you was you finna
walk over the top of me

in my own house?
That was the question.

You ain't gonna say, "Excuse me."

You just gonna walk over the top of me.

If you want to put it like that.

How else am I gonna put it?

I was walking by you
to go into the house,

'cause you sitting on the steps drunk,
singing to yourself.

- You can put it like that.
- Without saying, "Excuse me"?

I asked you a question.
Without saying, "Excuse me"?

I ain't got to say "Excuse me" to you.

You don't count around here no more.

I see.
I don't count around here no more.

You ain't got to say
"Excuse me" to your daddy.

All of a sudden, you done got so grown,

where your daddy don't count
around here no more, huh?

Around here in his own house and yard

that he done paid for
with the sweat of his brow?

All of a sudden, you done got so grown

that your daddy
don't even count around here.

What, you gonna take over?

You gonna take over my house?
You gonna wear my pants?

You gonna go in there
and stretch out on my bed?

You ain't got to say, "Excuse me,"

because your daddy
don't count around here no more.

- Is that right?
- That's right.

You always talking this dumb stuff.

- Now why don't you just get out my way?
- I guess you got someplace to sleep.

Something to put in your belly.
You got that?

'Cause that's what you need.
You got that?

You don't know what I got!
You ain't got to worry about what I got!

You right.

You 100% right.

I done spent the last 17 years
worrying about what you got.

Now, it's your turn, see?
I tell you what we do.

You grown. We done established that.

You a man.
Now, let's see you act like one.

Turn your behind around
and walk out this yard.

And when you get out there in the alley,

you can forget about this house, see.

'Cause this is my house.

You go on and be a man
and get your own house.

You can forget about this,
'cause this is mine.

You go on and get yours,
'cause I'm through doing for you.

What you done for me.
What you ever give me?

Them feet. Them bones.
That pumping heart, nigger!

Give you more than anybody else
ever gonna give you.

You ain't never gave me nothing!

You ain't never done nothing
but hold me back,

afraid I was gonna be better than you!

All you ever did was try
and make me scared of you.

I used to tremble every time
you called my name.

Every time I heard
your footsteps in this house.

Wondering all the time,
"What's Pop gonna say if I do this?

"What's he gonna say if I do that?

"What's Pop gonna say
if I turn on the radio?"

And Mom, too!
She tries, but she's scared of you.

Leave your mama out of this.
Your mama ain't got...

I don't know how she stands you
after what you did to her!

I told you, leave your mama outta this.

What are you gonna do?
Give me a whupping?

You can't whup me no more!
You're too old!

You're just an old man.

Nigger!

That's what you are. You're just...

You're just another nigger
on the street to me.

- You're crazy! You know that?
- Yeah, go on.

Get on away from around me.
You got the devil in you.

You are just a crazy old man!
Talkin' about I got the "devil" in me!

Yeah. I am crazy.

If you don't get the hell out of my yard,
I'm gonna show you how crazy I am.

Now, go on, get the hell out of my yard!

This ain't your yard!

You took Uncle Gabe's money
he got from the Army

to buy this house, when you put him out!

Get your black ass out of my yard!

I ain't going nowhere!

Come on, put me out,
I ain't scared of you.

- That's my bat.
- Come on.

- Put my bat down.
- Come on, put me out!

What's the matter? You so bad.
Put me out!

You're gonna have to use it.

You want to draw that bat back on me,
you're gonna have to use it.

Come on!

Come on!

You're gonna have to kill me.

You want to draw that bat back on me,

you're gonna have to kill me.

Come on.

Come on. Then I'll show you.

Come on!

Go on, get away from around my house.

Go on.

Tell Mama I'll be back for my things.

They'll be on the other side
of that fence!

Can't taste nothing.

I can't taste nothing.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

I can't taste nothing no more.

Come on.

It's between you and me now.

Come on. Anytime you want.

Come on. I be ready for you.

But I ain't gonna be easy.

Raynell?

- Ma'am?
- What you doing?

Nothing.

Get in here and get dressed.
What are you doing?

See if my garden growed.

I told you it ain't gonna grow overnight.

You got to wait.

Yeah, but it look like it ain't
never gonna grow, Mama. Dag!

I told you, a watched pot never boils.

This ain't even no pot, Mama.

Get in here and get dressed.

This ain't no morning
to be playing around, you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Bye, garden.

Hi. I bet your name is Raynell.

Is your mama home?

Mama, there's a man down here!

Mama!

Cory?

Cory.

Cory. Cory!

Lord have mercy! Cory.

Lookee here, y'all.

- Looka here.
- Done got all grown up.

Don't cry, Mama.
What you crying about?

I'm just so glad you made it.

Hey, Lyons. How you doing, Mr. Bono?

Look at you, man, look at you.

Don't he look good, Rose?
Got on them corporal stripes.

What took you so long?

You know how the Marines are, Mama.

They got to get
all their paperwork straight

before they let you do anything.

Well, I'm sure glad you made it.
They let Lyons come.

Your Uncle Gabe's still in the hospital.

They don't know
if they're gonna let him out or not.

I talked to them a little while ago.

A corporal in the United States Marines.

Your daddy knew you had it in you.
He used to tell me all the time.

Hey, don't he look good, Mr. Bono?

Yeah, he reminds me of Troy
when I first met him.

Say, Rose,

Lucille's down at the church
with the choir.

I'm gonna go get
the pallbearers lined up.

I'll be back to get you all.

Thanks, Jim.

See you, Mr. Bono.

Cory, look at Raynell.

Ain't she precious?

She's gonna break a whole lot of hearts.

Say hello to your brother.
This your brother, Cory.

- You remember Cory?
- No, ma'am.

Naw, she don't remember me, Mama.

Well, we talk about you.
She heard us talk about you.

This is your brother, Cory. Say hello.

- Hi.
- Hi.

So, you're Raynell.

Mama's told me a lot about you.

Come on, let me fix you some breakfast.
Keep up your strength.

I ain't hungry, Mama.

You can fix me something, Rose.
I'll be in there in a minute.

You sure you don't want nothing, Cory?

I know they ain't feeding you right.

No, Mama, thanks.
I don't feel like eating.

I'll get something later.

Raynell, get up there and
get that dress on like I told you.

I always knew you was gonna make
something out of yourself.

Your head was always
in the right direction.

So,

you gonna stay in?

Make it a career? Put in your 20 years?

I don't know.
I got six already. I think that's enough.

Stick with Uncle Sam and retire early.

Ain't nothing out here.

I guess Rose told you
about what happened with me.

They got me down at the workhouse.

I thought I was being slick
cashing other people's checks.

How much time you doing?

They give me three years.

I got that beat now.
I ain't got but nine more months.

It ain't so bad.

You learn to deal with it
like anything else.

"You got to take the crookeds
with the straights,"

that's what Papa used to say.

He used to say that when he struck out.

I seen him strike out
three times in a row,

and the next time up,
he hit the ball over the grandstand.

Right out there in Homestead Field.

He wasn't satisfied hitting in the seats.
He wanted to hit it over everything.

Then after the game,

he had 200 people standing around,
waiting to shake his hand.

You got to take the crookeds
with the straights.

Papa was something else.

You still playing?

Cory, you know I'm gonna do that.

We got some fellas down there.
We got us a band.

We gonna try to stay together
when we get out, but...

Yeah.

I'm still playing.

Still helps me get out of bed
in the morning.

As long as it do that,

I'm gonna stick with it,
try to make some sense out of it.

Lyons, I got these eggs in a pan.

Let me get in here
and get these eggs, man.

Get ready to go bury Papa.

How you doing?

You doing all right?

- Hi.
- Hi.

You used to sleep in my room?

Yeah, that used to be my room.

That's what Papa call it. "Cory's room."

Got your football in the closet.

Raynell. Get up there, get dressed,
and put them good shoes on.

Mama, can I just wear these?
Them others hurt my feet!

Well, they're just gonna have
to hurt your feet for a while.

You ain't said they hurt your feet

when you went down
to the store and got 'em.

They didn't hurt then.
My feet done got bigger.

Don't give me no back talk!

Get up there, get dressed,
and put them good shoes on.

Ain't too much changed.

He still got that rag tied to the tree.

He was out here swinging that bat.

I was just getting ready
to go back in the house.

He swung that bat and just fell over.

Seem like, when he swung it,
he stood there with this grin on his face.

Then he just fell over.

They carried him
down there to the hospital,

but I knew there wasn't no need.

- Why don't you come on in the house?
- Mama, I got something to tell you.

I don't know how to tell you this,
but I got to tell you.

I'm not going to Papa's funeral.

Boy, hush your mouth.

That's your daddy you talking about!

I don't want to hear
that kind of talk this morning.

I done raised you to come to this?

You standing there
all healthy and grown,

talking about
you ain't going to your daddy's funeral?

- Mama, listen...
- I don't want to hear it, Cory!

Just get that thought out of your head.

I've got to say no to him.
One time in my life, I got to say no.

I don't got to listen to that!

Now, I know you and your daddy
ain't seen eye to eye,

but I don't have to listen to
that kind of talk this morning.

Disrespecting your daddy
ain't gonna make you a man, Cory.

You gotta find some way
to come to that on your own.

Not going to your daddy's funeral
ain't gonna make you a man.

The whole time I was growing up,
living in his house,

Papa was like a shadow
that followed you everywhere.

It weighed on you,
and it sunk into your flesh.

It would wrap around you and lay there

until you couldn't tell
which one was you anymore.

That shadow just diggin' into your flesh!

Trying to crawl in.
Trying to live through you.

Everywhere I looked, I saw Troy Maxson
staring right back at me.

Hiding under the bed, in the closet.

I'm just saying I got to find a way
to get rid of that shadow, Mama.

You just like him.
You got him in you good.

Don't tell me that, Mama.

- You Troy Maxson all over again.
- I don't want to be Troy Maxson!

I just want to be me.

You can't be nobody
but who you are, Cory.

That shadow wasn't nothing
but you growing into yourself.

You either got to grow into it,
or cut it down to fit you,

but that's all you got to make a life with.

That's all you got to measure yourself
against the world out there.

Your daddy wanted you
to be everything he wasn't,

and at the same time,

he wanted you to be everything he was.

Now, I don't know
if he was right or wrong,

but I do know

he meant to do more good
than he meant to do harm.

Sometimes, when he touched,
he bruised,

and sometimes,
when he took me in his arms, he cut.

When I first met your daddy,

I thought,

"Here is a man I can lay down with
and make a baby."

That's the first thing
I thought when I seen him.

I thought, "Rose Lee,

"here's a man
you can open yourself up to

"and be filled to bursting!

"Here's a man that can
fill up all them empty spaces

"you been tipping around the edges of."

When your daddy
walked through the house,

he was just

so big.

He filled it up!

That was my first mistake.

Not to make him
leave some room for me.

But I wanted a house I could sing in.

And that's what your daddy gave me.

I didn't know to keep up his strength,
I had to give up little pieces of mine.

I took on his life as mine
and mixed up the pieces,

so you couldn't hardly tell
which was which.

It was my choice. My life.

And I didn't have to live it like that,

but that's what life offered me
in the way of being a woman,

and I took it.

I grabbed it with both hands.

And by the time
Raynell came into the house...

I didn't want to make my blessings
off of nobody's misfortune,

but I took on to Raynell like she was

all them babies I wanted and never had.

Like I'd been blessed
to relive a part of my life.

And if the Lord see fit
to keep up my strength,

I'm gonna do her exactly
how your daddy did you.

I'm gonna give her
the best of what's in me.

Mama!

Reverend Tolliver on the phone.

Hi.

Hi.

- You in the Army or the Marines?
- Marines.

Papa said it was Army. You know Blue?

Blue? Who's Blue?

Papa's dog,
what he sing about all the time.

Hear it ring! Hear it ring!

Had an old dog His name was Blue

You know Blue was mighty true

You know Blue Was a good old dog

Blue treed a possum
In a hollow log

From that you know
Blue was a good old dog

Hear it ring! Hear it ring!

Blue treed a possum
Out on a limb

Blue looked at me
and I looked at him

Grabbed that possum
Put him in a sack

Blue stayed there
Till I came back

Old Blue's feet was
Big and round

Never let a possum
Touch the ground

Old Blue died
And I dug his grave

I dug his grave
With a silver spade

Let him down With a golden chain

And every night I call his name

Go on, Blue, you good dog you

Come on.

Go on, Blue, you good dog you

Blue laid down
and died like a man

Blue laid down and died

Blue laid down
And died like a man

Now he's treeing possums
In the Promised Land

I'm gonna tell you this
Just to let you know

Blue's gone
Where the good dogs go

Blue's gone
Where the good dogs go

Cory, we're getting ready to leave now!

Go upstairs and put your shoes
on like Mama told you,

so we can get ready
to go to Papa's funeral.

Okay. I'll be back.

Rose!

Hey, Rose!

- Gabe?
- I'm here! I'm here, Rose!

Hey, Rose, I'm here!

- Lyons, lookit here!
- See, Rose?

I told you. I told you they'd let him come.

- How you doing, Uncle Gabe?
- How you doing, Uncle Gabe?

Hey! Hey, Rose, it's time!

It's time to tell Saint Peter
to open the Gates.

You ready, Troy? Troy, you ready?

I'm gonna tell Saint Peter
to open the Gates.

You get ready now.

Troy!

Troy.

That's the way that go.