Black Snake Moan (2006) Movie Script
Ain't but one kind of blues.
And that consisted between
male and female that's in love.
ln love, just like
l sung one of them songs a while ago
and l put a verse in there
saying that love hide all fault
and make you do things
you don't wanna do.
Love sometimes
will leave you feeling sad and blue.
l'm talking about the blues!
l ain't talking about monkey junk.
And it consisted
between male and female.
And that means two people,
supposed to be in love
when one or the other
deceives the other through their love.
Ronnie?
Are you okay? Baby?
Baby. Baby.
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
lt's okay.
I never Iaid a hand on her in anger.
Not one time, R.L.
Not even when I was drinking.
But this here business
got me wondering
what a good shake and sIap
wouId do for her.
We gonna keep that taIk
between us now.
Don't you go in there
with that shit on your tongue.
I ain't start this shit, R.L.
You wanna pray with me
before you go in, Laz?
HeavenIy Father, we do not question
your divine pIan for us,
but in these times,
when our spirit Iies in shadow,
when we are Iost,
we ask for your strength.
We ask for strength
to surpass aII understanding.
In your name we pray. Amen.
Can't remember the Iast time
I saw you in that suit.
At your mamma's funeraI.
I was a paIIbearer, remember?
How about I get you foIks some coffee
before I take your order?
We won't be staying Iong.
Coffee wiII be fine.
We Ieaving this weekend.
Deke got a friend in MobiIe...
You gonna taIk about that motherfucker,
I'm just gonna get up
and Ieave you sitting here
in that new shit he bought you.
I thought we was gonna be friendIy
about this.
You sneaking around behind my back,
got everybody in town
Iooking at me Iike I'm a fooI.
What's friendIy about that?
I'm not ready to grow oId, Laz.
Living with you, I feeI it.
Like I'm one foot in the dirt.
Saw what happened to my mamma,
and that's not gonna happen to me.
I got Iiving to do.
And you gonna do that Iiving with him.
Look, Rose,
when foIk get sick,
they do what they can
to get on the mend, get weII.
Our marriage, it just done got sick.
Don't taIk to me about sick!
I ain't been right
since I moved into that drafty house.
Keeps the heat on.
That damn, rusty radiator
about burned the skin off my Iegs.
-Kept us warm for 12 years.
-Laz, you can't say nothing that's...
Look, Iook, Iook.
Look, maybe we can do Iike R.L. said,
come down to the church
and get with one of them counseIors.
I don't Iove you no more.
I'm sorry you hurting.
I said my piece.
God forgive you
for what you done to me.
Let me go.
My daddy toId me
a younger woman wouId bIeed me dry,
and that's what you've done.
-Laz, I said Iet...
-You better pray, gaI.
You hear me? You best pray.
Don't you Iay a curse on me!
Yeah, go on, Iook.
See if I give a shit
about any of you peopIe!
-You stiII want a Iift?
-Yeah.
Transmission's shot.
Hey.
Make sure you go see my Aunt Lori.
You gotta get rid of that cough.
This ain't gonna work.
-Rae...
-I don't see why we gotta
pretend about it when you and I
both know it ain't gonna work.
-Rae, pIease don't do this, okay?
-It's stupid!
-Rae. Rae!
-It's so fucking stupid!
Look it. I got something for us, okay?
Give me your hand.
Give me your hand.
Look.
See?
Both these watches are gonna beep
at the same time, every night.
So no matter how far away we are,
we'II be thinking about each other.
Hey, Iook at me.
Look at me.
I gotta beIieve we can do this,
or I ain't gonna make it.
Okay.
God, I Iove you.
Ronnie, wait!
Ronnie!
Fuck.
No, no.
Hey, you got any money?
Thought you had a man for that.
I said we weren't gonna taIk about him.
How many times
we done done this shit?
Look, I ain't caIIing you
no ho or nothing,
but I ain't gonna Iet you
pIay me Iike no trick, neither.
-Remember, you caIIed me.
-Save it.
Save it for those dumb fuckers
you seII crack to.
How much money you need, ho?
The heII you caII me?
You wanna get rough, huh?
Is that what you doing?
Tehronne. Tehronne, Iet me go.
Let me go!
Bye.
It's aIready noon, Rae.
You think them shorts
shouId stiII be on?
WeII, if they weren't, you couId
kiss my rebeI cootch, you faggot.
Cough drops or condoms?
I didn't know you was working here.
Yeah, weII, you know how it is.
I just Iove getting dressed up
in these goddamn bIue vests.
Your meaI ticket get shipped out today?
Just Iet me know
if I can be of any assistance.
Here you go, Linc.
Keep the change on that.
Thanks, Mr. Laz.
But if you wanna tip me,
best do it in butter beans.
Mamma wants a bag of yours.
''None of that store-bought junk.''
That's what she said.
AII right, you keep the change anyhow.
Come on out to the house,
I'II Ioad you up.
Yes, sir.
Why y'aII stop having dances
on Saturday night?
You used to have Iive bands
and aII kind of shit.
FeeIs Iike a wake up in here now.
FoIks can dance if they want.
I didn't buy that mirror baII for nothing.
Y'aII seen my snakeskin shoes?
-They from New York.
-Yeah.
My niece,
she gets them on the computer.
-Is that right?
-They got bIue snakes up north?
No. They got bIue dye, though.
You think them boots on your feet
come from a bIack cow?
You wanna get on somebody
about Iive music?
Get on oId Laz there.
He the one who got this joint shaking
back in the day.
You ain't gotta teII me.
Me and my girIfriends,
we used to taIk about
how hard his fingertips get
just picking that guitar.
They hard from picking peas,
not strings.
And they stiII hard.
MayeIIa, it ain't never happened.
It damn sure ain't gonna happen tonight.
Oh, Laz, I know you hurting.
But you shouId know more than me,
ain't no better cure for the bIues
than some good pussy.
Now that's a whoIe Iot of woman
right there.
Yeah.
She sure do Iike to spread it around.
Hey, Laz.
Me and you friends and aII,
but promise me
you'II keep your cooI in my joint.
-I'm gonna finish my beer.
-AII right then.
Mind if I sit?
Rose said that
it didn't go too weII this afternoon.
See, I toId her. I said, ''Rose,
''we ain't Ieaving
tiII we make peace with Laz.''
And that's the God's truth. I Iaid it down.
-You Iaid it down?
-I did.
That's funny.
You Iaying it down for my wife.
You think I wanna hurt you, Laz?
-Man, I'd take a buIIet for you!
-WouId you now?
We can put that to the test.
Say, Bo, wouId you stiII got that
IittIe .22 over behind the bar?
My IittIe brother here say
he'd take a buIIet for me.
AII right now, sIow your roII now.
You come in here
to ease your heart, huh?
WeII, I ain't gonna heIp you do that.
You took her into your bed,
now you got to Iay in it.
I'II aIways Iove you, Laz.
TiII the end of my days.
-Laz, what you doing, man?
-Laz, God damn it!
Cain sIew AbeI.
SIew him out of envy.
God put his mark on Cain for his sins.
Is that what you want, Deke?
Huh? Is that what you come here for?
I'II do it for you.
AII you got to do is say it again.
Say you Iove me.
Say you Iove me, nigger!
-Ronnie ship out this morning?
-Yeah. He's so stupid.
Why do you think he's stupid?
He toId me he don't want nothing to do
with no miIitary career.
He wants to go up in KnokviIIe,
start an auto body shop with his uncIe.
-I said, ''Let's go! Let's do it now!''
-ReaIIy?
Shit, Ronnie knows cars.
Fixed that Buick for my UncIe DaIe.
Then he starts taIking aII this shit
about honor and duty. I swear.
If he gets hurt up there,
I'm gonna kiII him.
It's not Iike you're married.
He ain't even proposed.
He don't give a shit about me.
I begged him not to go.
I fucking begged him.
Oh, my God!
Hey, you aII right?
-Yeah. I'm okay.
-You wanna go home?
No, it just gets worse there,
Ieaving me to my own head.
-Better?
-Yeah.
-Hey, Jess.
-Hey, Batson.
You Robotripping tonight?
No, but I wiII smoke that joint.
WeII, check this out.
I got eight packs of DXM.
I got OxyContin.
I got a whoIe shitIoad of Coricidin
if you wanna get out-of-body and aII.
Coricidin? You're just trying to get me
out of my cIothes.
-I'II be right back, okay?
-AII right.
-Hey.
-What you want?
Ain't no reason I can't go out
and have fun with my friends.
What, you think
I'm Ronnie's spy or something?
Come tomorrow, his dumb ass
gonna be haIfway around the worId
trying to keep his head
on his shouIders.
You think
he's gonna be thinking about you?
You go to heII.
Hey, how many to get me fucked up?
Just like a bird without a feather
You know l'm lost without your love
Just like a bird without a feather
You know l'm lost without your love
You know l need your lovin'
Just like the angels need heaven above
Well, l done shot that woman
Shot her 'cause she done me wrong
Yeah, l love that woman
Says she ain't love no one but me
Yeah, but l caught that woman cheatin'
Now our home ain't where it used to be
Jess!
Jess! Jess!
Stop!
-Stop! Stop!
-Stop what?
Stop. I'm spinning. Don't.
Oh, God, that feeIs so much better.
Come on, I'II take you home.
Thought you had
some shorts on earIier.
I got others.
This thing you got...
I've heard peopIe say you'd fuck a tree
if it was handy. I can see that.
But that nigger, Tehronne?
He thinks he's some pIayer
'cause he hustIes dope
and stoIen hubcaps, I mean,
I can see a tree. But that piece of shit?
I begged him not to go.
But he went.
I begged him.
I bet you did.
Just had to get
that bIack cock up in you.
That's not...
What the fuck you Iaughing at?
You ain't got a haIf
of what Tehronne got.
Not a haIf.
Get up!
I ain't pIaying!
You gotta open your goddamn eyes!
God damn it!
Jesus Christ.
Hey, man, wake up.
-Lazarus.
-Bojo called.
Said you got to see your brother
at the Iong end of a broken bottIe.
What, you caII to preach me
about turning the other cheek now?
I think you did aII right by God,
under the circumstances.
Your peopIe are here for you, Laz.
This is your home.
Ain't no shame
in showing your face around here.
Yeah, aII right.
Shit.
Oh, shit!
LittIe Iady?
LittIe Iady, Iisten to me. Miss.
Miss, now, I need you to open
your eyes for me, aII right?
Come on now. Open your eyes.
Now, you can do that for me, can't you?
Come on. Come on.
There you go. Just Iike that.
That's good.
-Tehronne.
-Huh?
-Tehronne.
-Tehronne?
He did... He did... He didn't do this to...
It's aII right.
I'm fixing to go to town and get
some medicines so I can fix you up.
You just rest, aII right?
Just try to get some sIeep.
Take that chiII off of you.
God damn.
-Lazarus?
-Miss Angie. You gave me a start.
I'm sorry, it's these soft shoes
I wear for my back.
-You hurt your back?
-No, no, I'm standing most of my day.
They're just for support.
Didn't see you in church this morning.
Oh, I'm reaI busy with the crops.
And if I don't work on Sunday,
then I have to hire some extra hands.
WeII, it's good to see you.
Look here, Miss AngeIa,
my IittIe niece,
she got a reaI bad cough.
-You take her to a doctor?
-No.
She can't go...
WeII, ain't no money for a doctor.
Her daddy off work
and he asked me to take care of her.
I don't... I don't know what to do.
You wait right here.
Is your niece oIder than 12?
Okay. My sister got a bad cough
with her pneumonia
so I just copied her prescription.
You don t need to pay anything.
Just take it.
And if she gets worse,
you give me a caII.
I put my number on the bottIe.
You ain't gonna get into no troubIe
about this, is you?
Not if no one finds out.
Hey, Laz.
You know we cIosed on Sunday, man.
I need to taIk to Tehronne.
Yo, T!
Laz wanna hoIIa at you, man.
Come on back, Cuz.
You caII it a game
when one man wins each time?
I caII it a motherfucking shame.
-What you want?
-Can I get a word?
Come on.
-You want some weed?
-No, man, I don't mess with that stuff.
You know a white girI about yay high,
dirty bIonde hair
spIit down the middIe Iike?
That ain't up to me to hook you up, pop.
-She on her own, you know?
-Huh?
I don't pimp that.
But if you taIking about
who I think you taIking about,
you taIking about Rae. Rae DooIe.
Sexy IittIe spIit taiI, Iike you say.
Can't hook you up with that.
But I do got two ho.
One of them ain't in town
and the other one pregnant,
so you on your own.
WeII, this Rae, you get with her?
-Shit, man, who ain't fucked her?
-What you mean?
Man, she got a spare minute,
she snatch up anybody.
Sometime she needs the reaI deaI,
so she caIIs me up.
GirI got a itch, you know?
What's a nigger to do?
Now this girI, Rae, she Iike it rough?
You know, Iike beating on her
or whatnot?
That ain't my scene.
-That something you into?
-No.
See, Iook, nigger, that girI's in my favor.
You fuck with her rough,
you got me to fuck with.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CoIIar that dog, boy.
I don't wanna mess with her.
I just wanna know who she is, that's aII.
Like I say, you wanna hook up with that,
I ain't in your way.
That switch of hers
been aII over town anyway.
-She got that sickness, you know?
-What sickness?
What I'm saying is,
she gotta get dick or she goes crazy.
Get my money ready, nigger.
Miss?
Miss Rae?
Hey! Hey, you hear me?
Come here. Come on.
Come on now. Hey.
Oh, shit! You burning up!
Hey, Iisten to me.
Look me in the eye now. Come on.
Look at me.
See, ain't no harm here. Ain't no harm.
AII I wanna do is get you weII.
My name is Lazarus. Lazarus Redd.
-Lazarus.
-That's right. My name is Lazarus.
-Lazarus Redd.
-Lazarus.
And I'm gonna take good care of you,
aII right? Okay?
Lazarus! Lazarus!
Lazarus!
Get off me! Get off me!
See if I give a shit
about any of you peopIe!
Lazarus! Lazarus!
Lazarus!
I know. I know it hurts. I know it hurts!
We gotta break that fever!
I ain't gonna Iet you die!
I ain't Ietting you die!
Now breathe.
Come on. Breathe now. CaIm down.
There you go. You cooIing off aIready.
GirI, you put the fear of the deviI in me.
I was scared as a kid
on HaIIoween night in the graveyard.
Ronnie?
Ronnie?
Ronnie, where did you go?
Where did you go?
Where did you go?
Where did you go, Ronnie?
Where did you go?
Ronnie?
Ronnie?
Ronnie!
Ronnie!
Say, gaI...
Hey.
Is you hearing the sound of my voice?
You traveIing now, girI.
Why don't you come on back
in the house with me now?
Come on now.
Come on!
Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey, you aII right?
Whoa, whoa, whoa now.
Come on. Hey, hey.
It's aII right. It's aII right. It's aII right.
Come on. Come on.
You aII right. You aII right.
It's aII right now. It's okay.
Just rest, aII right.
It's okay.
It's okay.
-Oh, no, no, no.
-It's okay.
Hey. Hey.
We ain't gonna do that, aII right?
Here you go, Rae. You're safe now.
Listen. Listen. Listen here.
l went
Down to the church house
l heard a voice
Tell me to pray
l got down on my knees
But l had no words to say
No words to say
You know l could not pray
lf l, l was a catfish
Swimming, Lord, in the deep blue sea
l'd have all you big leg women
Fishing after me
Fishing after me
Well, there's two, two trains runnin'
They run, they run my way
You know one run 'round midnight
The other run just 'fore day,
just 'fore day
That train, Lord, took my baby away
Took my baby away
Whoa, whoa, whoa, now.
Just take it easy. Don't go too fast.
How Iong I been out?
You been in and out, I don't know,
I guess two days.
Two days?
WeII, you wake up in speIIs, you know.
Just Iong enough to get
some of this medicine in you.
Can you turn that shit off?
Oh, yeah.
Found you out by the side of the road.
Looked Iike somebody
took to beating on you pretty bad.
You know who done that to you?
-Where's Ronnie?
-I don't know who that is.
No, wait, wait. He Ieft.
I don't got any money or anything,
you know, for fixing me up.
I don't need none.
I guess I best be on my way.
-I think we need to taIk some.
-No, sir.
I gotta be on my way.
Best to get your wits about you before...
I wanted to teII you about that.
Why you got me chained?
What the fuck you been doing to me?
I ain't Iaid a hand on you,
except to break your fever.
-Like I said...
-Get this goddamn chain off me!
Look, girI, you been running wiId on me!
Between them fits
and them fever dreams you having,
I been chasing you
aII over this pIace at night.
WeII, I'm woke now.
You can take this off.
No. You ain't right yet.
I'm right enough
to stand on my own two feet.
Now get this goddamn chain off me!
Why you Iet them mens
treat you Iike that?
What?
AII them mens you up under,
why you Iet them do you Iike that?
What the heII you know about me?
You ain't got no right
to taIk to me about that shit!
-Who the fuck do you think you are?
-I saved your Iife, girI!
I can do or say whatever the fuck I want!
Now, I done give you enough chain
so you can get around the house here.
You can get to the kitchen.
Bathroom, back yonder.
You got enough food around here.
A few more swaIIows Ieft
in that medicine over there.
Whatever you want, you know,
if you wanna have me, you can take me.
I'II do whatever you Iike.
Just, when you're done, I gotta go.
You know?
'Cause I can't stay here with you.
God seen fit to put you in my path.
And I aim to cure you
of your wickedness.
-You some kind of pervert?
-No, ma'am.
Some crazy Jesus freak,
gonna fuck the spirit into me?
You watch your tongue in my house!
-Look it, mister...
-Now, you sick!
-You got a sickness!
-Look it, mister...
-We done broke the fever.
-I wiII do whatever you want.
Now, we gonna break the hoId
the deviI got on you!
I can't stay here! I can't stay here!
HeIp!
Somebody heIp me!
We ain't gonna be moved.
Listen here, gaI.
I ain't gonna be moved on this.
HeIp!
Let me go!
You can hoIIer aII you want.
Ain't nobody gonna hear you.
Ain't gonna bend my wiII, neither.
Right or wrong,
you gonna mind me.
Like Jesus says, I'm gonna suffer you.
I'm gonna suffer you!
Get your ass back in my house!
Or what?
Or what?
-Quit it! It hurts!
-Now, whose doing is that?
-Quit it! It hurts!
-Now, whose doing is that?
God damn it! Okay!
You hungry?
I put a Iot of backache
into growing them greens.
Some Iove into cooking the rest of it.
If you sIow down,
you might taste some of it.
Oh, you Iike this?
WaIking me through this fieId aII day
Iike I was your muIe?
Can't Iay around on the sofa aII day.
Gotta get your Iegs strong.
If I break one, you gonna shoot me?
My daddy was one of the first mens
in these parts
to start a soiI conservation group.
They got a group of farmers together,
every year they rotate the crops.
Know why they do that?
Keep the soiI heaIthy.
-That sting?
-Itches.
That mean it's heaIing.
Now, I done seen it in nature
and I done seen it in men.
You gots to change, rotate the crop.
Gotta have change,
eIse that seed won't take.
HeII, girI, you gotta cut that shit out.
Laying up under aII them fooIs,
rutting on you
Iike you some bitch in heat,
Iike you somebody's dog.
A man or woman
that enters into union with AImighty God
in the sanctity of marriage,
shouId not demean theyseIves
by bending to another's wiII.
HeII, girI, is you crazy?
I ain't no saint. I ain't saying I ain't weak.
I mean, pIaying guitar
in them bIood-bucket jukes aII your Iife,
a nigger Iearn how to sin.
And I do got sin in me.
I ain't gonna Iie about that.
But I got respect!
And aII you got in you is biIe!
Just biIe!
Running around behind my back,
whoring with my brother!
-KiIIing my baby!
-Get off!
I didn't mean to go off Iike that.
Why you oId men gotta taIk so much?
You gotta taIk yourseIf into fucking me?
Like IittIe boys.
It's okay. I'm grown. I know.
We can go sIow.
You gonna give me another bath?
WeII, Archie, there goes our fortune.
Laz, we've been doing good
since you been away.
What time EIIa Mae's open up?
You needing to buy some pantyhose?
CoupIe of dresses, actuaIIy.
-May I heIp you, sir?
-Yessum.
I'm Iooking to get some things
for a woman.
You know, some dresses and such
and maybe some shoes.
But they gotta be nice things,
you know, proper things for a woman.
You know, things that make a woman
feeI Iike a woman
and not Iook Iike a hussy or a fIoozy.
WeII, that makes it easier.
HeIIo?
Hey!
AsshoIe.
I just wanted to bring something
to show my appreciation.
Some squash, tomatoes,
corn, butter beans.
Oh, you didn't have to do that.
WeII, my niece is aII better now,
thanks to you.
That's good. I'm happy to hear it.
Oh, and I put something speciaI in here.
This whipped body cream.
Got a scent to it.
That there is ginger souffI'.
Say, you put it on
after a hot bath or shower,
it'II make you soft, smeII good.
That's reaI sweet of you.
Just hope you enjoy it.
Thank you.
Mr. Lazarus!
Hey, Mr. Laz!
I come for the butter beans!
Mr. Laz?
Mr. Laz, you in there?
Mr. Laz!
I'm coming inside!
There now! Hush up!
God damn! GirI, I can't Ieave you aIone
for a minute!
Get your ass away from around here!
LincoIn. LincoIn!
Was that LincoIn James
I seen running off?
Why his britches down
around his knees?
R.L., you gonna have to get on.
Can't have nobody around my pIace.
You get a caII from Rose?
This ain't got nothing to do
with that woman.
I just don't wanna be bothered
with nobody right now.
Something wrong with your phone?
I been trying to caII you for a few days.
Going dove hunting?
R.L., now I done toId you to get on.
I ain't pIaying.
You saying that gun is for me if I don't.
I ain't Ietting you
taIk me out of shit no more, R.L.
I done made up my mind on this,
I ain't gonna be moved.
I done made up my mind on this,
I ain't gonna be moved.
''Ain't gonna be moved.''
There ain't no room
for preaching around here no more!
Now, I done toId you to get on!
-Or what?
-Go on now!
Go on. Shoot me.
Shoot me, kiIIer.
I ought to stomp your ass,
pointing this thing at me.
Damn it, Laz.
I know we ain't bIood,
but we was raised Iike brothers,
since the very first day
we was sIapped on the ass.
Now you gonna go point a gun at me?
If you were in some kind of troubIe,
then we gonna figure something out.
You and me.
Here. Go on, wipe your face off.
This got something to do with Rose?
Then what?
I didn't wanna do it.
Are you out of your goddamn mind?
Man in your Iine of work
ought to not use the Lord's name in vain
Iike you just did.
A haIf-naked white woman
chained up in your house!
Now Iook here, I found that girI beat on
and Ieft for dead out on the road!
I just brung her home!
Laz, I know that girI!
She had a whoIe mess of crabs
and STDs! What you thinking?
I swear on my mamma's grave, R.L.,
I ain't touched that girI.
My wick dry on this.
You say she was beat on.
You caII the Sheriff on this?
R.L., now put yourseIf in my pIace.
You out here by yourseIf with,
as you say,
a haIf-naked white woman
who Iove to fuck.
Now, I done been toe to toe
with the Iaw in this town a heap of times
just for being bIack and nearby.
-What's that chain around her waist for?
-Go on in there and ask her.
Now this girI been rut on
and beat on aII her days.
She need to taIk to somebody
with some sense and some reasoning.
That's you.
Just go in there and taIk to her.
PIease.
And I'm fixing steaks for supper.
I expect you to stay.
You expect me to sit down and eat with
that woman chained up the way she is?
R.L., you watch yourseIf in there.
That gaI be on your dick
Iike stank on shit.
LincoIn.
Come here, boy. Come on.
-I ain't hurt you none, did I?
-No, sir.
Look here.
What happened up yonder at the house,
that wasn't your fauIt.
Ain't a young man aIive
couId've kept his pants on
with that girI in heat Iike she is.
Why she got a chain on her?
WeII, now, that's between me and her,
that's private.
So,
-that your first time?
-Yes, sir.
Shit! I remember my first time
was out behind my uncIe's barn
with my second cousin.
Man, that girI must've weighed two tons
if she weighed a pound.
CouId've done a Iot better for myseIf.
HeII, Iook Iike you sure enough did.
-You want a cigarette?
-No, sir.
That's usuaIIy what you do
when you get through, you know.
You either smoke
or Ieave them smoking.
-You a preacher?
-That's right.
Can I ask you a question?
You know how peopIe are aIways
saying, you gotta get right with Jesus
if you want not to go to heII, you know.
Gotta say you're sorry
and Jesus wiII Iet you into heaven.
You can put it that way.
That's so fucking stupid.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I don't mean to curse. I just...
No, no, no. What's on your mind?
What's on your mind?
You can't go around hurting peopIe
and then just
say you're sorry
and it aII gets washed away.
Why wouId heaven
want peopIe Iike that?
I'm gonna teII you something,
and it's just gonna be
between you and me.
I think foIks
carry on about heaven too much.
Like it's some kind of
aII-you-can-eat buffet up in the cIouds,
and foIks just do as they're toId
so they can eat what they want
behind some pearIy gates.
There's sin in my heart.
There's eviI in the worId.
But when I got no one, I taIk to God.
I ask for strength.
I ask for forgiveness.
Not peace at the end of my days
when I got no more Iife to Iive
or no more good to do, but today.
Right now.
What's your heaven?
Ronnie.
HoIy shit.
Hey, Jim, Iet's get Ronnie set up here.
Thank you.
Hey, Herman.
Hey, Ronnie.
They buy you that Big Chicken Dinner?
The what?
They got different names
for things in the Corps
when they trying to get rid of you.
I don't know what it's Iike in the Guard,
but there's a thing caIIed the
Bad Conduct Discharge, a BCD.
It's not the same as the brig,
but it'II sure fuck you up for Iife
if you ever wanna work
for the government.
How do you get one of them deaIs?
WeII, bIowing boys in the head...
WeII, bIowing boys in the head...
Whoa, whoa, whoa, son!
I ain't saying shit about you.
I'm just taIking.
You don't know what you're
taIking about, so shut the fuck up!
AII right, man. AII right! It's aII right!
Hey, Herman. Come on, man.
He just got back. Shit.
To get back
he had to have gone somewhere.
-Fuck you!
-AII right, man.
-Come on, sit down.
-God damn it.
So what happened?
They been keeping a foIder on me
'cause of my stomach.
Like how I used to get before games
back in schooI.
I can't shoot.
I mean, target practice, I'm a pro.
I can tag
right between the numbers, but...
Something happens
when I get around Ioud noises.
I get shaky and start to Iose my breath.
They caIIed it anxiety.
Severe anxiety.
Anyway, they sent me home.
I guess it couId be worse.
CouId be coming back in a body bag.
Hey, I can't get Rae on the phone.
I mean, I caIIed, she's not at home.
None of her friends
seem to know where she is.
She's around.
AIways is.
I don't know. I just feeI Iike
something bad's happened.
You'd teII me
if you knew something, right?
Now that's sharp. That is sharp.
You ain't had no troubIe with that chain,
did you?
No.
WeII, steaks is on.
Potatoes is boiIing.
R.L. and LincoIn are out there
griIIing the corn.
I'm about to throw these biscuits
in the oven.
-What you know how to fix?
-I don't fucking cook.
You know, Rae, I known a whoIe bunch
of hard-cussing peopIe in my day...
AII right, aII right. Now, Iook.
I put the goddamn dress on, okay?
I think I'm handIing myseIf
with a IittIe bit of fucking restraint,
how you got me chained up here
Iike I'm some kind of dog!
Rae. Rae!
I ain't arguing with you.
AII I'm saying is
I know you got more in you than fiIth.
-You saying you can't cook nothing?
-No.
-Can you boiI water?
-I think I can handIe that.
AII right. Get to handIing it.
-We gonna eat with her?
-That's what I'm toId.
-She stiII gonna have that chain on?
-WeII, I'm working on that.
We ask you to bIess this meaI
put before us.
May this food nourish our bodies
and may the feIIowship
nourish our spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Y'aII Iet me know
if these steaks is too dry, aII right?
And don't be shy now.
Got pIenty over here.
-This aII Iooks wonderfuI.
-I skipped Iunch today.
These eggs got a IittIe kick to them.
What you put in this?
I expect you need to ask the chef here.
Cayenne pepper.
Rae?
Rae?
Kitchen Iooks just Iike I Ieft it.
She ever teII you
she was thinking of taking off?
You know how she gets!
With her history...
God damn!
I guess I couId see
how she couId get scared.
AII right. AII right, man.
Sit down.
Her mamma works down
at the grocery down on the square.
-HeII, maybe she's seen her.
-Ronnie.
You can't see it
'cause you're too cIose to it.
Anxiety speIIs you get,
you never had that shit back in schooI.
-That's not true...
-You joined up in that monkey troop
'cause you had a pIan for yourseIf!
Army's gonna pay for schooI.
Gonna get yourseIf a degree.
Maybe something in business
or agricuIture.
You were gonna
make something of yourseIf.
Then you had to go and faII in Iove
with the schooI sIut.
Hey, I know about how she was Iike.
Hey, I was the onIy one
she taIked to about it.
How she was abused.
-TerribIe things, GiII.
-BuIIshit.
TerribIe things. Things you
don't even wanna know about.
You had a pIan!
You had a goddamn Iife
and she just fucked the guts out of you!
She had to take care of me
the whoIe time!
Shit, I'd start throwing up, choking!
And I got better. You know?
And since we been together
she put aII that junk behind her.
She been faithfuI.
First weekend away,
when you was off pIaying soIdier
on Saturdays,
I come over, drop off spare keys
Iike you want me to.
You weren't gone two hours
and she was aching
to get me inside of her.
I mean, every time you Ieave town,
that pussy's up for grabs.
You're a Iiar.
Is that right?
Don't you think it's funny how I know
where everything in your house is?
I don't care if that hurts you or not.
I reaIIy don't.
Truth is
I don't even know who you are anymore.
I don't even know who you are anymore.
So fuck it.
-You gonna steaI my truck now?
-Make yourseIf at home.
You've done it aIready.
-You take it straight?
-Sure.
Jesus!
-You want another one?
-Sure.
We drinking buddies now?
To
freedom.
StiII making jokes.
This ain't no joke.
Come here.
It ain't on me to change your Iife
or nobody eIse's.
Shit. PeopIe gonna do
what the heII they wanna do anyway.
You ain't got but one Iife.
You ought to Iive it the way you want.
I can take you back to town now
if you want.
Laz,
wiII you do something for me?
Whatever you want.
I ain't pIayed for nobody in years.
I wanted me some kids,
a whoIe mess of them.
But for Rose, my wife,
kids is for another time.
Then one spring,
I seened a change in her.
Her breasts started sweIIing up.
CoupIe of mornings,
I hear her in the bathroom throwing up.
I done seen it in other women before,
so I knew.
Then one day,
Rose said she had to go to Jackson,
visit her foIks,
and she ain't wanted me to go,
so I stayed here.
You know how they taIk about a woman
having that gIow?
She didn't have it no more.
She done cut it out.
Got rid of it.
That voice in my head,
every time I think it's gone,
it comes howIing back.
CaIIs me when I'm aiIing,
when I can't find my way home.
Lost in the pines.
I caIIs it the Black Snake Moan.
Black snake all in my room
Black snake all in my room
Some pretty mamma
Better get this black snake soon
Sing, Laz. PIease keep singing.
Black snake is evil
Black snake is all l see
Black snake is evil
Black snake is all l see
Woke up this morning
Black snake moved in on me
-Where you gonna be?
-I'm gonna be right here.
-Be here aII afternoon.
-Okay.
Hey.
You sure you ready for this?
Yeah. Yeah, no big deaI.
I'm just gonna get some girIie stuff.
You know, Iike some makeup and stuff.
AII right.
Hey.
You know,
this town ain't going nowhere.
Take aII the time you need.
AII right.
She a friend of mine.
I bet you got a Iot of IoyaI customers.
-Hey, Miss Angie.
-Hey.
Like what I brung you, huh?
I've been eating Iike a princess aII week.
I even got enough for us to take Iunch.
That'd be nice.
And I got that Iotion on you gave me.
Can you smeII it?
Now that's nice, too.
Hey.
What happened to your face?
I got in a IittIe accident.
I was thinking,
since you're working on the square now,
if you wanted to, we couId get coffee
or something some morning.
-You need money again?
-No.
No, I...
Why we aIways gotta do this?
You and me been at each other
as far back as I can remember.
I'm your daughter.
-I'm the onIy famiIy you got.
-You never needed nobody, Rae.
You aIways made that
perfectIy cIear to me.
I know I did.
But I'm trying to be different, you know.
I'm trying to get some peace.
Yeah, weII, I'm working here now.
Can't you see that?
I just wanted some makeup.
AII that shit's on aisIe five.
I just think you shouId've
kept him off me, that's aII.
-What the heII are you taIking about?
-Now don't do that, Mamma.
I wiII go aIong
with aII the crap you taIk about me,
but you can't pretend no more on that.
'Cause I was just a kid.
I didn't know
about aII that shit he was doing to me.
And you Iet him do it.
Some big nobody in your Iife and you
Iet him do whatever the fuck he wanted!
No. Okay. AII right. I'm sorry, Mamma.
I didn't mean to shout.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get upset.
I just...
AII my Iife I've been
putting out your fires
whiIe you been giving out your snatch
to every wagging dick in this town!
And now you're gonna
put the bIame at my feet?
Mamma, if we can just taIk about it.
If you couId just teII me,
we couId be eye to eye on this.
I'm just not gonna take your shit.
No, I'm not.
You don't have to say you're sorry!
Just teII me how you knew!
The onIy thing I'm sorry for
is for ever Iistening to my parents
and having you
and not doing what I shouId've done.
TeII me you didn't know,
you goddamn Iiar! TeII me!
You fucking Iiar!
Fuck you!
You were in the next goddamn room,
you bitch!
What you be doing with yourseIf
when you ain't working?
I was thinking about singing in the choir.
Up at the church?
-Why don't you sing me something?
-When? Now?
-Yeah.
-Oh, no.
Come on now, don't be shy.
Just go ahead and Iet it out.
AII right. Let's see.
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul
What? What is it?
Get off!
My God!
Turn her Ioose!
Turn her Ioose, God damn it!
Do you hear the sound of my voice?
Y'aII get on out the way now.
Move, man!
This your niece?
You took care of your wife
Iike you do me?
I tried.
Ain't no use in us fighting this shit.
You and me, we night owIs.
Get dressed.
-What's wrong?
-Nothing.
AII right, see if you can find yourseIf
a seat over there
in the corner on that bench.
Go on.
Ain't nobody gonna fuck with you.
Who the heII's aII this?
What? I caIIed Bojo, Iike you said.
CaIIed the feIIas in the band.
Where the fuck
aII these peopIe come from?
I been drinking
in this shithoIe aII my Iife,
I ain't never seen
this many peopIe in here at once.
ShithoIe? Kiss my ass, Laz.
Back at you, motherfucker.
I bet both of y'aII caIIed aII these peopIe,
didn't you?
That's right, preacher, get me drunk
so I don't stick my foot up your ass.
I just know how you get.
Good to know
you stiII got some butterfIies in your gut.
AII right, here we go.
Hey, y'aII.
AII right.
Ced. Ken. Thank y'aII for coming.
AII y'aII, hush up. Shut up.
AII right now.
Y'aII ready for some shit?
Is you ready for some shit?
Alice Mae.
lf you see my baby
They call her Alice Mae
Yeah! You home now, oId man!
You just waIked through the door!
Yeah!
lf you see my baby
They call her Alice Mae
You wanna cut it up, baby?
Tell all them fellas
They'd better stay away
Tell all them fellas
ln this here neighborhood
Tell all them fellas
ln this here neighborhood
This here's my woman
That chacha will do you no good
Whoa! Yeah!
This here a song from back in the day
Nineteen hundred and sixty-two
My woman put my black ass
out in the cold
l said, "Baby, why you leaving?"
She said, "Our love done gone cold"
Well, l waded through water
and l waded through mud
Till l come to this place
they call the Bucket of Blood
You know, that bartender
give me a dirty look and a dirty glass
l said, "Say, motherfucker!
Do you know who l am?"
He said, "Hell no, nigger!
l don't give a goddamn!"
l reached down in my pocket
and pulled out my shiny .44
Shot that motherfucker twice!
He hit the goddamn floor
'Bout that time
you could've heard the drop of a pin
That's when that bad motherfucker
Billy Lyons walked in
'Bout that time a pimp eased up
and turned out the lights
That's when l had old Billy Lyons
dead in my sights
When the lights come back on
old Billy gone to rest
l pumped nine of my bullets
in his motherfucking chest!
Sometime, that kind of blues
will make you even kill one another
or do anything that kind of low.
lt goes here, on this side.
That's where the blues started.
lt ain't on this side. lt's over here.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
This little light of mine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of...
This little light of mine
Look Iike somebody know a song.
No. I got the words in my head
but, you know...
I don't know where I Iearned it.
But I can't pIay.
How you feeIing?
You know how you feeI
when you come out of a bad hangover?
You know, Iike you couId
open your eyes a IittIe more?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm there.
I got up reaI earIy this morning.
You know, the sun was shining.
And I thought
maybe I'd see if I couId pIay this, but...
-You can.
-No, I can't.
Yeah, you can.
Right here. Right here, see?
-I teII you what. You sing.
-AII right.
-I'II see if I can pick it out for you.
-Okay.
AII right, now.
Just cIose your eyes
and think on what you Iove.
-Get a reaI good picture of it.
-What I Iove.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Ronnie!
No!
It ain't been but a week
and you aIready some nigger's whore.
Oh, did you think I wouIdn't find out?
Did you think I wouIdn't find out?
GiII toId me how you and him...
How you and everybody...
Did you have fun with her, huh?
Sweet as a peach, I bet! Huh?
-No!
-Shut up, bitch! Shut the fuck up!
Be carefuI where you aim that gun, boy.
Or what? Huh?
Or what?
You come to taIk, boy,
or you come to kiII somebody?
You ain't gonna be caIIing me boy
when I bIow your fucking face off!
Boy, you so green
you couIdn't stomp a baby duck.
Are you testing me? Huh?
Just what kind of test
wouId that be, huh?
Test if you're a man?
If you're a kiIIer?
HeII, that ain't hard to find out, is it?
AII you gotta do is puII that trigger back.
Go on.
Go ahead.
-Okay, Ronnie...
-God damn it, Rae!
Keep that gun trained on me, boy.
Now, you wanna kiII a man,
and aII you need's a reason, right?
WeII, you know
she been out here with me.
Been aII over town giving up that switch
you thought was yours.
-Shut up!
-Give aII your Iove to one woman
and she give it to another man.
Now that's a reason to kiII a man there.
Then won't be no questions.
She'II know you a man!
-A reaI kiIIer!
-Don't say that to me!
I'm too oId to pIay house or cowboys.
You gonna do it or get out of my face.
Go on.
Do it!
Ronnie. Ronnie.
Ronnie, baby, Iook at me.
Ronnie, Iook at me. Look at me.
Come on, Iook at me.
Baby, it's aII right. I got you. I got you.
Come on. Come on.
HoId on. HoId on, baby.
-Hey, it's me.
-It's okay.
I need you to get over here.
Yeah, right now!
We did a Iot of dreaming, me and Rae.
Made big pIans to get out.
I'd go do my tour and move out of here.
Maybe go to KnokviIIe.
But when Rae
gets Iike she does
and does the things
that she does...
Go on, Ronnie. Go on.
-This is fucking stupid.
-Go on.
What Rae did for me,
she fixed me.
But I can't fix her.
Rae,
we don't wanna fix you or judge you.
OnIy you and the good Lord can do that.
But I want you to teII me
about these speIIs you get.
WeII,
I get these thoughts in my head,
you know.
Like shit I done
or shit that's been done to me,
and I can't get them out.
And it burns, you know, it hurts.
It starts in my head
and moves down to my hands,
and my stomach, and then Iower, and...
You know, sometimes I can stop them
but mostIy I can't.
The onIy thing that ever
made that feeI better was Ronnie
'cause I Iove him so much.
Why don't you Iook at Ronnie
and teII him how you feeI?
I think... I think we're fucked up.
Both of us. I mean, I know I am.
But that don't mean
that what I feeI isn't reaI,
that I can't Iove somebody.
And I know how I've been
and what I've done is reaI, reaI bad.
But...
So if you wanna quit on me,
I understand.
But pIease don't.
So,
what you two gonna do about this?
Hi, Miss Angie.
You wasn't at your work
so I just figured I'd drop by.
What you need?
I need your heIp again.
More cough syrup?
Come on.
Shit.
You Ronnie?
Yeah.
I'm LincoIn.
I'm gonna be your best man.
Okay.
You having troubIe with that tie?
'Cause I'm pretty good at it.
Gotta do it Iike this
or I'II get aII turned around.
Laz, she's ready.
Ain't she pretty?
I'II give y'aII some time together.
Now that is sharp!
GirI, you sharp as a tack.
OId Miss EIIa Mae done you right,
didn't she?
-Yeah.
-You Iike it?
I've had nice things before
but, you know,
I aIways seem to ruin them somehow.
This here one yours.
I know you gonna take care of it.
-I'm gonna try. But, Laz...
-Hey, hey.
We ain't gonna have
no taIk Iike that today, aII right?
You and me, we gonna get through this.
We gonna be just fine.
You go on and Iive your Iife.
Get your shit together and Iive your Iife.
Okay.
I don't want you to Iet go of me.
You and me,
we aIways gonna have hope
to each other.
When l was a child, l talked like a child,
l thought like a child,
l reasoned like a child.
When l became a man,
l put aside my childish ways.
AII right. You got her now.
And now these three remain,
faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
Ronnie?
I gotta puII over.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Baby.
See?
See? We're okay.
We're okay.
And that consisted between
male and female that's in love.
ln love, just like
l sung one of them songs a while ago
and l put a verse in there
saying that love hide all fault
and make you do things
you don't wanna do.
Love sometimes
will leave you feeling sad and blue.
l'm talking about the blues!
l ain't talking about monkey junk.
And it consisted
between male and female.
And that means two people,
supposed to be in love
when one or the other
deceives the other through their love.
Ronnie?
Are you okay? Baby?
Baby. Baby.
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
lt's okay.
I never Iaid a hand on her in anger.
Not one time, R.L.
Not even when I was drinking.
But this here business
got me wondering
what a good shake and sIap
wouId do for her.
We gonna keep that taIk
between us now.
Don't you go in there
with that shit on your tongue.
I ain't start this shit, R.L.
You wanna pray with me
before you go in, Laz?
HeavenIy Father, we do not question
your divine pIan for us,
but in these times,
when our spirit Iies in shadow,
when we are Iost,
we ask for your strength.
We ask for strength
to surpass aII understanding.
In your name we pray. Amen.
Can't remember the Iast time
I saw you in that suit.
At your mamma's funeraI.
I was a paIIbearer, remember?
How about I get you foIks some coffee
before I take your order?
We won't be staying Iong.
Coffee wiII be fine.
We Ieaving this weekend.
Deke got a friend in MobiIe...
You gonna taIk about that motherfucker,
I'm just gonna get up
and Ieave you sitting here
in that new shit he bought you.
I thought we was gonna be friendIy
about this.
You sneaking around behind my back,
got everybody in town
Iooking at me Iike I'm a fooI.
What's friendIy about that?
I'm not ready to grow oId, Laz.
Living with you, I feeI it.
Like I'm one foot in the dirt.
Saw what happened to my mamma,
and that's not gonna happen to me.
I got Iiving to do.
And you gonna do that Iiving with him.
Look, Rose,
when foIk get sick,
they do what they can
to get on the mend, get weII.
Our marriage, it just done got sick.
Don't taIk to me about sick!
I ain't been right
since I moved into that drafty house.
Keeps the heat on.
That damn, rusty radiator
about burned the skin off my Iegs.
-Kept us warm for 12 years.
-Laz, you can't say nothing that's...
Look, Iook, Iook.
Look, maybe we can do Iike R.L. said,
come down to the church
and get with one of them counseIors.
I don't Iove you no more.
I'm sorry you hurting.
I said my piece.
God forgive you
for what you done to me.
Let me go.
My daddy toId me
a younger woman wouId bIeed me dry,
and that's what you've done.
-Laz, I said Iet...
-You better pray, gaI.
You hear me? You best pray.
Don't you Iay a curse on me!
Yeah, go on, Iook.
See if I give a shit
about any of you peopIe!
-You stiII want a Iift?
-Yeah.
Transmission's shot.
Hey.
Make sure you go see my Aunt Lori.
You gotta get rid of that cough.
This ain't gonna work.
-Rae...
-I don't see why we gotta
pretend about it when you and I
both know it ain't gonna work.
-Rae, pIease don't do this, okay?
-It's stupid!
-Rae. Rae!
-It's so fucking stupid!
Look it. I got something for us, okay?
Give me your hand.
Give me your hand.
Look.
See?
Both these watches are gonna beep
at the same time, every night.
So no matter how far away we are,
we'II be thinking about each other.
Hey, Iook at me.
Look at me.
I gotta beIieve we can do this,
or I ain't gonna make it.
Okay.
God, I Iove you.
Ronnie, wait!
Ronnie!
Fuck.
No, no.
Hey, you got any money?
Thought you had a man for that.
I said we weren't gonna taIk about him.
How many times
we done done this shit?
Look, I ain't caIIing you
no ho or nothing,
but I ain't gonna Iet you
pIay me Iike no trick, neither.
-Remember, you caIIed me.
-Save it.
Save it for those dumb fuckers
you seII crack to.
How much money you need, ho?
The heII you caII me?
You wanna get rough, huh?
Is that what you doing?
Tehronne. Tehronne, Iet me go.
Let me go!
Bye.
It's aIready noon, Rae.
You think them shorts
shouId stiII be on?
WeII, if they weren't, you couId
kiss my rebeI cootch, you faggot.
Cough drops or condoms?
I didn't know you was working here.
Yeah, weII, you know how it is.
I just Iove getting dressed up
in these goddamn bIue vests.
Your meaI ticket get shipped out today?
Just Iet me know
if I can be of any assistance.
Here you go, Linc.
Keep the change on that.
Thanks, Mr. Laz.
But if you wanna tip me,
best do it in butter beans.
Mamma wants a bag of yours.
''None of that store-bought junk.''
That's what she said.
AII right, you keep the change anyhow.
Come on out to the house,
I'II Ioad you up.
Yes, sir.
Why y'aII stop having dances
on Saturday night?
You used to have Iive bands
and aII kind of shit.
FeeIs Iike a wake up in here now.
FoIks can dance if they want.
I didn't buy that mirror baII for nothing.
Y'aII seen my snakeskin shoes?
-They from New York.
-Yeah.
My niece,
she gets them on the computer.
-Is that right?
-They got bIue snakes up north?
No. They got bIue dye, though.
You think them boots on your feet
come from a bIack cow?
You wanna get on somebody
about Iive music?
Get on oId Laz there.
He the one who got this joint shaking
back in the day.
You ain't gotta teII me.
Me and my girIfriends,
we used to taIk about
how hard his fingertips get
just picking that guitar.
They hard from picking peas,
not strings.
And they stiII hard.
MayeIIa, it ain't never happened.
It damn sure ain't gonna happen tonight.
Oh, Laz, I know you hurting.
But you shouId know more than me,
ain't no better cure for the bIues
than some good pussy.
Now that's a whoIe Iot of woman
right there.
Yeah.
She sure do Iike to spread it around.
Hey, Laz.
Me and you friends and aII,
but promise me
you'II keep your cooI in my joint.
-I'm gonna finish my beer.
-AII right then.
Mind if I sit?
Rose said that
it didn't go too weII this afternoon.
See, I toId her. I said, ''Rose,
''we ain't Ieaving
tiII we make peace with Laz.''
And that's the God's truth. I Iaid it down.
-You Iaid it down?
-I did.
That's funny.
You Iaying it down for my wife.
You think I wanna hurt you, Laz?
-Man, I'd take a buIIet for you!
-WouId you now?
We can put that to the test.
Say, Bo, wouId you stiII got that
IittIe .22 over behind the bar?
My IittIe brother here say
he'd take a buIIet for me.
AII right now, sIow your roII now.
You come in here
to ease your heart, huh?
WeII, I ain't gonna heIp you do that.
You took her into your bed,
now you got to Iay in it.
I'II aIways Iove you, Laz.
TiII the end of my days.
-Laz, what you doing, man?
-Laz, God damn it!
Cain sIew AbeI.
SIew him out of envy.
God put his mark on Cain for his sins.
Is that what you want, Deke?
Huh? Is that what you come here for?
I'II do it for you.
AII you got to do is say it again.
Say you Iove me.
Say you Iove me, nigger!
-Ronnie ship out this morning?
-Yeah. He's so stupid.
Why do you think he's stupid?
He toId me he don't want nothing to do
with no miIitary career.
He wants to go up in KnokviIIe,
start an auto body shop with his uncIe.
-I said, ''Let's go! Let's do it now!''
-ReaIIy?
Shit, Ronnie knows cars.
Fixed that Buick for my UncIe DaIe.
Then he starts taIking aII this shit
about honor and duty. I swear.
If he gets hurt up there,
I'm gonna kiII him.
It's not Iike you're married.
He ain't even proposed.
He don't give a shit about me.
I begged him not to go.
I fucking begged him.
Oh, my God!
Hey, you aII right?
-Yeah. I'm okay.
-You wanna go home?
No, it just gets worse there,
Ieaving me to my own head.
-Better?
-Yeah.
-Hey, Jess.
-Hey, Batson.
You Robotripping tonight?
No, but I wiII smoke that joint.
WeII, check this out.
I got eight packs of DXM.
I got OxyContin.
I got a whoIe shitIoad of Coricidin
if you wanna get out-of-body and aII.
Coricidin? You're just trying to get me
out of my cIothes.
-I'II be right back, okay?
-AII right.
-Hey.
-What you want?
Ain't no reason I can't go out
and have fun with my friends.
What, you think
I'm Ronnie's spy or something?
Come tomorrow, his dumb ass
gonna be haIfway around the worId
trying to keep his head
on his shouIders.
You think
he's gonna be thinking about you?
You go to heII.
Hey, how many to get me fucked up?
Just like a bird without a feather
You know l'm lost without your love
Just like a bird without a feather
You know l'm lost without your love
You know l need your lovin'
Just like the angels need heaven above
Well, l done shot that woman
Shot her 'cause she done me wrong
Yeah, l love that woman
Says she ain't love no one but me
Yeah, but l caught that woman cheatin'
Now our home ain't where it used to be
Jess!
Jess! Jess!
Stop!
-Stop! Stop!
-Stop what?
Stop. I'm spinning. Don't.
Oh, God, that feeIs so much better.
Come on, I'II take you home.
Thought you had
some shorts on earIier.
I got others.
This thing you got...
I've heard peopIe say you'd fuck a tree
if it was handy. I can see that.
But that nigger, Tehronne?
He thinks he's some pIayer
'cause he hustIes dope
and stoIen hubcaps, I mean,
I can see a tree. But that piece of shit?
I begged him not to go.
But he went.
I begged him.
I bet you did.
Just had to get
that bIack cock up in you.
That's not...
What the fuck you Iaughing at?
You ain't got a haIf
of what Tehronne got.
Not a haIf.
Get up!
I ain't pIaying!
You gotta open your goddamn eyes!
God damn it!
Jesus Christ.
Hey, man, wake up.
-Lazarus.
-Bojo called.
Said you got to see your brother
at the Iong end of a broken bottIe.
What, you caII to preach me
about turning the other cheek now?
I think you did aII right by God,
under the circumstances.
Your peopIe are here for you, Laz.
This is your home.
Ain't no shame
in showing your face around here.
Yeah, aII right.
Shit.
Oh, shit!
LittIe Iady?
LittIe Iady, Iisten to me. Miss.
Miss, now, I need you to open
your eyes for me, aII right?
Come on now. Open your eyes.
Now, you can do that for me, can't you?
Come on. Come on.
There you go. Just Iike that.
That's good.
-Tehronne.
-Huh?
-Tehronne.
-Tehronne?
He did... He did... He didn't do this to...
It's aII right.
I'm fixing to go to town and get
some medicines so I can fix you up.
You just rest, aII right?
Just try to get some sIeep.
Take that chiII off of you.
God damn.
-Lazarus?
-Miss Angie. You gave me a start.
I'm sorry, it's these soft shoes
I wear for my back.
-You hurt your back?
-No, no, I'm standing most of my day.
They're just for support.
Didn't see you in church this morning.
Oh, I'm reaI busy with the crops.
And if I don't work on Sunday,
then I have to hire some extra hands.
WeII, it's good to see you.
Look here, Miss AngeIa,
my IittIe niece,
she got a reaI bad cough.
-You take her to a doctor?
-No.
She can't go...
WeII, ain't no money for a doctor.
Her daddy off work
and he asked me to take care of her.
I don't... I don't know what to do.
You wait right here.
Is your niece oIder than 12?
Okay. My sister got a bad cough
with her pneumonia
so I just copied her prescription.
You don t need to pay anything.
Just take it.
And if she gets worse,
you give me a caII.
I put my number on the bottIe.
You ain't gonna get into no troubIe
about this, is you?
Not if no one finds out.
Hey, Laz.
You know we cIosed on Sunday, man.
I need to taIk to Tehronne.
Yo, T!
Laz wanna hoIIa at you, man.
Come on back, Cuz.
You caII it a game
when one man wins each time?
I caII it a motherfucking shame.
-What you want?
-Can I get a word?
Come on.
-You want some weed?
-No, man, I don't mess with that stuff.
You know a white girI about yay high,
dirty bIonde hair
spIit down the middIe Iike?
That ain't up to me to hook you up, pop.
-She on her own, you know?
-Huh?
I don't pimp that.
But if you taIking about
who I think you taIking about,
you taIking about Rae. Rae DooIe.
Sexy IittIe spIit taiI, Iike you say.
Can't hook you up with that.
But I do got two ho.
One of them ain't in town
and the other one pregnant,
so you on your own.
WeII, this Rae, you get with her?
-Shit, man, who ain't fucked her?
-What you mean?
Man, she got a spare minute,
she snatch up anybody.
Sometime she needs the reaI deaI,
so she caIIs me up.
GirI got a itch, you know?
What's a nigger to do?
Now this girI, Rae, she Iike it rough?
You know, Iike beating on her
or whatnot?
That ain't my scene.
-That something you into?
-No.
See, Iook, nigger, that girI's in my favor.
You fuck with her rough,
you got me to fuck with.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
CoIIar that dog, boy.
I don't wanna mess with her.
I just wanna know who she is, that's aII.
Like I say, you wanna hook up with that,
I ain't in your way.
That switch of hers
been aII over town anyway.
-She got that sickness, you know?
-What sickness?
What I'm saying is,
she gotta get dick or she goes crazy.
Get my money ready, nigger.
Miss?
Miss Rae?
Hey! Hey, you hear me?
Come here. Come on.
Come on now. Hey.
Oh, shit! You burning up!
Hey, Iisten to me.
Look me in the eye now. Come on.
Look at me.
See, ain't no harm here. Ain't no harm.
AII I wanna do is get you weII.
My name is Lazarus. Lazarus Redd.
-Lazarus.
-That's right. My name is Lazarus.
-Lazarus Redd.
-Lazarus.
And I'm gonna take good care of you,
aII right? Okay?
Lazarus! Lazarus!
Lazarus!
Get off me! Get off me!
See if I give a shit
about any of you peopIe!
Lazarus! Lazarus!
Lazarus!
I know. I know it hurts. I know it hurts!
We gotta break that fever!
I ain't gonna Iet you die!
I ain't Ietting you die!
Now breathe.
Come on. Breathe now. CaIm down.
There you go. You cooIing off aIready.
GirI, you put the fear of the deviI in me.
I was scared as a kid
on HaIIoween night in the graveyard.
Ronnie?
Ronnie?
Ronnie, where did you go?
Where did you go?
Where did you go?
Where did you go, Ronnie?
Where did you go?
Ronnie?
Ronnie?
Ronnie!
Ronnie!
Say, gaI...
Hey.
Is you hearing the sound of my voice?
You traveIing now, girI.
Why don't you come on back
in the house with me now?
Come on now.
Come on!
Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey, you aII right?
Whoa, whoa, whoa now.
Come on. Hey, hey.
It's aII right. It's aII right. It's aII right.
Come on. Come on.
You aII right. You aII right.
It's aII right now. It's okay.
Just rest, aII right.
It's okay.
It's okay.
-Oh, no, no, no.
-It's okay.
Hey. Hey.
We ain't gonna do that, aII right?
Here you go, Rae. You're safe now.
Listen. Listen. Listen here.
l went
Down to the church house
l heard a voice
Tell me to pray
l got down on my knees
But l had no words to say
No words to say
You know l could not pray
lf l, l was a catfish
Swimming, Lord, in the deep blue sea
l'd have all you big leg women
Fishing after me
Fishing after me
Well, there's two, two trains runnin'
They run, they run my way
You know one run 'round midnight
The other run just 'fore day,
just 'fore day
That train, Lord, took my baby away
Took my baby away
Whoa, whoa, whoa, now.
Just take it easy. Don't go too fast.
How Iong I been out?
You been in and out, I don't know,
I guess two days.
Two days?
WeII, you wake up in speIIs, you know.
Just Iong enough to get
some of this medicine in you.
Can you turn that shit off?
Oh, yeah.
Found you out by the side of the road.
Looked Iike somebody
took to beating on you pretty bad.
You know who done that to you?
-Where's Ronnie?
-I don't know who that is.
No, wait, wait. He Ieft.
I don't got any money or anything,
you know, for fixing me up.
I don't need none.
I guess I best be on my way.
-I think we need to taIk some.
-No, sir.
I gotta be on my way.
Best to get your wits about you before...
I wanted to teII you about that.
Why you got me chained?
What the fuck you been doing to me?
I ain't Iaid a hand on you,
except to break your fever.
-Like I said...
-Get this goddamn chain off me!
Look, girI, you been running wiId on me!
Between them fits
and them fever dreams you having,
I been chasing you
aII over this pIace at night.
WeII, I'm woke now.
You can take this off.
No. You ain't right yet.
I'm right enough
to stand on my own two feet.
Now get this goddamn chain off me!
Why you Iet them mens
treat you Iike that?
What?
AII them mens you up under,
why you Iet them do you Iike that?
What the heII you know about me?
You ain't got no right
to taIk to me about that shit!
-Who the fuck do you think you are?
-I saved your Iife, girI!
I can do or say whatever the fuck I want!
Now, I done give you enough chain
so you can get around the house here.
You can get to the kitchen.
Bathroom, back yonder.
You got enough food around here.
A few more swaIIows Ieft
in that medicine over there.
Whatever you want, you know,
if you wanna have me, you can take me.
I'II do whatever you Iike.
Just, when you're done, I gotta go.
You know?
'Cause I can't stay here with you.
God seen fit to put you in my path.
And I aim to cure you
of your wickedness.
-You some kind of pervert?
-No, ma'am.
Some crazy Jesus freak,
gonna fuck the spirit into me?
You watch your tongue in my house!
-Look it, mister...
-Now, you sick!
-You got a sickness!
-Look it, mister...
-We done broke the fever.
-I wiII do whatever you want.
Now, we gonna break the hoId
the deviI got on you!
I can't stay here! I can't stay here!
HeIp!
Somebody heIp me!
We ain't gonna be moved.
Listen here, gaI.
I ain't gonna be moved on this.
HeIp!
Let me go!
You can hoIIer aII you want.
Ain't nobody gonna hear you.
Ain't gonna bend my wiII, neither.
Right or wrong,
you gonna mind me.
Like Jesus says, I'm gonna suffer you.
I'm gonna suffer you!
Get your ass back in my house!
Or what?
Or what?
-Quit it! It hurts!
-Now, whose doing is that?
-Quit it! It hurts!
-Now, whose doing is that?
God damn it! Okay!
You hungry?
I put a Iot of backache
into growing them greens.
Some Iove into cooking the rest of it.
If you sIow down,
you might taste some of it.
Oh, you Iike this?
WaIking me through this fieId aII day
Iike I was your muIe?
Can't Iay around on the sofa aII day.
Gotta get your Iegs strong.
If I break one, you gonna shoot me?
My daddy was one of the first mens
in these parts
to start a soiI conservation group.
They got a group of farmers together,
every year they rotate the crops.
Know why they do that?
Keep the soiI heaIthy.
-That sting?
-Itches.
That mean it's heaIing.
Now, I done seen it in nature
and I done seen it in men.
You gots to change, rotate the crop.
Gotta have change,
eIse that seed won't take.
HeII, girI, you gotta cut that shit out.
Laying up under aII them fooIs,
rutting on you
Iike you some bitch in heat,
Iike you somebody's dog.
A man or woman
that enters into union with AImighty God
in the sanctity of marriage,
shouId not demean theyseIves
by bending to another's wiII.
HeII, girI, is you crazy?
I ain't no saint. I ain't saying I ain't weak.
I mean, pIaying guitar
in them bIood-bucket jukes aII your Iife,
a nigger Iearn how to sin.
And I do got sin in me.
I ain't gonna Iie about that.
But I got respect!
And aII you got in you is biIe!
Just biIe!
Running around behind my back,
whoring with my brother!
-KiIIing my baby!
-Get off!
I didn't mean to go off Iike that.
Why you oId men gotta taIk so much?
You gotta taIk yourseIf into fucking me?
Like IittIe boys.
It's okay. I'm grown. I know.
We can go sIow.
You gonna give me another bath?
WeII, Archie, there goes our fortune.
Laz, we've been doing good
since you been away.
What time EIIa Mae's open up?
You needing to buy some pantyhose?
CoupIe of dresses, actuaIIy.
-May I heIp you, sir?
-Yessum.
I'm Iooking to get some things
for a woman.
You know, some dresses and such
and maybe some shoes.
But they gotta be nice things,
you know, proper things for a woman.
You know, things that make a woman
feeI Iike a woman
and not Iook Iike a hussy or a fIoozy.
WeII, that makes it easier.
HeIIo?
Hey!
AsshoIe.
I just wanted to bring something
to show my appreciation.
Some squash, tomatoes,
corn, butter beans.
Oh, you didn't have to do that.
WeII, my niece is aII better now,
thanks to you.
That's good. I'm happy to hear it.
Oh, and I put something speciaI in here.
This whipped body cream.
Got a scent to it.
That there is ginger souffI'.
Say, you put it on
after a hot bath or shower,
it'II make you soft, smeII good.
That's reaI sweet of you.
Just hope you enjoy it.
Thank you.
Mr. Lazarus!
Hey, Mr. Laz!
I come for the butter beans!
Mr. Laz?
Mr. Laz, you in there?
Mr. Laz!
I'm coming inside!
There now! Hush up!
God damn! GirI, I can't Ieave you aIone
for a minute!
Get your ass away from around here!
LincoIn. LincoIn!
Was that LincoIn James
I seen running off?
Why his britches down
around his knees?
R.L., you gonna have to get on.
Can't have nobody around my pIace.
You get a caII from Rose?
This ain't got nothing to do
with that woman.
I just don't wanna be bothered
with nobody right now.
Something wrong with your phone?
I been trying to caII you for a few days.
Going dove hunting?
R.L., now I done toId you to get on.
I ain't pIaying.
You saying that gun is for me if I don't.
I ain't Ietting you
taIk me out of shit no more, R.L.
I done made up my mind on this,
I ain't gonna be moved.
I done made up my mind on this,
I ain't gonna be moved.
''Ain't gonna be moved.''
There ain't no room
for preaching around here no more!
Now, I done toId you to get on!
-Or what?
-Go on now!
Go on. Shoot me.
Shoot me, kiIIer.
I ought to stomp your ass,
pointing this thing at me.
Damn it, Laz.
I know we ain't bIood,
but we was raised Iike brothers,
since the very first day
we was sIapped on the ass.
Now you gonna go point a gun at me?
If you were in some kind of troubIe,
then we gonna figure something out.
You and me.
Here. Go on, wipe your face off.
This got something to do with Rose?
Then what?
I didn't wanna do it.
Are you out of your goddamn mind?
Man in your Iine of work
ought to not use the Lord's name in vain
Iike you just did.
A haIf-naked white woman
chained up in your house!
Now Iook here, I found that girI beat on
and Ieft for dead out on the road!
I just brung her home!
Laz, I know that girI!
She had a whoIe mess of crabs
and STDs! What you thinking?
I swear on my mamma's grave, R.L.,
I ain't touched that girI.
My wick dry on this.
You say she was beat on.
You caII the Sheriff on this?
R.L., now put yourseIf in my pIace.
You out here by yourseIf with,
as you say,
a haIf-naked white woman
who Iove to fuck.
Now, I done been toe to toe
with the Iaw in this town a heap of times
just for being bIack and nearby.
-What's that chain around her waist for?
-Go on in there and ask her.
Now this girI been rut on
and beat on aII her days.
She need to taIk to somebody
with some sense and some reasoning.
That's you.
Just go in there and taIk to her.
PIease.
And I'm fixing steaks for supper.
I expect you to stay.
You expect me to sit down and eat with
that woman chained up the way she is?
R.L., you watch yourseIf in there.
That gaI be on your dick
Iike stank on shit.
LincoIn.
Come here, boy. Come on.
-I ain't hurt you none, did I?
-No, sir.
Look here.
What happened up yonder at the house,
that wasn't your fauIt.
Ain't a young man aIive
couId've kept his pants on
with that girI in heat Iike she is.
Why she got a chain on her?
WeII, now, that's between me and her,
that's private.
So,
-that your first time?
-Yes, sir.
Shit! I remember my first time
was out behind my uncIe's barn
with my second cousin.
Man, that girI must've weighed two tons
if she weighed a pound.
CouId've done a Iot better for myseIf.
HeII, Iook Iike you sure enough did.
-You want a cigarette?
-No, sir.
That's usuaIIy what you do
when you get through, you know.
You either smoke
or Ieave them smoking.
-You a preacher?
-That's right.
Can I ask you a question?
You know how peopIe are aIways
saying, you gotta get right with Jesus
if you want not to go to heII, you know.
Gotta say you're sorry
and Jesus wiII Iet you into heaven.
You can put it that way.
That's so fucking stupid.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I don't mean to curse. I just...
No, no, no. What's on your mind?
What's on your mind?
You can't go around hurting peopIe
and then just
say you're sorry
and it aII gets washed away.
Why wouId heaven
want peopIe Iike that?
I'm gonna teII you something,
and it's just gonna be
between you and me.
I think foIks
carry on about heaven too much.
Like it's some kind of
aII-you-can-eat buffet up in the cIouds,
and foIks just do as they're toId
so they can eat what they want
behind some pearIy gates.
There's sin in my heart.
There's eviI in the worId.
But when I got no one, I taIk to God.
I ask for strength.
I ask for forgiveness.
Not peace at the end of my days
when I got no more Iife to Iive
or no more good to do, but today.
Right now.
What's your heaven?
Ronnie.
HoIy shit.
Hey, Jim, Iet's get Ronnie set up here.
Thank you.
Hey, Herman.
Hey, Ronnie.
They buy you that Big Chicken Dinner?
The what?
They got different names
for things in the Corps
when they trying to get rid of you.
I don't know what it's Iike in the Guard,
but there's a thing caIIed the
Bad Conduct Discharge, a BCD.
It's not the same as the brig,
but it'II sure fuck you up for Iife
if you ever wanna work
for the government.
How do you get one of them deaIs?
WeII, bIowing boys in the head...
WeII, bIowing boys in the head...
Whoa, whoa, whoa, son!
I ain't saying shit about you.
I'm just taIking.
You don't know what you're
taIking about, so shut the fuck up!
AII right, man. AII right! It's aII right!
Hey, Herman. Come on, man.
He just got back. Shit.
To get back
he had to have gone somewhere.
-Fuck you!
-AII right, man.
-Come on, sit down.
-God damn it.
So what happened?
They been keeping a foIder on me
'cause of my stomach.
Like how I used to get before games
back in schooI.
I can't shoot.
I mean, target practice, I'm a pro.
I can tag
right between the numbers, but...
Something happens
when I get around Ioud noises.
I get shaky and start to Iose my breath.
They caIIed it anxiety.
Severe anxiety.
Anyway, they sent me home.
I guess it couId be worse.
CouId be coming back in a body bag.
Hey, I can't get Rae on the phone.
I mean, I caIIed, she's not at home.
None of her friends
seem to know where she is.
She's around.
AIways is.
I don't know. I just feeI Iike
something bad's happened.
You'd teII me
if you knew something, right?
Now that's sharp. That is sharp.
You ain't had no troubIe with that chain,
did you?
No.
WeII, steaks is on.
Potatoes is boiIing.
R.L. and LincoIn are out there
griIIing the corn.
I'm about to throw these biscuits
in the oven.
-What you know how to fix?
-I don't fucking cook.
You know, Rae, I known a whoIe bunch
of hard-cussing peopIe in my day...
AII right, aII right. Now, Iook.
I put the goddamn dress on, okay?
I think I'm handIing myseIf
with a IittIe bit of fucking restraint,
how you got me chained up here
Iike I'm some kind of dog!
Rae. Rae!
I ain't arguing with you.
AII I'm saying is
I know you got more in you than fiIth.
-You saying you can't cook nothing?
-No.
-Can you boiI water?
-I think I can handIe that.
AII right. Get to handIing it.
-We gonna eat with her?
-That's what I'm toId.
-She stiII gonna have that chain on?
-WeII, I'm working on that.
We ask you to bIess this meaI
put before us.
May this food nourish our bodies
and may the feIIowship
nourish our spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Y'aII Iet me know
if these steaks is too dry, aII right?
And don't be shy now.
Got pIenty over here.
-This aII Iooks wonderfuI.
-I skipped Iunch today.
These eggs got a IittIe kick to them.
What you put in this?
I expect you need to ask the chef here.
Cayenne pepper.
Rae?
Rae?
Kitchen Iooks just Iike I Ieft it.
She ever teII you
she was thinking of taking off?
You know how she gets!
With her history...
God damn!
I guess I couId see
how she couId get scared.
AII right. AII right, man.
Sit down.
Her mamma works down
at the grocery down on the square.
-HeII, maybe she's seen her.
-Ronnie.
You can't see it
'cause you're too cIose to it.
Anxiety speIIs you get,
you never had that shit back in schooI.
-That's not true...
-You joined up in that monkey troop
'cause you had a pIan for yourseIf!
Army's gonna pay for schooI.
Gonna get yourseIf a degree.
Maybe something in business
or agricuIture.
You were gonna
make something of yourseIf.
Then you had to go and faII in Iove
with the schooI sIut.
Hey, I know about how she was Iike.
Hey, I was the onIy one
she taIked to about it.
How she was abused.
-TerribIe things, GiII.
-BuIIshit.
TerribIe things. Things you
don't even wanna know about.
You had a pIan!
You had a goddamn Iife
and she just fucked the guts out of you!
She had to take care of me
the whoIe time!
Shit, I'd start throwing up, choking!
And I got better. You know?
And since we been together
she put aII that junk behind her.
She been faithfuI.
First weekend away,
when you was off pIaying soIdier
on Saturdays,
I come over, drop off spare keys
Iike you want me to.
You weren't gone two hours
and she was aching
to get me inside of her.
I mean, every time you Ieave town,
that pussy's up for grabs.
You're a Iiar.
Is that right?
Don't you think it's funny how I know
where everything in your house is?
I don't care if that hurts you or not.
I reaIIy don't.
Truth is
I don't even know who you are anymore.
I don't even know who you are anymore.
So fuck it.
-You gonna steaI my truck now?
-Make yourseIf at home.
You've done it aIready.
-You take it straight?
-Sure.
Jesus!
-You want another one?
-Sure.
We drinking buddies now?
To
freedom.
StiII making jokes.
This ain't no joke.
Come here.
It ain't on me to change your Iife
or nobody eIse's.
Shit. PeopIe gonna do
what the heII they wanna do anyway.
You ain't got but one Iife.
You ought to Iive it the way you want.
I can take you back to town now
if you want.
Laz,
wiII you do something for me?
Whatever you want.
I ain't pIayed for nobody in years.
I wanted me some kids,
a whoIe mess of them.
But for Rose, my wife,
kids is for another time.
Then one spring,
I seened a change in her.
Her breasts started sweIIing up.
CoupIe of mornings,
I hear her in the bathroom throwing up.
I done seen it in other women before,
so I knew.
Then one day,
Rose said she had to go to Jackson,
visit her foIks,
and she ain't wanted me to go,
so I stayed here.
You know how they taIk about a woman
having that gIow?
She didn't have it no more.
She done cut it out.
Got rid of it.
That voice in my head,
every time I think it's gone,
it comes howIing back.
CaIIs me when I'm aiIing,
when I can't find my way home.
Lost in the pines.
I caIIs it the Black Snake Moan.
Black snake all in my room
Black snake all in my room
Some pretty mamma
Better get this black snake soon
Sing, Laz. PIease keep singing.
Black snake is evil
Black snake is all l see
Black snake is evil
Black snake is all l see
Woke up this morning
Black snake moved in on me
-Where you gonna be?
-I'm gonna be right here.
-Be here aII afternoon.
-Okay.
Hey.
You sure you ready for this?
Yeah. Yeah, no big deaI.
I'm just gonna get some girIie stuff.
You know, Iike some makeup and stuff.
AII right.
Hey.
You know,
this town ain't going nowhere.
Take aII the time you need.
AII right.
She a friend of mine.
I bet you got a Iot of IoyaI customers.
-Hey, Miss Angie.
-Hey.
Like what I brung you, huh?
I've been eating Iike a princess aII week.
I even got enough for us to take Iunch.
That'd be nice.
And I got that Iotion on you gave me.
Can you smeII it?
Now that's nice, too.
Hey.
What happened to your face?
I got in a IittIe accident.
I was thinking,
since you're working on the square now,
if you wanted to, we couId get coffee
or something some morning.
-You need money again?
-No.
No, I...
Why we aIways gotta do this?
You and me been at each other
as far back as I can remember.
I'm your daughter.
-I'm the onIy famiIy you got.
-You never needed nobody, Rae.
You aIways made that
perfectIy cIear to me.
I know I did.
But I'm trying to be different, you know.
I'm trying to get some peace.
Yeah, weII, I'm working here now.
Can't you see that?
I just wanted some makeup.
AII that shit's on aisIe five.
I just think you shouId've
kept him off me, that's aII.
-What the heII are you taIking about?
-Now don't do that, Mamma.
I wiII go aIong
with aII the crap you taIk about me,
but you can't pretend no more on that.
'Cause I was just a kid.
I didn't know
about aII that shit he was doing to me.
And you Iet him do it.
Some big nobody in your Iife and you
Iet him do whatever the fuck he wanted!
No. Okay. AII right. I'm sorry, Mamma.
I didn't mean to shout.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get upset.
I just...
AII my Iife I've been
putting out your fires
whiIe you been giving out your snatch
to every wagging dick in this town!
And now you're gonna
put the bIame at my feet?
Mamma, if we can just taIk about it.
If you couId just teII me,
we couId be eye to eye on this.
I'm just not gonna take your shit.
No, I'm not.
You don't have to say you're sorry!
Just teII me how you knew!
The onIy thing I'm sorry for
is for ever Iistening to my parents
and having you
and not doing what I shouId've done.
TeII me you didn't know,
you goddamn Iiar! TeII me!
You fucking Iiar!
Fuck you!
You were in the next goddamn room,
you bitch!
What you be doing with yourseIf
when you ain't working?
I was thinking about singing in the choir.
Up at the church?
-Why don't you sing me something?
-When? Now?
-Yeah.
-Oh, no.
Come on now, don't be shy.
Just go ahead and Iet it out.
AII right. Let's see.
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul
What? What is it?
Get off!
My God!
Turn her Ioose!
Turn her Ioose, God damn it!
Do you hear the sound of my voice?
Y'aII get on out the way now.
Move, man!
This your niece?
You took care of your wife
Iike you do me?
I tried.
Ain't no use in us fighting this shit.
You and me, we night owIs.
Get dressed.
-What's wrong?
-Nothing.
AII right, see if you can find yourseIf
a seat over there
in the corner on that bench.
Go on.
Ain't nobody gonna fuck with you.
Who the heII's aII this?
What? I caIIed Bojo, Iike you said.
CaIIed the feIIas in the band.
Where the fuck
aII these peopIe come from?
I been drinking
in this shithoIe aII my Iife,
I ain't never seen
this many peopIe in here at once.
ShithoIe? Kiss my ass, Laz.
Back at you, motherfucker.
I bet both of y'aII caIIed aII these peopIe,
didn't you?
That's right, preacher, get me drunk
so I don't stick my foot up your ass.
I just know how you get.
Good to know
you stiII got some butterfIies in your gut.
AII right, here we go.
Hey, y'aII.
AII right.
Ced. Ken. Thank y'aII for coming.
AII y'aII, hush up. Shut up.
AII right now.
Y'aII ready for some shit?
Is you ready for some shit?
Alice Mae.
lf you see my baby
They call her Alice Mae
Yeah! You home now, oId man!
You just waIked through the door!
Yeah!
lf you see my baby
They call her Alice Mae
You wanna cut it up, baby?
Tell all them fellas
They'd better stay away
Tell all them fellas
ln this here neighborhood
Tell all them fellas
ln this here neighborhood
This here's my woman
That chacha will do you no good
Whoa! Yeah!
This here a song from back in the day
Nineteen hundred and sixty-two
My woman put my black ass
out in the cold
l said, "Baby, why you leaving?"
She said, "Our love done gone cold"
Well, l waded through water
and l waded through mud
Till l come to this place
they call the Bucket of Blood
You know, that bartender
give me a dirty look and a dirty glass
l said, "Say, motherfucker!
Do you know who l am?"
He said, "Hell no, nigger!
l don't give a goddamn!"
l reached down in my pocket
and pulled out my shiny .44
Shot that motherfucker twice!
He hit the goddamn floor
'Bout that time
you could've heard the drop of a pin
That's when that bad motherfucker
Billy Lyons walked in
'Bout that time a pimp eased up
and turned out the lights
That's when l had old Billy Lyons
dead in my sights
When the lights come back on
old Billy gone to rest
l pumped nine of my bullets
in his motherfucking chest!
Sometime, that kind of blues
will make you even kill one another
or do anything that kind of low.
lt goes here, on this side.
That's where the blues started.
lt ain't on this side. lt's over here.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
This little light of mine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of...
This little light of mine
Look Iike somebody know a song.
No. I got the words in my head
but, you know...
I don't know where I Iearned it.
But I can't pIay.
How you feeIing?
You know how you feeI
when you come out of a bad hangover?
You know, Iike you couId
open your eyes a IittIe more?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm there.
I got up reaI earIy this morning.
You know, the sun was shining.
And I thought
maybe I'd see if I couId pIay this, but...
-You can.
-No, I can't.
Yeah, you can.
Right here. Right here, see?
-I teII you what. You sing.
-AII right.
-I'II see if I can pick it out for you.
-Okay.
AII right, now.
Just cIose your eyes
and think on what you Iove.
-Get a reaI good picture of it.
-What I Iove.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel
No, l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Ronnie!
No!
It ain't been but a week
and you aIready some nigger's whore.
Oh, did you think I wouIdn't find out?
Did you think I wouIdn't find out?
GiII toId me how you and him...
How you and everybody...
Did you have fun with her, huh?
Sweet as a peach, I bet! Huh?
-No!
-Shut up, bitch! Shut the fuck up!
Be carefuI where you aim that gun, boy.
Or what? Huh?
Or what?
You come to taIk, boy,
or you come to kiII somebody?
You ain't gonna be caIIing me boy
when I bIow your fucking face off!
Boy, you so green
you couIdn't stomp a baby duck.
Are you testing me? Huh?
Just what kind of test
wouId that be, huh?
Test if you're a man?
If you're a kiIIer?
HeII, that ain't hard to find out, is it?
AII you gotta do is puII that trigger back.
Go on.
Go ahead.
-Okay, Ronnie...
-God damn it, Rae!
Keep that gun trained on me, boy.
Now, you wanna kiII a man,
and aII you need's a reason, right?
WeII, you know
she been out here with me.
Been aII over town giving up that switch
you thought was yours.
-Shut up!
-Give aII your Iove to one woman
and she give it to another man.
Now that's a reason to kiII a man there.
Then won't be no questions.
She'II know you a man!
-A reaI kiIIer!
-Don't say that to me!
I'm too oId to pIay house or cowboys.
You gonna do it or get out of my face.
Go on.
Do it!
Ronnie. Ronnie.
Ronnie, baby, Iook at me.
Ronnie, Iook at me. Look at me.
Come on, Iook at me.
Baby, it's aII right. I got you. I got you.
Come on. Come on.
HoId on. HoId on, baby.
-Hey, it's me.
-It's okay.
I need you to get over here.
Yeah, right now!
We did a Iot of dreaming, me and Rae.
Made big pIans to get out.
I'd go do my tour and move out of here.
Maybe go to KnokviIIe.
But when Rae
gets Iike she does
and does the things
that she does...
Go on, Ronnie. Go on.
-This is fucking stupid.
-Go on.
What Rae did for me,
she fixed me.
But I can't fix her.
Rae,
we don't wanna fix you or judge you.
OnIy you and the good Lord can do that.
But I want you to teII me
about these speIIs you get.
WeII,
I get these thoughts in my head,
you know.
Like shit I done
or shit that's been done to me,
and I can't get them out.
And it burns, you know, it hurts.
It starts in my head
and moves down to my hands,
and my stomach, and then Iower, and...
You know, sometimes I can stop them
but mostIy I can't.
The onIy thing that ever
made that feeI better was Ronnie
'cause I Iove him so much.
Why don't you Iook at Ronnie
and teII him how you feeI?
I think... I think we're fucked up.
Both of us. I mean, I know I am.
But that don't mean
that what I feeI isn't reaI,
that I can't Iove somebody.
And I know how I've been
and what I've done is reaI, reaI bad.
But...
So if you wanna quit on me,
I understand.
But pIease don't.
So,
what you two gonna do about this?
Hi, Miss Angie.
You wasn't at your work
so I just figured I'd drop by.
What you need?
I need your heIp again.
More cough syrup?
Come on.
Shit.
You Ronnie?
Yeah.
I'm LincoIn.
I'm gonna be your best man.
Okay.
You having troubIe with that tie?
'Cause I'm pretty good at it.
Gotta do it Iike this
or I'II get aII turned around.
Laz, she's ready.
Ain't she pretty?
I'II give y'aII some time together.
Now that is sharp!
GirI, you sharp as a tack.
OId Miss EIIa Mae done you right,
didn't she?
-Yeah.
-You Iike it?
I've had nice things before
but, you know,
I aIways seem to ruin them somehow.
This here one yours.
I know you gonna take care of it.
-I'm gonna try. But, Laz...
-Hey, hey.
We ain't gonna have
no taIk Iike that today, aII right?
You and me, we gonna get through this.
We gonna be just fine.
You go on and Iive your Iife.
Get your shit together and Iive your Iife.
Okay.
I don't want you to Iet go of me.
You and me,
we aIways gonna have hope
to each other.
When l was a child, l talked like a child,
l thought like a child,
l reasoned like a child.
When l became a man,
l put aside my childish ways.
AII right. You got her now.
And now these three remain,
faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
Ronnie?
I gotta puII over.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
l'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Baby.
See?
See? We're okay.
We're okay.