Sammie Moore
[Stack, Delta Slim and Sammie are driving by a chain gang at work]
Hey, you know some of them?
Delta Slim
All of 'em.
Sammie Moore
What happened?
Delta Slim
Me and my buddy Rice, we was hustlin' back and forth up the delta, we got busted for vagrancy. Them white sheriffs take us down to the jailhouse... that was empty. I thought for sure they was gonna kill us that night. But they gave us our instruments back, and they tell us to play. Stack, we played. Preacherboy, we played, you hear me? Music was comin' out the windows. People on the street was stoppin' to come in. Next day, one of them sheriffs got the bright idea they gonna take us on the road now. They cover us and throw us in the paddy wagon. They take us to this big house. I mean, it's full of white folks. Pass around their hats and have us to play. See, them white folks we playin' for, they had real money.
Sammie Moore
Had y'all playing them old ragtime songs?
Delta Slim
We played a fair amount of blues too. See, white folks, they like the blues just fine. They just don't like the people who make it. Them peckerwoods was noddin' their heads, stompin' their feet. Some of 'em was almost in rhythm, Stack. And then Rice and me, we changed it up, confuse 'em.
Sammie Moore
What y'all do with the money?
Delta Slim
Drank it.
Sammie
So, tell me about Chicago. I heard they ain't got Jim Crow up there. Black man can go where he wants.
Smoke
Listen, boy, you can't be believin' everythin' that you hear. Town'll fill yo' head up with this make-believe, but me and yo' cousin? We gon' give it to you straight. Chicago ain't shit but Mississippi with tall buildings instead of plantations.
Stack
And that's why we came back home: Figured we might as well deal with the devil we know.
Smoke
I can’t believe you taking this make-believe shit.
Annie
[holds up a razor blade to Smoke's neck]
Smoke, give me my money ‘fore I cut your Black ass.
Smoke
You can put that blade up, woman. I’ll trade ya. [holds up cash wad]
Annie
I don’t want your money.
Smoke
Don’t be stupid, now.
Annie
I ain’t stupid. Your money come with blood.
Smoke
All money come with blood, baby. [puts away cash wad]
Annie
Not like yours.
Smoke
This shit won’t even spend nowhere else. Look at it.
Annie
I ain’t goin’ nowhere else. I don’t need that cursed money you got. [she takes dollar bill]
Smoke
You know, woman, I been all over this world. In cars, ships, trains. I seen men die ways I didn’t even know was possible. I ain’t never saw no roots, no demons… no ghosts, no magic. Just power. And only money can get you that.
Annie
You fool. All that war, or whatever the hell else you been doin’ in Chicago, and you back here in front of me. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, and a brain that work. How you know I ain’t pray... and work every root my grandmama taught me to keep you and that crazy brother of yours safe every day since you been gone?
Smoke
So why those roots ain’t work on our baby, then?
Annie
I don’t know. But they work for you. [places hand on Smoke's chest with him placing his hand on hers] You still got that mojo bag. [Smoke opens jacket] Soil of my soil, bone of my bone, blood of my blood. I bless you. Ashe. Why you here, Smoke? What you want with me?
Smoke
We was hopin’ to serve food at the juke tonight. We want you to cook for us.
Annie
Elijah.
Smoke
You gonna make me say it? It still hurts coming back here. But I love ya. And I miss ya.
Annie
[places hand on his crotch and speaks in Yoruba ]
Your body ain’t forget me. [Smoke makes love to her]
Smoke
You Hogwood?
H Hogwood
You boys twins?
Stack
[Sarcastically]
Nah, we cousins.
H Hogwood
Well. Here she is. He moved a ton of timber a month back in his heyday. Workers lived upstairs. Say, what are you fellas planning on doing with the place?
Stack
Y'all wash these floors?
Smoke
What was on 'em?
H Hogwood
I thought y'all was dead set on buying the place. More time I spend with y'all, the less sure I am you boys are serious about it.
Smoke
Ain't no "boys" here.
Stack
Just grown men. With grown-men money.
Smoke
And grown-men bullets
H Hogwood
I didn't mean nothin' by it. Just the way we talk down here.
Smoke
We'll take it. The mill, the equipment, and the land that it's standing on.
H Hogwood
[looking at the briefcase full of money]
Well, Damn!
Smoke
Now, understand, it's the last dime you ever gonna to see from us. And if we see you, or any one of your Klan buddies cross our property line, we gonna kill 'em right where they stand.
H Hogwood
Shit. Klan don't exist no more.
Stack
The hell are you doin' back here, Mary?
Mary
I buried my mama yesterday, Stack. Figured I'd might see you and Smoke there, as much as she looked after you both. But I guess y'all love lasted as long as y'all could get somethin' out of her.
Stack
You right. That's all she was: Food, a warm bed.
Mary
Rot in Hell, Stack! [walks away]
Stack
Shit, I will. [as she walks away] And save yo' triflin' ass a room! Shit, right next to me... shit...
[Mary applauds Remmick, Bert, and Joan after they play "Lassie Go.]
"
Remmick
You looking for some fresh air, or...
Mary
I just come to see if y'all was good people.
Remmick
Aw darlin' that's so sweet of you.
Joan
So sweet.
Remmick
We most surely are
Mary
[sitting next to him]
And y'all got money to spend?
Remmick
Oh yeah, plenty money. You wanna see?
Mary
Yeah, I wanna see. [Bert hands her some gold] What type of money is this?
Remmick
The solid gold kind, darlin'. Yeah.
Mary
Where's this from?
Remmick
It's from a different place in a different time. But it spends just the same. You can have it. But it's no good to you.
Joan
It's no good to her...
Bert
[shaking his head]
Mmm-mm.
Mary
Well, what makes you say that?
Remmick
Cuz you in some deep, deep pain that money can't fix. Am I right? [Mary looks at him] You came over here for fellowship and love.
Joan
Fellowship and love...
Mary
My mother... she just passed.
Remmick
Aw that's awful. Ah...
Bert
Just awful.
Joan
Just awful... [touches Mary's shoulder]
Bert
Losin' a mother is a hurtin' feeling.
Remmick
Mhmm. Y'know I wish in my heart that we'd have met sooner. I would've liked to have saved your mother from her fate. I can still save you from yours.
Mary
Oh no you must have me confused. I'm sad is all, but I don't need no saving.
Remmick
[eyes now red with drool hanging from his mouth]
Yes... yes you do. You all do. [he looks at her neck and Mary quickly gets up and points a gun]
Mary
I'm gonna head back now, and I think y'all should too. Back to where we all came from. [as she walks away, Remmick levitates into the air, eyes glowing]
Mary
[Stack is attempting to throw Mary out of the juke joint]
Get yo' hands off me.
Stack
What's it gon' take, hmm? How much to getchu to get the **** on?
Mary
You can't pay me off.
Stack
Fine... I'll pay one of these field bitches in here to drag yo' ass out, then—
Mary
Shit, you taught me how to fight; I'll beat up every bitch in here, and you know it.
Stack
I taught you how to walk away when the money's up, too. Got you a rich white husband, got you a farm, now go home to it.
Mary
I ain't ask for none of that - all that shit was your idea! I didn't want no white man, I didn't want to be white. I wanted to be with you!
Stack
All it'd take is the wrong person in here to see you - word get back to them crackas, and they gon' try to kill you.
Mary
What would it matter to you?
Stack
'Cause, if somebody out there put they hands on you... if they hurt you... me and my brother gon' come kill 'em all.
Mary
So you'll kill for me.
Stack
That's right.
Mary
But you still won't tell me the truth. I was young enough to believe you were comin' back. I waited. I waited a long time. But I'm grown now, Stack! And I know you never planned to stay. Why can't you just say that?!
Stack
Say what? Hmm? [He removes his hat] That I love you? That I think about you every day? I just wanted to keep you someplace safe. And that was never gon' be here... and it was never gon' be with me. Never.
Smoke
[Stack revives as a vampire after being bitten by Mary] [looks through the knife hole in the door]
Stack... ****, that's you?
Stack
Naw, fool, it's Jim Crow!
