The Green Pastures (1929)/Part 1/Scene 7
Scene VII
God is walking along a country road. He stops to listen. Church bells are heard in the distance.
God
Dat’s nice. Nice an’ quiet. Dat’s de way I like Sunday to be. [The sound is broken by a shrill voice of a girl. It is Zeba singing a “blues.”] Now, dat ain’t so good. [God resumes his walk and the upper treadmill brings on a tree stump on which Zeba is sitting. She is accompanying her song with a ukulele. God and the treadmills stop. When the stump reaches the center of the stage, it is seen that Zeba is a rouged and extremely flashily dressed chippy of about eighteen.] Stop dat!
Zeba
What’s de matter wid you, Country Boy? Pull up yo’ pants. [She resumes singing.]
God
Stop dat!
Zeba
[Stops again.] Say, listen to me, Banjo Eyes. What right you got to stop a lady enjoyin’ herself?
God
Don’t you know dis is de Sabbath? Da’s no kin’ o’ song to sing on de Lawd’s day.
Zeba
Who care bout de Lawd’s day, anymo’? People jest use Sunday now to git over Saddy.
God
You a awful sassy little girl.
Zeba
I come fum sassy people! We even speak mean of de dead.
God
What’s yo’ name?
Zeba
[Flirtatiously.] “What’s my name?” Ain’t you de ol’-time gal hunter! Fust, “What’s my name?” den I s’pose, what would it be like if you tried to kiss me? You preachers’ is de debbils.
God
I ain’t aimin’ to touch you daughter. [A sudden sternness frightens Zeba. She looks at him sharply.] What is yo’ name?
Zeba
Zeba.
God
Who’s yo’ fam’ly?
Zeba
I’m de great-great gran’ daughter of Seth.
God
Of Seth? But Seth was a good man.
Zeba
Yeh, he too good, he die of holiness.
God
An’ yere’s his little gran’ daughter reekin’ wid cologne. Ain’t nobody ever tol’ you yo’ on de road to Hell?
Zeba
[Smiling.] Sho’ dat’s what de preacher say. Exceptin’ of course, I happens to know dat I’m on de road to de picnic groun’s, an’ at de present time I’m waitin’ to keep a engagement wid my sweet papa. He don’ like people talkin’ to me.
[Cain the Sixth enters. He is a young buck, wearing a “box” coat and the other flashy garments of a Rampart Street swell.]
Cain the Sixth
Hello, sugah! [He crosses in front of God and faces Zeba.] Hello, mamma! Sorry I’m late baby, but de gals in de barrel-house jest wouldn’t let me go. Doggone, one little wirehead swore she’d tear me down.
[Zepa smiles and takes his hand.]
God
What’s yo’ name, son?
Cain the Sixth
[Contemptuously; without turning.] Soap ’n water, Country Boy.
God
[Sternly.] What’s yo’ name, son?
[Cain slowly turns and for a moment his manner is civil.]
Cain the Sixth
Cain the Sixth.
God
I was afraid so.
Cain the Sixth
[His impudence returning.] You a new preacher?
God
Where you live?
Cain the Sixth
Me, I live mos’ any place.
God
Yes, an’ you gonter see dem all. Is de udder young men all like you?
Cain the Sixth
[Smiling.] De gals don’ think so.
[He turns towards Zeba again, picks her up and sits on the stump with the laughing Zeba on his lap.]
Zeba
Dey ain’t nobody in de worl’ like my honey-cake.
[Cain kisses her and she resumes her song.]
[God watches them. Zeba finishes a verse of the song and begins another softly. Cain the Sixth’s eyes have been closed during the singing.]
Cain the Sixth
[His eyes closed.] Os de preacher gone?
[Zeba looks quickly at God without seeing him, and then looks off. She stops the song.]
Zeba
Yeh, I guess he walks fast.
[Cain pushes her off his lap and rises.]
Cain the Sixth
[With acid sweetness.] Dey tell me las’ night you was talkin’ to a creeper man, baby.
Zeba
Why, you know dey ain’t nobody in de world fo’ me but you.
Cain the Sixth
[Smiling.] I know dey ain’t. I even got dat guaranteed. [Takes a revolver from his pocket.] See dat, baby?
Zeba
Sho’ I see it, honey.
Cain the Sixth
Dat jest makes me positive. [Puts the gun back.]
Zeba
[Pushing him back on the stump.] You don’ wanter believe dem stories, papa.
Cain the Sixth
[With sinister lightness.] No, I didn’t believe dem, baby. Co’se dat big gorilla, Flatfoot, from de other side of de river is in town ag’in.
Zeba
Dat don’ mean nothin’. Flatfoot ain’t nothin’ to me.
Cain the Sixth
[Sitting again.] Co’se he ain’t. Go’head, sing some mo’, baby.
[Zeba resumes singing.]
God
Bad business. [The treadmills start turning. God resumes his walk. Zeba, still singing, and Cain the Sixth recede with the landscape. God is again alone on the country road. There is a twitter of birds. God looks up and smiles.] De birds is goin’ ’bout dere business, all right. [A patch of flowers goes by, black-eyed Susans, conspicuously.] How you flowers makin’ out? [Children’s voices answer, “We O. K., Lawd.”] Yes, an’ you looks very pretty. [Childrens’ voices: “Thank you, Lawd.” The flowers pass out of sight.] It’s only de human bein’s makes me downhearted. Yere’s as nice a Sunday as dey is turnin’ out anywhere, an’ nobody makin’ de right use of it. [Something ahead of him attracts his attention.] His face brightens.] Well, now dis is mo’ like it. Now dat’s nice to see people prayin’. It’s a wonder dey don’ do it in de church. But I fin’ I don’ min’ it if dey do it outdoors.
[A group of five adult Negroes and a boy on their knees in a semicircle, appears. The treadmills stop. The Boy, his head bent, swings his hands rhythmically up to his head three or four times. There is a hush.]
Gambler
Oh, Lawd, de smoke-house is empty. Oh, Lawd, lemme git dem groceries. Oh, Lawd, lemme see dat little six. [He casts the dice.] Wham! Dere she is, frien’s.
[Exclamations from the others: “Well damn my eyes!” “Doggone, dat’s de eighth pass he make.” “For God’s sake, can’t you ever crap?” etc. The Boy is picking up the money.]
God
Gamblin’! [Looks over the group’s shoulders.] An’ wid frozen dice!
Boy Gambler
Dey’s a dolla’ ’n’ a half talkin’ fo’ me. How much you want of it, Riney?
First Gambler
I take fo’ bits. Wait a minute. Mebbe I take a little mo’. [He counts some money in his hand.]
Second Gambler
[Glancing up at God.] Hello, Liver Lips. [To the others.] Looka ol’ Liver Lips.
[The others look up and laugh good-naturedly, repeating “Liver Lips.”]
First Gambler
Ain’t his pockets high from de groun’? Ol’ High-Pockets.
[The others keep saying “Ole Liver Lips.” “Ol’ Liver Lips don’t like to see people dicin’.” “Dats a good name, ‘High Pockets.’”]
Boy Gambler
[To others.] Come on, you gonter fade me or not?
[God seizes the boy’s ears and drags him to his feet. The others do not move, but watch, amused.]
God
Come yere, son. Why, yo’ jest a little boy. Gamblin’ an’ sinnin’. [God looks at the boy’s face.] You been chewin’ tobacco, too, like you was yo’ daddy. [God sniffs.] An’ you been drinkin’ sonny-kick-mammy-wine. You oughta be ’shamed. [To the others.] An’ you gamblers oughta be ’shamed, leadin’ dis boy to sin.
First Gambler
He de bes’ crap shooter in town, mister.
God
I’m gonter tell his mammy. I bet she don’ know ’bout dis.
First Gambler
No, she don’ know. [The others laugh.] She don’ know anythin’.
Second Gambler
Das de God’s truth.
First Gambler
See kin you beat ’im, High Pockets. Dey’s a dolla’ open yere.
God
I ain’t gonter beat ’im. I’m gonter teach ’im. I may have to teach you all.
[He starts walking from them. The Boy sticks out his tongue the moment God’s back is turned.]
Boy Gambler
If you fin’ my mammy you do mo’n I kin. Come on, gamblers, see kin you gimme a little action. Who wants any part of dat dollar?
[The treadmill carries them off. The First Gambler is heard saying: “I’ll take anoder two bits,” and the others, “Gimme a dime’s wo’th,” “I ain’t only got fifteen cents left,” etc. as they disappear.]
God
[Walking.] Where’s dat little boy’s home? [The front of a shanty appears and God stops in front of the door.] Yere’s de place. It ain’t any too clean, either.
[Knocks on the door with his cane.]
Voice in Shanty
Who dar?
God
Never you min’ who’s yere. Open de door.
Voice in Shanty
You gotta search warrant?
God
I don’ need one.
Voice in Shanty
Who you wanter see?
God
I wanter see de mammy of de little gamblin’ boy.
Voice in Shanty
You mean little Johnny Rucker?
God
Dat may be his name.
Voice in Shanty
Well, Mrs. Rucker ain’t home.
God
Where’s she at?
Voice in Shanty
Who, Mrs. Rucker?
God
You heerd me.
Voice in Shanty
Oh, she run away las’ night wid a railroad man. She’s eloped.
God
Where’s Rucker?
Voice in Shanty
He’s flat under de table. He so drunk he cain’t move.
God
Who are you?
Voice in Shanty
I’se jest a fren’ an’ neighbor. I come in las’ night to de party, an’ everybody in yere’s dead drunk but me. De only reason I kin talk is I drank some new white mule I made myself, an’ it burn my throat so I cain’t drink no mo’. You got any mo’ questions?
God
Not for you.
[The shanty begins to move off as God starts walking again.]
Voice in Shanty
Good riddance, I say.
[Shanty disappears.]
God
Dis ain’t gittin’ me nowheres. All I gotta say dis yere mankind I been peoplin’ my earth wid sho’ ain’t much. [He stops and looks back.] I got good min’ to wipe ’em all off an’ people de earth wid angels. No. Angels is all right, singin’ an’ playin’ an’ flyin’ around, but dey ain’t much on workin’ de crops and buildin’ de levees. No, suh, mankind’s jest right for my earth, if he wasn’t so doggone sinful. I’d rather have my earth peopled wit’ a bunch of channel catfish, dan I would mankin’ an’ his sin. I jest cain’t stan’ sin.
[He is about to resume his walk when Noah enters. Noah is dressed like a country preacher. His coat is of the “hammer-tail” variety. He carries a prayer book under his arm.]
Noah
Mo’nin’, brother.
God
Mo’nin’, brother. I declare you look like a good man.
Noah
I try to be, brother. I’m de preacher yere. I don’t think I seen you to de meetin’.
[They resume walking.]
God
I jest come to town a little while ago an’ I been pretty busy.
Noah
Yeh, mos’ everybody say dey’s pretty busy dese days. Dey so busy dey cain’t come to meetin’. It seem like de mo’ I preaches de mo’ people ain’t got time to come to church. I ain’t hardly got enough members to fill up de choir. I gotta do de preachin’ an’ de bassin’ too.
God
Is dat a fac’?
Noah
Yes, suh, brother. Everybody is mighty busy, gamblin’, good-timin’, an’ goin’ on. You jest wait, though. When Gabriel blow de horn you gonter fin’ dey got plenty of time to punch chunks down in Hell. Yes, suh.
God
Seems a pity. Dey all perfec’ly healthy?
Noah
Oh, dey healthy, all right. Dey jest all lazy, and mean, and full of sin. You look like a preacher, too, brother.
God
Well, I am, in a way.
Noah
You jest passin’ through de neighborhood?
God
Yes. I wanted to see how things was goin’ in yo’ part of de country, an’ I been feelin’ jest ’bout de way you do. It’s enough to discourage you.
Noah
Yes, but I gotta keep wres’lin’ wid em. Where you boun’ for right now, brother?
God
I was jest walkin’ along. I thought I might stroll on to de nex’ town.
Noah
Well, dat’s a pretty good distance. I live right yere. [He stops walking.] Why don’ you stop an’ give us de pleasure of yo’ comp’ny for dinner? I believe my ol’ woman has kilt a chicken.
God
Why, dat’s mighty nice of you, brother. I don’ believe I caught yo’ name.
Noah
Noah, jest brother Noah. Dis is my home, brother. Come right in.
[God and Noah start walking towards Noah’s house which 1s just coming into view on the treadmill.]
[The stage darkens, the Choir sings “Feastin’ Table,” and when the lights go up again, the next scene is disclosed.]