[birds chirping]
[♪ Carol Haney & Buzz Miller & Peter Gennaro: "Steam Heat"]
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I got s-s-s-steam heat ♪
♪ But I need your love to keep away the cold ♪
♪ I got s-s-s-steam heat ♪
♪ But I can't get warm without your hand to hold ♪
♪ The radiator's hissin', still I need your kissin' ♪
♪ To keep me from freezin' each night ♪
♪ I got a hot water bottle ♪
♪ But nothing I got'll take the place ♪
♪ Of you holding me tight, I got ♪
- ♪ S-S-S-Steam heat ♪ - [phone rings]
- ♪ I got s-s-s-steam heat... - [woman] Hello?
Stuart Berks, how many times is it gonna happen like this?
♪ S-S-S-Steam heat, but I need your love ♪
[woman] I don't understand.
- It's your job. - ♪ To keep away the cold ♪
[woman continues indistinctly]
[muffled chatter]
[steam hissing in song]
[muffled shouting in song]
- [muffled singing] - [hissing continues]
♪ ♪
Okay, bye.
[hissing in song]
- [loud scream in song] - [music intensifies]
♪ ♪
♪ Yeah ♪♪
[Betty] I'm so sorry, George, I know...
it seems crazy,
showing up like this,
but I just had to get out of there...
- before... Oh, God. - It's okay.
It's really not.
It's not.
Little dab will do you.
So, you said you needed something.
[sighs]
You said you were a man who... who could...
...do things.
Easy with that. It bites.
[Betty gasping]
I goddamn need something done, George.
I want them gone,
that-that-that Black bitch and her whole family.
- I want them... - Whoa, whoa.
Do you even know what you're asking?
You could ask me a hundred times,
and I would tell you the same thing. She...
She s... struck me, George.
She put her hands on you?
I am done sending polite messages.
If a dog bites, you put it down.
You know how to do it, don't you?
It's... it's just us, George.
I know how.
So, you'll do it?
For as long and as slow as you like.
Let's get you inside for a sit.
[Gracie] These are my favorite ones.
But what about my toys?
- One toy. - But...
Don't fuss, Gracie Jean. We can get the rest later.
What about Ruby and Daddy?
- Are we just leaving them? - No, of course not.
As soon they get home, we're all leaving together.
- Where? - Somewhere real nice.
- Now go get the... - But Daddy said this place was nice.
Gracie Jean. Please.
Is this because you hit that white lady?
Your mama hits someone,
you can believe they deserved it.
Is it because I was bad at school?
No, baby.
Not my baby.
That was nasty old Miss Vera.
- You believe me? - Always.
And you see that pug-ugly cracker again,
you holler as loud as you can
and Mama will give her five fingers, too.
[chuckling] "Pug-ugly cracker."
I'm never gonna let anything on this earth hurt you.
Okay?
Now go get some of your sister's things.
- Okay? - Yes, Mama.
♪ ♪
[doors creaking]
[doorbell rings]
[sighs]
What's it look like, Sarge?
A goddamn mess.
Her keys are gone and her purse.
Jesus Christ, what, do you need a pipe and a magnifying glass?
That coon abducted Betty.
Mister, uh...
Why don't you get a pen,
so you spell it right.
John Q. Taxpayer.
Say, I couldn't help but notice the, uh, lawn
outside that family's house.
That couldn't have been you, right?
I mean, everything was spelled correctly.
I mean, you and Clarke here can sit around,
pulling your puds, but I'm not gonna wait
for something to happen to my family.
Time was, being free, white and 21 counted for something.
[sighs]
I'm sorry, they're all just getting a little worked up.
[exhales]
- You okay? - I'm worried, sure, but, uh...
Not about this.
The other night...
couple of my guys said they saw you
hanging out where you don't belong.
[chuckles]
Yeah, no, I was...
Sorry. [clears throat]
See, the... No, listen. I...
Hey.
Those places look like any other bar from the outside.
Probably just a mistake, right?
- Exactly. - Mm-hmm.
Yeah. You see, you get it.
Wrong place, wrong time.
Right. [chuckles]
Hey, uh, you don't think that colored fella
across the street had anything to do with any of this, do you?
Her car and her purse are gone,
which tells that me she left under her own steam.
And I've met your wife.
♪ ♪
[Betty groaning softly]
[George humming]
Oh, what?
Are you doing it now?
I want to...
I want to be there.
I want to see you do it to them.
[sighs] Jesus.
Do you know how hard it's been?
I mean, I waited and waited.
And waited and waited and...
Gosh, if I'm not awake and really here for this...
And you're here for it.
[laughs]
If a fella could just die from happiness right now.
[chuckles] Go ahead.
[mumbles]
Royal Crown, Mom...
The ice feels so good on my lips.
I don't... I'm so thirsty.
[liquid sloshing]
[Betty sighs]
Oh, dear.
I told you to take it easy on that stuff, hmm?
You're just so little, I...
I kinda had to guess on how much to put in.
You'll wake up... and you'll see.
The clouds...
Don't wake them.
You ran off like I just asked you for the rent.
I was actually about to call you and ask you if we could...
Look, I know it's crowded over at yours,
- but if we could just stay for a couple... - Lucky. Stop. Sit.
- Girl, what is wrong with you? - [panting]
Sit!
Now, some things you just can't outrun, Luck.
- Where's your girls? - I sent Gracie Jean to pack.
And how is that little one dealing with all of this?
She'll be fine.
We'll be fine. We just need to get out of this place.
Oh, baby, that is not going to bring Chester back.
Oh, you've got him sitting up on a shelf.
Oh...
[chuckles] He look just like Henry.
Oh, that's a pretty baby.
Go on, look.
Oh, Lucky, I've been sitting around, thinking about you.
Thinking about this, and...
This out here...
ofays fittin' to drive you to who knows what.
I can't help but think...
Baby, maybe Chester is better off in the arms
of our Lord than this mess.
[sobbing]
- Come on. - [crying]
That's right. Let go, baby.
Hazel's got you.
♪ Life could be a dream, life could be a dream ♪
♪ Doo-doo, doo, doo, sh-boom ♪
♪ Life could be a dream, sh-boom ♪
♪ If I could take you up in paradise up above, sh-boom ♪
♪ If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love ♪
♪ Life would be a dream, sweetheart ♪
♪ Hello, hello again ♪
♪ Sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again ♪
♪ Day-dong, da-ding-dong, a-lang-da-lang-da-lang ♪
♪ Ah, whoa, whoa, bip, ah-bi-ba-do-da-dip...
[chewing loudly]
♪ If only all my precious plans would come true ♪
♪ If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you ♪
♪ Life could be a dream...
What you signifying for?
I thought...
Oh, hush all that.
Now, don't you ever in your life
let them know you thinking.
You like to get us killed.
- How'd that happen? - Hmm?
Well, they had these big ole peach trees,
past the bacca fields.
They was growed wild,
and the boss used to let his chilluns pick 'em.
And they'd come rushing past us,
laughing like God tickling they funny bones hisself.
And we'd just look and keep on cutting baccy.
Whoosh, whoosh.
You bent over that baccy from can't see to can't see?
With that sun hung over you just to vex you?
Sometimes all you want is a big old juicy peach.
I don't care for sweets.
You been in them fields, you do.
You been in them fields?
♪ Whoa, life could be a dream...
Hmm.
[groans]
One day, when the sun was beating down on us
and we was half in our graves, and ole Cuffy...
[laughing] That nigga...
He so old he must've come over on the first boat here.
Old Cuffy...
He plum fainted, 'cause the heat was so powerful.
I ain't shamed to fess that I was near played out myself,
so I said to myself, "The Lord left these peaches.
Now, he won't mind if we get a little fortifying."
So I gathered 'em up...
...just the near-rotten ones
l-left in the ground.
The ones fell off.
I ain't even pick 'em.
And I brung 'em, and Cuffy come back to life
like Lazarus hisself!
[laughter]
[loud thump]
Ooh.
Well, when the boss man come around,
see them peach pits on the ground,
he say, "Where these peaches come from?
Ain't no peaches grow in baccy."
Now, most of these niggas is too frightful to answer,
but I knows factual.
Them peaches ain't nobody's property,
except maybe the Lord's.
So I says, "I brought us some, just the ones fell off."
And ole Boss say there ain't nowhere
the crow flies ain't his,
and can't no nigga lay claim to a slug if'n he say so.
Then he asked me how many peaches I took.
So I raised my fingers to show him,
and...
You know what I would've done to that...
Not a goddamn thing.
Oh, you don't believe me?
Mm-mm.
You saw.
What I did.
And you know what I would have done to...
To that boss man?
Berks?
- Well, I couldn't... - [chuckles]
- He wasn't home. - Oh.
- Wasn't my fault. - Oh...
Mr. Henry don't never seem to be in the right place
at the right time.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
The time them crackers came for Ms. Lucky...
- ...where was you? - Stop.
- Oh, they had a time with that gal. - Shut up.
And then they took that boy.
Ain't done nothing to nobody.
Chester.
He liked them peaches.
- Nigga, quiet yourself before I kill you. - [loud thump]
[Henry sniffles]
♪ ♪
Is you scared?
A Black man's heaven is a white man's what?
Hell.
Sure you right.
[laughing]
[both laughing]
[Henry laughing]
[Henry whoops]
Sweet, merciful Jesus.
[sighs]
You taught us that you and only you
can be merciful and just,
but not in this world.
This world filled with men, hateful men.
But in your kingdom... [gasps]
Oh, Lucky,
there are fields of clover and honey.
That's what awaits us.
Not in this world.
They want to poison our beautiful
Black babies in this world.
They want to kill our sons,
but we won't let them.
- No, we won't. - Lucky, no.
No, and they want to destroy.
Make us destroy ourselves, Lucky.
But we won't let them.
- No, no, we won't. - No, we won't!
- Not our babies! - Not our babies.
Not ourselves!
We won't let them.
We are the mothers.
It is time for the mothers to do the work
of our Father, Lucky.
We will do the work of the Father, Lucky!
There are over 100 million of them,
and only a few million of us.
We may not beat them,
but we can make damn sure that we give our babies
to our Lord Jesus
when we say and not when they say.
And in this way, we take
our power back
and take away theirs.
[Gracie] Mama?
[gasps]
What are you doing?
We're praying, baby.
And he heard me.
Who, Mama?
[Doris and Ruby laughing]
[Doris] Did you see their faces?
You were incredible, Ruby.
And those high kicks, out of this world.
- I didn't even know I could do that. - [chuckles]
Well, you did.
And tonight, out there...
...they're all gonna see the real you.
I'm so proud of you.
♪ ♪
What do you want?
I want it off of me.
Mama... all of them.
I don't want to be like them anymore.
I don't want to be... ugly anymore.
I want to be beautiful, Doris.
Perfect.
Like you.
Open your eyes, Ruby Lee.
Look.
How did you...?
Look.
♪ ♪
[sighs]
♪ ♪
[muffled cheering]
♪ ♪
[fire crackling]
♪ ♪
[fire crackling]
[Lucky] After we had you, we didn't think
we'd have another precious bundle.
- But then... - The stork brought Chester.
That's right.
And I know you miss him.
Just as bad as I do.
But he's in heaven, Mama.
Don't be sad.
A child doesn't command the parent.
I'm sorry, Mama.
Who were you talking to upstairs, Mama?
It's cold down here.
If Ruby comes home, she'll be scared she can't find us.
- Mama? - [metal scraping]
"And she, who so loved her son...
...sacrificed him...
...so that we might be saved."
[Black Hat Man] Pharaoh's heart was hardened.
And Moses unleashed a great plague.
Your vile blackness is better than Job?
Than Abraham?
You are a beast compared to them.
I need to save you, baby.
Mama, I said I'm sorry.
♪ ♪
You miss him, don't you?
You'll play with your baby brother.
Mama, I don't want to.
Please.
- [Gracie gasping] - You don't miss him?
What kind of wretch are you?
I'll be good, I promise.
You soil everything you touch,
and your mind is mine to command,
- like a goat or a pig rooting in filth. - [crying]
I need to save you.
[gasping]
Do it, beast.
[screams]
- [ax clatters] - [panting]
I'm so sorry. Mama would never hurt you.
But you tried to!
No, it was...
it was Miss Vera.
It was?
She was right next to you.
And I chopped her damn head off.
[Ruby] Mama? Mama?
Mama, there's something wrong with me.
[brakes squeal]
Christ on a cracker.
[applies emergency brake]
[shuts off engine]
Mr. Emory. [chuckles]
Just the man I've been looking for.
Is there a problem, Officer?
How much time you got?
It's gonna sound crazy, but, uh,
have you noticed anything funny going on
over at the Wendell house?
I see a lot of things, Officer.
[Wheatley] The, uh, wife...
The husband, he hasn't seen her,
and the house has been all torn up.
I told him it was probably nothing, but...
well, you know.
I certainly hope the bitch is okay.
Come again?
I certainly hope everything's okay.
You still haven't answered my question.
[sighing] Oh...
[Henry] Come to think of it,
I've noticed some things, all right.
Queer things.
- Like what? - Oh. [chuckles]
I try not to get into other folks' business.
Bad things happen.
See, now,
I'm gonna need you to.
They already got it out for us.
I go spreading rumors, now...
It's just you and me here.
Come on, Mr. Emory.
How'd you feel if it was your wife?
[chuckles softly]
Speaking of your wife...
She still a little, uh...?
Maybe I'll just talk to her.
See what's what.
[grunts]
[groaning]
I told you bad things happen.
Ooh, you done done it now.
[panting]
Why you done it?
[takes deep breath]
[engine starts]
[Clarke] Ah, Jesus, Marty, what's that for?
- Quail. What the fuck you think it's for? - [door closes]
- Anything? - Nothing yet. You ready?
For what?
To go over there and ask them the right kind of questions.
- Well, I didn't see his car, Marty. - So?
So, what, you gonna go around
and roust women and children now?
Let's wait for him.
If Betty sees this kind of shit,
what's she gonna think?
Men defending her honor?
She gets steamed at that,
you don't give her a smack, I will.
Excuse me?
- [dogs barking in distance] - [car approaching]
It's him.
- I'm sorry, Mama. - No, no, no, no. Nothing to be sorry about.
It's not you. It's not any of us.
It's this place, and we're leaving.
[Henry] Luck.
Luck.
- Baby, we have to... - We have to leave now.
[Ruby] Where will we go?
I'm sorry.
No. No, no, no. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Baby, I packed some things. Let's go.
Okay.
[Lucky] Come on. Come on.
Get in, get in. Quick.
- They're making a run for it. - They're not going anywhere.
Okay, calm-calm down. We're not doing this.
You want me to go over there, maybe... A-All right.
♪ ♪
[whispers] Don't do something stupid.
[stammers] Marty. Stop it!
[grunting] No, I am not letting you do this.
Henry!
[Marty] I fucking care more about your wife than you do!
[Clarke] Stop!
[breathing heavily]
♪ ♪
Mama, tell Daddy to hurry up.
Come on out, Emory!
[gasping softly]
[Henry crying]
[crying]
What's going on? What's Daddy holding?
[gasping] Please...
[sobbing]
Why?
I couldn't leave him.
Please.
Baby, I couldn't... I couldn't leave him.
I couldn't leave...
I couldn't leave him.
I'm so sorry.
My boy.