[2 of 5] Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Scene 1 B, by August Wilson (1982, 1985)

Author: August Wilson

Wilson, August. "Scene 1 B." Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Plume, published 1985, performed 1982, pp. 9-18.

IRVIN Any of you boys know what's keeping Ma?

CUTLER Can't say, Mr. Irvin. She'll be along directly, I reckon. I talked to her this morning, she say she'll be here in time to rehearse.

IRVIN Well, you boys go ahead.
(He starts to exit.)

CUTLER Mr. Irvin, about these songs ... Levee say ...

IRVIN Whatever's on the list, Cutler. You got that list I gave you?

CUTLER Yessir, I got it right here.

IRVIN Whatever's on there. Whatever that says.

CUTLER I'm asking about this "Black Bottom" piece ... Levee say ...

IRVIN Oh, it's on the list. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" on the list.

CUTLER I know it's on the list. I wanna know what version. We got two versions of that song.

IRVIN Oh. Levee's arrangement. We're using Levee's arrangement.

CUTLER OK. I got that straight. Now, this "Moonshine Blues" ...

IRVIN We'll work it out with Ma, Cutler. Just rehearse whatever's on the list and use Levee's arrangement on that "Black Bottom" piece.
(He exits.)

LEVEE See, I told you! It don't mean nothing when I say it. You got to wait for Mr. Irvin to say it. Well, I told you the way it is.

CUTLER Levee, the sooner you understand it ain't what you say, or what Mr. Irvin say... it's what Ma say that counts.

SLOW DRAG Don't nobody say when it come to Ma. She's gonna do what she wants to do. Ma says what happens with her.

LEVEE Hell, the man's the one putting out the record! He's gonna put out what he wanna put out!

SLOW DRAG He's gonna put out what Ma want him to put out.

LEVEE You heard what the man told you... "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," Levee's arrangement. There you go! That's what he told

SLOW DRAG What you gonna do, Cutler?

CUTLER Ma ain't told me what version. Let's go and play it Levee's way.

TOLEDO See, now . . . I'll tell you something. As long as the colored man look to white folks to put the crown on what he say . . . as long as he looks to white folks for approval . . . then he ain't never gonna find out who he is and what he's about. He's just gonna be about what white folks want him to be about. That's one sure thing.

LEVEE I'm just trying to show Cutler where he's wrong.

CUTLER Cutler don't need you to show him nothing.

SLOW DRAG (Irritated.) Come on, let's get this shit rehearsed! You all can bicker afterward!

CUTLER Levee's confused about who the boss is. He don't know Ma's the boss.

LEVEE Ma's the boss on the road! We at a recording session. Mr. Sturdyvant and Mr. Irvin say what's gonna be here! We's in Chicago, we ain't in Memphis! I don't know why you all wanna pick me about it, shit! I'm with Slow Drag ... Let's go on and get it rehearsed.

CUTLER All right. All right. I know how to solve this. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." Levee's version. Let's do it. Come on.

TOLEDO How that first part go again, Levee?

LEVEE It go like this. (He plays.) That's to get the people's attention to the song. That's when you and Slow Drag come in with the rhythm part. Me and Cutler play on the breaks. (Becoming animated.) Now we gonna dance it ... but we ain't gonna countrify it. This ain't no barn dance. We gonna play it like ...

CUTLER The man ask you how the first part go. He don't wanna hear all that. Just tell him how the piece go.

TOLEDO I got it. I got it. Let's go. I know how to do it.

CUTLER "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." One ... two ... You know what to do.
(They begin to play. Levee stops.)

LEVEE You all got to keep up now. You playing in the wrong time. Ma come in over the top. She got to find her own way in.

CUTLER Nigger, will you let us play this song? When you get your own band. then you tell them that nonsense. We know how to play the piece. I was playing music before you was born. Gonna tell me how to play ... All right. Let's try it again.

SLOW DRAG Cutler, wait till I fix this. This string started to unravel. (Playfully.) And you know I want to play Levee's music right.

LEVEE If you was any kind of musician, you'd take care of your instrument. Keep it in tip-top order. If you was any kind of musician, I'd let you be in my band.

SLOW DRAG Shhheeeeet!
(He crosses to get his string and steps on Levee's shoes.)

LEVEE Damn, Slow Drag! Watch them big-ass shoes you got.

SLOW DRAG Boy, ain't nobody done anything to you.

LEVEE You done stepped on my shoes.

SLOW DRAG Move them the hell out the way, then. You was in my way….. I wasn't in your way. (Cutler lights up another reefer. Slow Drag rummages around in his belongings for a string. Levee takes out a rag and begins to shine his shoes.) You can shine these when you get done, Levee.

CUTLER If I had them shoes Levee got, I could buy me a whole suit of clothes.

LEVEE What kind of difference it make what kind of shoes I got? Ain't nothing wrong with having nice shoes. I ain't said nothing about your shoes. Why you wanna talk about me and my Florsheims?

CUTLER Any man who takes a whole week's pay and puts it on some shoes -- you understand what I mean, what you walk around on the ground with - is a fool! And I don't mind telling you.

LEVEE (Irritated.) What difference it make to you, Cutler?

SLOW DRAG The man ain't said nothing about your shoes. Ain't nothing wrong with having nice shoes. Look at Toledo.

TOLEDO What about Toledo?

SLOW DRAG I said ain't nothing wrong with having nice shoes.

LEVEE Nigger got them clodhoppers! Old brogans! He ain't nothing but a sharecropper.

TOLEDO You can make all the fun you want. It don't mean nothing. I'm satisfied with them and that's what counts.

LEVEE Nigger, why don't you get some decent shoes? Got nerve to put on a suit and tie with them farming boots.

CUTLER What you just tell me? It don't make no difference about the man's shoes. That's what you told me.

LEVEE Aw, hell, I don't care what the nigger wear. I'll be honest with you. I don't care if he went barefoot. (Slow Drag has put his string on the bass and is tuning it.) Play something for me, Slow Drag. (Slow Drag plays.) A man got to have some shoes to dance like this! You can't dance like this with them clodhoppers Toledo got. (Levee sings.) Hello Central give me Doctor Jazz He's got just what I need I'll say he has When the world goes wrong and I have got the blues He's the man who makes me get on my dancing shoes.

TOLEDO That's the trouble with colored folks... always wanna have a good time. Good times done got more niggers killed than God got ways to count. What the hell having a good time mean? That's what I wanna know.

LEVEE Hell, nigger... it don't need explaining. Ain't you never had no good time before?

TOLEDO The more niggers get killed having a good time, the more good times niggers wanna have. (Slow Drag stops playing.)

There's more to life than having a good time. If there ain't, then this is a piss-poor life we're having ... if that's all there is to be got out

SLOW DRAG Toledo, just 'cause you like to read them books and study and whatnot... that's your good time. People get other things they likes to do to have a good time. Ain't no need you picking them about it.

CUTLER Niggers been having a good time before you was born, and they gonna keep having a good time after you gone.

TOLEDO Yeah, but what else they gonna do? Ain't nobody talking about making the lot of the colored man better for him here in America.

LEVEE Now you gonna be Booker T. Washington.

TOLEDO Everybody worried about having a good time. Ain't nobody thinking about what kind of world they gonna leave their youngens. "Just give me the good time, that's all I want." It just makes me sick.

SLOW DRAG Well, the colored man's gonna be all right. He got through slavery, and he'll get through whatever else the white man put on him. I ain't worried about that. Good times is what makes life worth living. Now, you take the white man... The white man don't know how to have a good time. That's why he's troubled all the time. He don't know how to have a good time. He don't know how to laugh at life.

LEVEE That's what the problem is with Toledo.. reading all them books and things. He done got to the point where he forgot how to laugh and have a good time. Just like the white man.

TOLEDO I know how to have a good time as well as the next man. I said, there's got to be more to life than having a good time. I said the colored man ought to be doing more than just trying to have a good time all the time.

LEVEE Well, what is you doing, nigger? Talking all them highfalutin ideas about making a better world for the colored man. What is you doing to make it better? You playing the music and looking for your next piece of pussy same as we is. What is you doing? That's what I wanna know. Tell him, Cutler.

CUTLER You all leave Cutler out of this. Cutler ain't got nothing to do with it.

TOLEDO Levee, you just about the most ignorant nigger I know. Sometimes I wonder why I ever bother to try and talk with you.

LEVEE Well, what is you doing? Talking that shit to me about I'm ignorant! What is you doing? You just a whole lot of mouth. A great big windbag. Thinking you smarter than everybody else. What is you doing, huh?

TOLEDO It ain't just me, fool! It's everybody! What you think . . . I'm gonna solve the colored man's problems by myself? I said, we. You understand that? We. That's every living colored man in the world got to do his share. Got to do his part. I ain't talking about what I'm gonna do . . . or what you or Cutler or Slow Drag or anybody else. I'm talking about all of us together. What all of us is gonna do. That's what I'm talking about, nigger!

LEVEE Well, why didn't you say that, then?

CUTLER Toledo, I don't know why you waste time on this fool.

TOLEDO That's what I'm trying to figure out.

LEVEE Now there go Cutler with his shit. Calling me a fool. You wasn't even in the conversation. Now you gonna take sides and call me a fool.

CUTLER Hell, I was listening to the man. I got sense enough to know what he was saying. I could tell it straight back to you.

LEVEE Well, you go on with it. But I'll tell you this ... I ain't gonna be too many more of your fools. I'll tell you that. Now you put that in your pipe and smoke it.

CUTLER Boy, ain't nobody studying you. Telling me what to put in my pipe. Who's you to tell me what to do?

LEVEE All right, I ain't nobody. Don't pay me no mind. I ain't nobody.

TOLEDO Levee, you ain't nothing but the devil.

LEVEE There you go! That's who I am. I'm the devil. I ain't nothing but the devil.

CUTLER I can see that. That's something you know about. You know all about the devil.

LEVEE I ain't saying what I know. I know plenty. What you know about the devil? Telling me what I know. What you know?

SLOW DRAG I know a man sold his soul to the devil.

LEVEE There you go! That's the only thing I ask about the devil... to see him coming so I can sell him this one I got. 'Cause if there's a god up there, he done went to sleep.

SLOW DRAG Sold his soul to the devil himself. Name of Eliza Cottor. Lived in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The devil came by and he done upped and sold him his soul.

CUTLER How you know the man done sold his soul to the devil, nigger? You talking that old-woman foolishness.

SLOW DRAG Everybody know. It wasn't no secret. He went around working for the devil and everybody knowed it. Carried him a bao. one of them carpetbags. Folks say he carried the devil's papers and whatnot where he put our fingerprint on the paper with

LEVEE Where he at now? That's what I want to know. He can put my whole handprint if he want to!

CUTLER That's the damnedest thing I ever heard! Folks kill me with that talk.

TOLEDO Oh, that's real enough, all right. Some folks go arm in arm with the devil, shoulder to shoulder, and talk to him all the time. That's real, ain't nothing wrong in believing that.

SLOW DRAG That's what I'm saying. Eliza Cotter is one of them. All right. The man living up in an old shack on Ben Foster's place, shoeing mules and horses, making them charms and things in secret. He done hooked up with the devil, showed up one day all fancied out with just the finest clothes you ever seen on a colored man... dressed just like one of them crackers ... and carrying this bag with them papers and things. All right. Had a pocketful of money, just living the life of a rich man. Ain't done no more work or nothing. Just had him a string of women he run around with and throw his money away on. Bought him a big fine house... Well, it wasn't all that big, but it did have one of them white picket fences around it. Used to hire a man once a week just to paint that fence. Messed around there and one of the fellows of them gals he was messing with got fixed on him wrong and Eliza killed him. And he laughed about it. Sheriff come and arrest him, and then let him go. And he went around in that town laughing about killing this fellow. Trial come up, and the judge cut him loose. He must have been in converse with the devil too . . . 'cause he cut him loose and give him a bottle of whiskey! Folks ask what done happened to make him change, and he'd tell them straight out he done sold him soul to the devil and ask them if they wanted to sell theirs 'cause he could arrange it for them. Preacher see him coming, used to cross on the other side of the road. He'd just stand there and laugh at the preacher and call him a fool to his face.

CUTLER Well, whatever happened to this fellow? What come of him? A man who, as you say, done sold his soul to the devil is bound to come to a bad end.

TOLEDO I don't know about that. The devil's strong. The devil ain't no pushover.

SLOW DRAG Oh, the devil had him under his wing, all right. Took good care of him. He ain't wanted for nothing.

CUTLER What happened to him? That's what I want to know.

SLOW DRAG Last I heard, he headed north with that bag of his, handing out hundred-dollar bills on the spot to whoever wanted to sign on with the devil. That's what I hear tell of him.

CUTLER That's a bunch of fool talk. I don't know how you fix your mouth to tell that story. I don't believe that.

SLOW DRAG I ain't asking you to believe it. I'm just telling you the facts of it.

LEVEE I sure wish I knew where he went. He wouldn't have to convince me long. Hell, I'd even help him sign people up.

CUTLER Nigger, God's gonna strike you down with that blasphemy you talking.

LEVEE Oh, shit! God don't mean nothing to me. Let him strike me! Here I am, standing right here. What you talking about he's gonna strike me? Here I am! Let him strike me! I ain't scared of him. Talking that stuff to me.

CUTLER All right. You gonna be sorry. You gonna fix yourself to have bad luck. Ain't nothing gonna work for you.

(Buzzer sounds offstage.)

LEVEE Bad luck? What I care about some bad luck? You talking simple. I ain't knowed nothing but bad luck all my life. Couldn't get no worse. What the hell I care about some bad luck? Hell, I eat it everyday for breakfast! You dumber than I thought you was ... talking about bad luck

CUTLER All right, nigger, you'll see! Can't tell a fool nothing. You'll see!

IRVIN (Enters the studio, checks his watch, and calls down the stairs.) Cutler ... you boys' sandwiches are up here ... Cutler?

CUTLER Yessir, Mr. Irvin ... be right there.

TOLEDO I'll walk up there and get them.
(Toledo exits. The lights go down in the band room and up in the studio. Irvin paces back and forth in an agitated manner. Sturdyvant enters.)

STURDYVANT Irv, what's happening? Is she here yet? Was that her?

IRVIN It's the sandwiches, Mel. I told you... I'll let you know when she comes, huh?

STURDYVANT What's keeping her? Do you know what time it is? Have you looked at the clock? You told me she'd be here. You told me you'd take care of it.

IRVIN Mel, for Chrissakes! What do you want from me? What do you want me to do?

STURDYVANT Look what time it is, Irv. You told me she'd be here.

IRVIN She'll be here, okay? I don't know what's keeping her. You know they're always late, Mel.

STURDYVANT You should have went by the hotel and made sure she was on time. You should have taken care of this. That's what you told me, huh? "I'll take care of it."

IRVIN Okay! Okay! I didn't go by the hotel! What do you want me to do? She'll be here, okay? The band's here . . . she'll be here.

STURDYVANT Okay, Irv. I'll take your word. But if she doesn't come ... if she doesn't come … (Sturdyvant exits to the control booth as Toledo enters.)

TOLEDO Mr. Irvin... I come up to get the sandwiches.

IRVIN Say... uh ... look ... one o'clock, right? She said one o'clock.

TOLEDO That's what time she told us. Say be here at one o'clock.

IRVIN Do you know what's keeping her? Do you know why she ain't here?

TOLEDO I can't say, Mr. Irvin. Told us one o'clock.

(The buzzer sounds. Irvin goes to the door. There is a flurry of commotion as Ma Rainey enters, followed closely by the Policeman, Dussie Mae, and Sylvester. Ma Rainey is a short, heavy woman. She is dressed in a full-length fur coat with matching hat, an emerald-green dress, and several strands of pearls of varying lengths. Her hair is secured by a headband that matches her dress. Her manner is simple and direct, and she carries herself in a royal fashion. Dussie Mae is a young, dark-skinned woman whose greatest asset is the sensual energy which seems to flow from her. She is dressed in a fur jacket and a tight-fitting canary-yellow dress. Sylvester is an Arkansas country boy, the size of a fullback. He wears a new suit and coat, in which he is obviously uncomfortable. Most of the time, he stutters when he speaks.)

MA RAINEY Irvin... you better tell this man who I am! You better get him straight!

IRVIN Ma, do you know what time it is? Do you have any idea? We've been waiting . ..

DUSSIE MAY (To Sylvester.) If you was watching where you was going ...

SYLVESTER I was watching... What you mean?

IRVIN (Notices Policeman.) What's going on here? Officer, what's the matter?

MA RAINEY Tell the men who he's messing with!

POLICEMAN Do you know this lady?

MA RAINEY Just tell the man who I am! That's all you gotta do.

POLICEMAN Lady, will you let me talk, huh?

MA RAINEY Tell the man who I am!

IRVIN Wait a minute... wait a minute! Let me handle it. Ma, will you let me handle it?

MA RAINEY Tell him who he's messing with!

IRVIN Okay! Okay! Give me a chance! Officer, this is one of our recording artists... Ma Rainey.

MA RAINEY Madame Rainey! Get it straight! Madame Rainey! Talking about taking me to jail!

IRVIN Look, Ma... give me a chance, okay? Here... sit down. I'll take care of it. Officer, what's the problem?

DUSSIE MAY (To Sylvester.) It's all your fault.

SYLVESTER I ain't done nothing ... Ask Ma.

POLICEMAN Well.. when I walked up on the incident..

DUSSIE MAY Sylvester wrecked Ma's car.

SYLVESTER I d-d-did not! The m-m-man ran into me!

POLICEMAN (To Irvin.) Look, buddy... if you want it in a nutshell, we got her charged with assault and battery.

MA RAINEY Assault and what for what!

DUSSIE MAY See... we was trying to get a cab ... and so Ma ...

MA RAINEY Wait a minute! I'll tell you if you wanna know what happened. (She points to Sylvester.) Now, that's Sylvester. That's my nephew. He was driving my car ...

POLICEMAN Lady, we don't know whose car he was driving.

MA RAINEY That's my car!

DUSSIE MAE AND SYLVESTER That's Ma's car!

MA RAINEY What you mean you don't know whose car it is? I bought and paid for that car.

POLICEMAN That's what you say, lady... We still gotta check. (To Irvin.) They hit a car on Market Street. The guy said the kid ran a stoplight.

SYLVESTER What you mean? The man c-c-come around the corner and hit m-m-me!

POLICEMAN While I was calling a paddy wagon to haul them to the station, they try to hop into a parked cab. The cabbie said he was waiting on a fare

MA RAINEY The man was just sitting there. Wasn't waiting for nobody. I don't know why he wanna tell that lie.

POLICEMAN Look, lady. will you let me tell the story?

MA RAINEY Go ahead and tell it then. But tell it right!

POLICEMAN Like I say ... she tries to get in this cab. The cabbie's waiting on a fare. She starts creating a disturbance. The cabbie gets out to try and explain the situation to her ... and she knocks him down.

DUSSIE MAY She ain't hit him! He just fell!

SYLVESTER He just s-s-s-slipped!

POLICEMAN He claims she knocked him down. We got her charged with assault and battery.

MA RAINEY If that don't beat all to hell. I ain't touched the man! The man was trying to reach around me to keep his car door closed. I opened the door and it hit him and he fell down. I ain't touched the man!

IRVIN Okay. Okay...I got it straight now, Ma. You didn't touch him. All right? Officer, can I see you for a minute?

DUSSIE MAY Ma was just trying to open the door.

SYLVESTER Hej-j-just got in t-t-the way!

MA RAINEY Said he wasn't gonna haul no colored folks. if you want to know the truth of it.

IRVIN Okay, Ma... I got it straight now. Officer?
(Irvin pulls the Policeman off to the side.)

MA RAINEY
(Noticing Toledo.) Toledo, Cutler and everybody here?

TOLEDO Yeah, they down in the band room. What happened to your car?

STURDYVANT (Entering.) Irv, what's the problem? What's going on? Officer…

IRVIN Mel, let me take care of it. I can handle it.

STURDYVANT What's happening? What the hell's going on?

IRVIN Let me handle it, Mel, huh?

STURDYVANT (Crosses over to Ma Rainey.) What's going on, Ma. What'd you do?

MA RAINEY Sturdyvant, get on away from me! That's the last thing I need ... to go through some of your shit!

IRVIN Mel, I'll take care of it. I'll explain it all to you. Let me handle it, huh?
(Sturdyvant reluctantly returns to the control booth.)

POLICEMAN Look, buddy, like I say ... we got her charged with assault and battery … and the kid with threatening the cabbie.

SYLVESTER I ain't done n-n-nothing!

MA RAINEY You leave the boy out of it. He ain't done nothing. What's he supposed to have done?

POLICEMAN He threatened the cabbie, lady! You just can't go around threatening people.

SYLVESTER I ain't done nothing to him! He's the one talking about he g-g-gonna get a b-b-baseball bat on me! I just told him what I'd do with it. But I ain't done nothing 'cause he didn't get the b-b-bat!

IRVIN (Pulling the Policeman aside.) Officer . .. look here ...

POLICEMAN We was on our way down to the precinct... but I figured I'd do you a favor and bring her by here. I mean, if she's as important as she says she is ...

IRVIN (Slides a bill from his pocket.) Look, Officer ... I'm Madame Rainey's manager... It's good to meet you. (He shakes the Policeman's hand and passes him the bill.) As soon as we're finished with the recording session, I'll personally stop by the precinct house and straighten up this misunderstanding.

POLICEMAN Well... I guess that's all right. As long as someone is responsible for them. (He pockets the bill and winks at Irvin.)

IRVIN Don't worry, Officer . . . I'll take care of everything. Thanks for your help. (Irvin escorts the Policeman to the door and returns. He crosses over to Ma Rainey.) Here, Ma . . . let me take your coat. (To Sylvester.) I don't believe I know you.

MA RAINEY That's my nephew, Sylvester.

IRVIN I'm very pleased to meet you. Here... you can give me your coat.

MA RAINEY That there is Dussie Mae.

IRVIN Hello... (Dussie Mae hands Irvin her coat.) Listen, Ma, just sit there and relax. The boys are in the bandroom rehearsing.

You just sit and relax a minute.

MA RAINEY I ain't for no sitting. I ain't never heard of such. Talking about taking me to jail. Irvin, call down there and see about my car.

IRVIN Okay, Ma... I'll take care of it. You just relax.
(Irvin exits with the coats.)

DMU Timestamp: September 21, 2024 15:13