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

Author: August Wilson

Wilson, August. "Scene 1 C." Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Plume, published 1985, performed 1982, pp. 18-26.

MA RAINEY Why you all keep it so cold in here? Sturdyvant try and pinch every penny he can. You all wanna make some records, you better put some heat on in here or give me back my coat.

IRVIN (Entering.) We got the heat turned up, Ma. It's warming up. It'll be warm in a minute.

DUSSIE MAY (Whispering to Ma Rainey.) Where's the bathroom?

MA RAINEY It's in the back. Down the hall next to Sturdyvant's office. Come on, I'll show you where it is. Irvin, call down there and see about my car. I want my car fixed today.

IRVIN I'll take care of everything, Ma. (He notices Toledo.) Say ... uh ... uh ...

TOLEDO Toledo.

IRVIN Yeah.. Toledo. I got the sandwiches, you can take down to the rest of the boys. We'll be ready to go in a minute. Give you boys a chance to eat and then we'll be ready to go.

(Irvin and Toledo exit. The lights go down in the studio and come up in the band room.)

LEVEE Slow Drag, you ever been to New Orleans?

SLOW DRAG What's in New Orleans that I want?

LEVEE How you call yourself a musician and ain't never been to New Orleans.

SLOW DRAG You ever been to Fat Back, Arkansas? (Pauses.) All right, then. Ain't never been nothing in New Orleans that I couldn't get in Fat Back.

LEVEE That's why you backwards. You just an old country boy talking about Fat Back, Arkansas, and New Orleans in the same breath.

CUTLER I been to New Orleans. What about it?

LEVEE You ever been to Lula White's?

CUTLER Lula White's? I ain't never heard of it.

LEVEE Man, they got some gals in there just won't wait! I seen a man get killed in there once. Got drunk and grabbed one of the gals wrong.. I don't know what the matter of it was. But he grabbed her and she stuck a knife in him all the way up to the hilt. He ain't even fell. He just stood there and choked on his own blood. I was just asking Slow Drag 'cause I was gonna take him to Lula White's when we get down to New Orleans and show him a good time. Introduce him to one of them gals I know down there.

CUTLER Slow Drag don't need you to find him no pussy. He can take care of his own self. Fact is ... you better watch your gal when Slow Drag's around. They don't call him Slow Drag for nothing. (He laughs.) Tell him how you got your name Slow Drag.

SLOW DRAG I ain't thinking about Levee.

CUTLER Slow Drag break a woman's back when he dance. They had this contest one time in this little town called Bolingbroke about a hundred miles outside of Macon. We was playing for this dance and they was giving twenty dollars to the best slow draggers.

Slow Drag looked over the competition, got down off the bandstand, grabbed hold of one of them gals, and stuck to her like a fly to jelly. Like wood to glue. Man had that gal whooping and hollering so... everybody stopped to watch. This fellow come in... this gal's fellow... and pulled a knife a foot long on Slow Drag. Member that, Slow Drag?

SLOW DRAG Boy that mama was hot! The front of her dress was wet as a dishrag!

LEVEE So what happened? What the man do?

CUTLER Slow Drag ain't missed a stroke. The gal, she just look at her man with that sweet dizzy look in her eye. She ain't about to stop! Folks was clearing out, ducking and hiding under tables, figuring there's gonna be a fight. Slow Drag just looked over the gal's shoulder at the man and said, "Mister, if you'd quit hollering and wait a minute.. you'll see I'm doing you a favor. I'm helping this gal win ten dollars so she can buy you a gold watch." The man just stood there and looked at him, all the while stroking that knife. Told Slow Drag, say, "All right, then, nigger. You just better make damn sure you win." That's when folks started calling him Slow Drag. The women got to hanging around him so bad after that, them fellows in that town ran us out of there.

(Toledo enters, carrying a small cardboard box with the sandwiches.)

LEVEE Yeah... well, them gals in Lula White's will put a harness on his ass.

TOLEDO Ma's up there. Some kind of commotion with the police.

CUTLER Police? What the police up there for?

TOLEDO I couldn't get it straight. Something about her car. They gone now... she's all right. Mr. Irvin sent some sandwiches.

LEVEE (Springs across the room.) Yeah, all right. What we got here? (He takes two sandwiches out of the box.)

TOLEDO What you doing grabbing two? There ain't but five in there ... How you figure you get two?

LEVEE 'Cause I grabbed them first. There's enough for everybody... What you talking about? It ain't like I'm taking food out of nobody's mouth.

CUTLER That's all right. He can have mine too. I don't want none. (Levee starts toward the box to get another sandwich.)

TOLEDO Nigger, you better get out of here. Slow Drag, you want this?

SLOW DRAG Naw, you can have it.

TOLEDO With Levee around, you don't have to worry about no leftovers. I can see that.

LEVEE What's the matter with you? Ain't you eating two sandwiches? Then why you wanna talk about me? Talking about there won't be no leftovers with Levee around. Look at your own self before you look at me.

TOLEDO That's what you is. That's what we all is. A leftover from history. You see now, I'll show you.

LEVEE Aw, shit... I done got the nigger started now.

TOLEDO Now, I'm gonna show you how this goes ... where you just a leftover from history. Everybody come from different places in Africa, right? Come from different tribes and things. Soonawhile they began to make one big stew. You had the carrots, the peas, and potatoes and whatnot over here. And over there you had the meat, the nuts, the okra, corn... and then you mix it up and let it cook right through to get the flavors flowing together... then you got one thing. You got a stew. Now you take and eat the stew. You take and make your history with that stew. All right. Now it's over. Your history's over and you done ate the stew. But you look around and you see some carrots over here, some potatoes over there. That stew's still there. You done made your history and it's still there. You can't eat it all. So what you got? You got some leftovers. That's what it is. You got leftovers and you can't do nothing with it. You already making you another history ... cooking you another meal, and you don't need them leftovers no more. What to do? See, we's the leftovers. The colored man is the leftovers. Now, what's the colored man gonna do with himself? That's what we waiting to find out. But first we gotta know we the leftovers. Now, who knows that? You find me a nigger that knows that and I'll turn any whichaway you want me to. I'll bend over for you. You ain't gonna find that. And that's what the problem is. The problem ain't with the white man. The white man knows you just a leftover. 'Cause he the one who done the eating and he know what he done ate. But we don't know that we been took and made history out of. Done went and filled the white man's belly and now he's full and tired and wants you to get out the way and let him be by himself. Now, I know what I'm talking about. And if you wanna find out, you just ask Mr. Irvin what he had for supper yesterday. And if he's an honest white man... which is asking for a whole heap of a lot ... he'll tell you he done ate your black ass and if you please I'm full up with you... so go on and get off the plate and let me eat something else.

SLOW DRAG What that mean? What's eating got to do with how the white man treat you? He don't treat you no different according to what he ate.

TOLEDO I ain't said it had nothing to do with how he treat you.

CUTLER The man's trying to tell you something, fool!

SLOW DRAG What he trying to tell me? Ain't you here. Why you say he was trying to tell me something? Wasn't he trying to tell you too?

LEVEE He was trying all right. He was trying a whole heap. I'll say that for him. But trying ain't worth a damn. I got lost right there trying to figure out who puts nuts in their stew.

SLOW DRAG I knowed that before. My grandpappy used to put nuts in his stew. He and my grandmama both. That ain't nothing new.

TOLEDO They put nuts in their stew all over Africa. But the stew they eat, and the stew your grandpappy made, and all the stew that you and me eat and thestry l explaiasething in no way the same stev. That' the way that go. 'm through with it. That's the

CUTLER (After a pause.) Well, time's getting along... Come on, let's finish rehearsing.

LEVEE (Stretching out on a bench.) I don't feel like rehearsing. I ain't nothing but a leftover. You go and rehearse with Toledo ...

He's gonna teach you how to make a stew.

SLOW DRAG Cutler, what you gonna do? I don't want to be around here all day.

LEVEE I know my part. You all go on and rehearse your part. You all need some rehearsal.

CUTLER Come on, Levee, get up off your ass and rehearse the songs.

LEVEE I already know them songs... What I wanna rehearse them for?

SLOW DRAG You in the band, ain't you? You supposed to rehearse when the band rehearse.

TOLEDO Levee think he the king of the barnyard. He thinks he's the only rooster know how to crow.

LEVEE All right! All right! Come on, I'm gonna show you I know them songs. Come on, let's rehearse. I bet you the first one mess be Toledo. Come on ... I wanna see if he know how to crow.

CUTLER "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," Levee's version. Let's do it.

(They begin to rehearse. The lights go down in the band room and up in the studio. Ma Rainey sits and takes off her shoe, rubs her feet. Dussie Mae wanders about looking at the studio. Sylvester is over by the piano.)

MA RAINEY (Singing to herself.) Oh, Lord, these dogs of mine They sure do worry me all the time The reason why I don't know Lord, I beg to be excused I can't wear me no sharp-toed shoes. I went for a walk I stopped to talk Oh, how my corns did bark.

DUSSIE MAY It feels kinda spooky in here. I ain't never been in no recording studio before. Where's the band at?

MA RAINEY They off somewhere rehearsing. I don't know where Irvin went to. All this hurry up and he goes off back there with Sturdyvant. I know he better come on 'cause Ma ain't gonna be waiting. Come here . . . let me see that dress. (Dussie Mae crosses over. Ma Rainey tugs at the dress around the waist, appraising the fit.) That dress looks nice. I'm gonna take you tomorrow and get you some more things before I take you down to Memphis. They got clothes up here you can't get in Memphis. I want you to look nice for me. If you gonna travel with the show you got to look nice.

DUSSIE MAY I need me some more shoes. These hurt my feet.

MA RAINEY You get you some shoes that fit your feet. Don't you be messing around with no shoes that pinch your feet. Ma know something about bad feet. Hand me my slippers out my bag over yonder.

DUSSIE MAY (Brings the slippers.) I just want to get a pair of them yellow ones. About a half-size bigger.

MA RAINEY We'll get you whatever you need. Sylvester, too... I'm gonna get him some more clothes. Sylvester, tuck your clothes in. Straighten them up and look nice. Look like a gentleman.

DUSSIE MAY Look at Sylvester with that hat on.

MA RAINEY Sylvester, take your hat off inside. Act like your mama taught you something. I know she taught you better than that. (Sylvester bangs on the piano.) Come on over here and leave that piano alone.

SYLVESTER I ain't d-d-doing nothing to the p-p-piano. I'm just 1-1-looking at it.

MA RAINEY Well. Come on over here and sit down. As soon as Mr. Irvin comes back, I'll have him take you down and introduce you to the band. (Sylvester comes over.) He's gonna take you down there and introduce you in a minute... have Cutler show you how your part go. And when you get your money, you gonna send some of it home to your mama. Let her know you doing all right. Make her feel good to know you doing all right in the world.

(Dussie Mae wanders about the studio and opens the door leading to the band room. The strains of Levee's version of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" can be heard. Irvin enters.)

IRVIN Ma, I called down to the garage and checked on your car. It's just a scratch. They'll have it ready for you this afternoon. They're gonna send it over with one of their fellows.

MA RAINEY They better have my car fixed right too. I ain't going for that. Brand-new car ... they better fix it like new.

IRVIN It was just a scratch on the fender, Ma... They'll take care of it... don't worry ... they'll have it like new.

MA RAINEY Irvin, what is that I hear? What is that the band's rehearsing? I know they ain't rehearsing Levee's "Black Bottom." I know I ain't hearing that?

IRVIN Ma, listen... that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Levee's version of that song... it's got a nice arrangement... a nice horn intro ... It really picks it up ...

MA RAINEY I ain't studying Levee nothing. I know what he done to that song and I don't like to sing it that way. I'm doing it the old way. That's why I brought my nephew to do the voice intro.

IRVIN Ma, that's what the people want now. They want something they can dance to. Times are changing. Levee's arrangement gives the people what they want. It gets them excited... makes them forget about their troubles.

MA RAINEY I don't care what you say, Irvin. Levee ain't messing up my song. If he got what the people want, let him take it somewhere else. I'm singing Ma Rainey's song. I ain't singing Levee's song. Now that's all there is to it. Carry my nephew on down there and introduce him to the band. I promised my sister I'd look out for him and he's gonna do the voice intro on the song my way.

IRVIN Ma, we just figured that ...

MA RAINEY Who's this "we"? What you mean "we"? I ain't studying Levee nothing. Come talking this "we" stuff. Who's "we"?

IRVIN Me and Sturdyvant. We decided that it would ...

MA RAINEY You decided, huh? I'm just a bump on the log. I'm gonna go which ever way the river drift. Is that it? You and Sturdyvant decided.

IRVIN Ma, it was just that we thought it would be better.

Mr about my faint got good sense. I don't know nothing about music. I don't know whats a good song and what aint. You know

IRVIN It's not that, Ma. It would just be easier to do. It's more what the people want.

MA RAINEY I'm gonna tell you something, Irvin.. and you go on up there and tell Sturdyvant. What you all say don't count with me. You understand? Ma listens to her heart. Ma listens to the voice inside her. That's what counts with Ma. Now, you carry my nephew on down there ... tell Cutler he's gonna do the voice intro on that "Black Bottom" song and that Levee ain't messing up my song with none of his music shit. Now, if that don't set right with you and Sturdyvant... then I can carry my black bottom on back down South to my tour, 'cause I don't like it up here no ways.

IRVIN Okay, Ma... I don't care. I just thought...

MA RAINEY Damn what you thought! What you look like telling me how to sing my song? This Levee and Sturdyvant nonsense ... I ain't going for it! Sylvester, go on down there and introduce yourself. I'm through playing with Irvin.

SYLVESTER Which way you go? Where they at?

MA RAINEY Here... I'll carry you down there myself.

DUSSIE MAY Can I go? I wanna see the band.

MA RAINEY You stay your behind up here. Ain't no cause in you being down there. Come on, Sylvester.

IRVIN Okay, Ma. Have it your way. We'll be ready to go in fifteen minutes.

MA RAINEY We'll be ready to go when Madame says we're ready. That's the way it goes around here. (Ma Rainey and Sylvester exit. The lights go down in the studio and up in the band room. Ma Rainey enters with Sylvester.) Cutler, this here is my nephew Sylvester. He's gonna do that voice intro on the "Black Bottom" song using the old version.

LEVEE What you talking about? Mr. Irvin says he's using my version. What you talking about?

MA RAINEY Levee, I ain't studying you or Mr. Irvin. Cutler, get him straightened out on how to do his part. I ain't thinking about Levee. These folks done messed with the wrong person this day. Sylvester, Cutler gonna teach you your part. You go ahead and get it straight. Don't worry about what nobody else say.
(Ma Rainey exits.)

CUTLER Well, come on in, boy. I'm Cutler. You got Slow Drag... Levee ... and that's Toledo over there. Sylvester, huh?

SYLVESTER Sylvester Brown.

LEVEE I done wrote a version of that song what picks it up and sets it down in the people's lap! Now she come talking this! You don't need that old circus bullshit! I know what I'm talking about. You gonna mess up the song Cutler and you know it.

CUTLER I ain't gonna mess up nothing. Ma say ...

LEVEE I don't care what Ma say! I'm talking about what the intro gonna do to the song. The peoples in the North ain't gonna buy all that tent-show nonsense. They wanna hear some music!

CUTLER Nigger, I done told you time and again... you just in the band. You plays the piece... whatever they want! Ma says what to play! Not you! You ain't here to be doing no creating. Your job is to play whatever Ma says!

LEVEE I might not play nothing! I might quit!

CUTLER Nigger, don't nobody care if you quit. Whose heart you gonna break?

TOLEDO Levee ain't gonna quit. He got to make some money to keep him in shoe polish.

LEVEE I done told you all .. you all don't know me. You don't know what I'll do.

CUTLER I don't think nobody too much give a damn! Sylvester, here's the way your part go. The band plays the intro ... I'll tell you where to come in. The band plays the intro and then you say, "All right, boys, you done seen the rest... Now I'm gonna show you the best. Ma Rainey's gonna show you her black bottòm." You got that? (Sylvester nods.) Let me hear you say it one time.

SYLVESTER "All right, boys, you done s-s-seen the rest n-n-now I'm gonna show you the best. M-m-m-m-m-m-ma Rainey's gonna s-s-show you her black b-b-bottom."

LEVEE What kind of ... All right, Cutler! Let me see you fix that! You straighten that out! You hear that shit, Slow Drag? How in the hell the boy gonna do the part and he can't even talk!

SYLVESTER W-w-w-who's you to tell me what to do, nigger! This ain't your band! Ma tell me to d-d-d-do it and I'm gonna do it.

You can go to hell, n-n-n-nigger!

LEVEE B-b-b-boy, ain't nobody studying you. You go on and fix that one, Cutler. You fix that one and I'll ... I'll shine your shoes for you. You go on and fix that one!

TOLEDO You say you Ma's nephew, huh?

SYLVESTER Yeah. So w-w-what that mean?

TOLEDO Oh, I ain't meant nothing ... I was just asking.

SLOW DRAG Well, come on and let's rehearse so the boy can get it right.

LEVEE I ain't rehearsing nothing! You just wait till I get my band. I'm gonna record that song and show you how it supposed to go!

CUTLER We can do it without Levee. Let him sit on over there. Sylvester, you remember your part?

SYLVESTER I remember it pretty g-g-g-good.

CUTLER Well, come on, let's do it, then.

(The band begins to play. Levee sits and pouts. Sturdyvant enters the band room.)

STURDYVANT Good ... you boys are rehearsing, I see.

LEVEE (Jumping up.) Yessir! We rehearsing. We know them songs real good.

STURDYVANT Good! Say, Levee, did you finish that song?

LEVEE Yessir, Mr. Sturdyvant. I got it right here. I wrote that other part just like you say. It go like: You can shake it, you can break it You can dance at any hall You can slide across the floor You'll never have to stall My jelly, my roll, Sweet Mama, don't you let it fall. Then I put that part in there for the people to dance, like you say, for them to forget about their troubles.

STURDYVANT Good! Good! I'll just take this. I wanna see you about your songs as soon as I get the chance.

LEVEE Yessir! As soon as you get the chance, Mr. Sturdyvant.

(Sturdyvant exits.)

CUTLER You hear, Levee? You hear this nigger? "Yessuh, we's rehearsing, boss."

SLOW DRAG I heard him. Seen him too. Shuffling them feet.

TOLEDO Aw, Levee can't help it none. He's like all of us. Spooked up with the white men.

LEVEE I'm spooked up with him, all right. You let one of them crackers fix on me wrong. I'll show you how spooked up I am with him.

TOLEDO That's the trouble of it. You wouldn't know if he was fixed on you wrong or not. You so spooked up by him you ain't had the time to study him.

LEVEE I studies the white man. I got him studied good. The first time one fixes on me wrong, I'm gonna let him know just how much I studied. Come telling me I'm spooked up with the white man. You let one of them mess with me, I'll show you how spooked up I am.

CUTLER You talking out your hat. The man come in here, call you a boy, tell you to get up off your ass and rehearse, and you ain't had nothing to say to him, except "Yessir!"

LEVEE I can say "yessir" to whoever I please. What you got to do with it? I know how to handle white folks. I been handling them th thimy dring. ars and and yoigony wall me how to do it. Just cause say "yessi don't mean im spooked up with him. I know

CUTLER Well, go on and handle it, then.

LEVEE Toledo, you always messing with somebody! Always agitating somebody with that old philosophy bullshit you be talking. You stay out of my way about what I do and say. I'm my own person. Just let me alone.

TOLEDO You right, Levee. I apologize. It ain't none of my business that you spooked up by the white man.

LEVEE All right! See! That's the shit I'm talking about. You all back up and leave Levee alone.

SLOW DRAG Aw, Levee, we was all just having fun. Toledo ain't said nothing about you he ain't said about me. You just taking it all wrong.

TOLEDO I ain't meant nothing by it, Levee.
(Pauses.) Cutler, you ready to rehearse?

LEVEE Levee got to be Levee! And he don't need nobody messing with him about the white man -- cause you don't know nothing about me. You don't know Levee. You don't know nothing about what kind of blood I got! What kind of heart I got beating here! (He pounds his chest.) I was eight years old when I watched a gang of white mens come into my daddy's house and have to do with my mama any way they wanted. (Pauses.) We was living in Jefferson County, about eighty miles outside of Natchez. My daddy's name was Memphis ... Memphis Lee Green... had him near fifty acres of good farming land. I'm talking about good land! Grow an ything you want! He done gone off of shares and bought this land from Mr. Hallie's widow woman after he done passed on. Folks called him an uppity nigger 'cause he done saved and borrowed to where he could buy this land and be independent. (Pauses.) It was coming on planting time and my daddy went into Natchez to get him some seed and fertilizer. Called me, say, "Levee you the man of the house now. Take care of your mama while I'm gone." I wasn't but a little boy, eight years old. (Pauses.) My mama was frying up some chicken when them mens come in that house. Must have been eight or nine of them. She standing there frying that chicken and them mens come and took hold of her just like you take hold of a mule and make him do what you want. (Pauses.) There was my mama with a gang of white mens. She tried to fight them off, but I could see where it wasn't gonna do her any good. I didn't know what they were doing to her ... but I figured whatever it was they may as well do to me too. My daddy had a knife that he kept around there for hunting and working and whatnot. I knew where he kept it and I went and got it. I'm gonna show you how spooked up I was by the white man. I tried my damndest to cut one of them's throat! I hit him on the shoulder with it. He reached back and grabbed hold of that knife and whacked me across the chest with it. (Levee raises his shirt to show a long ugly scar.) That's what made them stop. They was scared I was gonna bleed to death. My mama wrapped a sheet around me and carried me two miles down to the Furlow place and they drove me up to Doc Albans. He was waiting on a calf to be born, and say he ain't had time to see me. They carried me up to Miss Etta, the midwife, and she fixed me up. My daddy came back and acted like he done accepted the facts of what happened. But he got the names of them mens from mama. He found out who they was and then we announced we was moving out of that county. Said good-bye to everybody... all the neighbors. My daddy went and smiled in the face of one of them crackers who had been with my mama. Smiled in his face and sold him our land. We moved over with relations in Caldwell. He got us settled in and them he took off one day. I ain't never seen him since. He sneaked back, hiding up in the woods, laying to get them eight or nine men. (Pauses.) He got four of them before they got him. They tracked him down in the woods. Caught up with him and hung him and set him afire. (Pauses.) My daddy wasn't spooked up by the white man. Nosir! And that taught me how to handle them. I seen my daddy go up and grin in this cracker's face ... smile in his face and sell him his land. All the while he's planning how he's gonna get him and what he's gonna to do him. That taught me how to handle them. So you all just back up and leave Levee alone about the white man. I can smile and say yessir to whoever I please. I got time coming to me. You all just leave Levee alone about the white man.

(There is a long pause. Slow Drag begins playing on the bass and sings.)

SLOW DRAG (Singing.) If I had my way If I had my way If I had my way I would tear this old building down.

BLACKOUT

DMU Timestamp: September 21, 2024 15:13