Cold Mountain

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Dear Mr. Inman,

I began by counting the days,

then the months.

I don't count on anything anymore

except the hope that you will return,

and the silent fear that in the years

since we saw each other,

this war, this awful war, will have

changed us both beyond all reckoning.

This poor boy's from Alabama,

- He's a long way from home,

- Thank you,

why don't them Yanks just attack?

Got any shirts, son?

It's Mo Oakley's boy,

Can't be old enough to fight, can he?

- Good morning,

- Morning, son,

Got some boots and jackets,

You want one?

- Here, You want that?

- Thanks,

I hope these boots can hold up

for 400 miles,

'cause they're taking me

back to Cold Mountain,

I think now

on the fleeting moments between us

and wish I could repair them.

My awkward nature,

the things left unsaid.

All right, that's it,

Enough powder here

to blow a hole in the sky,

Yeah,

a real Yankee good mornin',

That old book of yours is in shreds,

Same as us, Seen too much war,

Hey, Oakley, Don't worry, son,

Them Yankee boys keep store hours,

They ain't open yet,

Close it up,

- Hey, where'd you come from?

- Hey, that's fresh breakfast,

- He's mine, Butcher,

- Hey! Hey! Get away!

- Hey, I saw him first,

- Come on!

- I saw it first!

- That's my rabbit! That's my rabbit!

Get your paws off my rabbit!

Get your paws off my rabbit!

when I came with my father

to the town of Cold Mountain,

I was so shy of how I looked,

so out of place.

But did you know how happy I was

to escape from Charleston,

from a world of slaves

and corsets and cotton?

what do you fools think

you'll be fightin' for?

- The South?

- I call this nail Northern Aggression,

- Damn right,

- I call this nail the Yankee Skulls,

last time I checked,

the South was a direction,

Never figured you

for a lincoln lover, JT,

I tell you,

as soon as I finish this chapel,

I'm gonna go off

and kill me some Yankees,

Piss and vinegar,

Fightin' for a rich man's slave,

that's what,

whoa, here comes the minister,

Ben, thank you,

will you assist my daughter?

lord have mercy,

look at that bonnet,

look what's in it,

Oakley,

hand me the hammer, boy,

That's a true Southern belle,

- Mr, Swanger! Good morning to you,

- Morning, Reverend,

Esco, you remember my daughter, Ada,

- Miss Monroe,

- Good morning,

- Morning,

- Morning,

- Excellent progress,

- Morning,

- Mrs, Swanger, Mrs, Castlereagh,

- Morning, Reverend,

Now, if y'all will excuse me,

In Charleston, my congregation would still

be disputing the size of the windows,

It's a chapel,

Miss Monroe,

I was just thinkin' about you,

Cold Mountain must feel

like the end of the world,

Not at all,

- It's very beautiful,

- well, you put us all to shame,

Men up here had a bearing on

what they thought a woman was,

- and then you showed up,

- Oh...

- No, I doubt that,

- Oh, believe me,

If you was to say a word to one of these

fools, I could get my top field cleared,

- Any one?

- No, um...

Him in particular,

Up in the rafters,

won't normally say boo to a goose,

He's been pressin' me

since the day you arrived here,

- Your top field cleared?

- That's right,

Good morning, I'm Ada Monroe,

Inman,

Inman,

wP Inman,

wP Inman,

Repeatin' a thing doesn't improve it,

People call me Inman,

How 'bout that? Inman speaks,

If you were to take a glass of cider,

your friends might stop staring,

Inman,

You're just jealous, I'm gonna

take her for a walk at Bishop's Creek,

- Billy, is this frame flush?

- Thank you,

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Thank you, yeah, right,

Richie, I seen your house, There

ain't a square angle anywhere near it,

And what do you do?

I work wood,

Hunt,

Mostly work wood,

Clear fields?

I can clear a field,

was there something in particular

you wished to say to me?

Not that comes to me,

I'll say thank you... for the cider,

Move back! Go back! Move back!

Go back! Go back!

They're trapped in the wrong

damn crater, whole plan backfired on 'em,

Send them Yanks straight to hell,

- Hold it, hold it,

- let's go, Turn it around,

Damn fools

dug their own grave,

we've got 'em now, boys,

- It's a turkey shoot,

- what?

It's a turkey shoot,

They've run themselves into a hole,

Hell's busted,

Oakley!

Oakley!

Oakley!

- Inman! Inman!

- Oakley!

Oakley!

- Inman!

- Come on,

Inman,

- I've got you,

I got a few,

- You saw?

- I saw,

Am I gonna die?

Your folks can be real proud of you,

Son, this fellow says

he'll play whatever you want,

what about Bonaparte's Retreat?

That's one I play,

No, Play me somethin' sweet,

like a girl's waiting for me,

- You heard him,

- I only know a couple of tunes,

like when you're at Bishop's Creek...

and you're thirsty...

and the water's so cool,

I don't know what music that is,

I'm reachin' Cold Mountain before you,

Good morning, Sally,

- well, that's a fine-sounding thing,

- Oh...

My piano,

Oh, I've been missing it,

Thank you, by the way,

Inman's in my top field clearing his debt,

Oh, dear,

And then he had nothing to say,

He was happy,

Really?

Are men so different in Charleston?

Men?

I don't know,

If you're sayin' you might like him,

why not go over and say good mornin'?

I should be gettin' along,

walk on, quickly,

Come on, walk on, Slowly,

walk on,

My dear daughter, Ada,

who's given up so much for so long to help

me in my ministry, and upon whom I rely,

Friends, we are both very happy

to have this opportunity tonight...

to thank you from our hearts...

for your kind welcome

and, most of all, such a fine chapel,

So...

... thank you, and God bless you,

Our house is always open

to any of you at any time,

welcome,

Esco?

That gentleman - he help build the chapel?

Him? No, that's Teague,

At one time the Teague family

owned the whole of Cold Mountain,

My farm, your farm,

it all belonged to his grandpappy,

Teague wanted this place bad,

and you got it,

And he's here sniffin' out an advantage,

There's no advantage here,

except to celebrate a job well done,

And that is a good thing

in these troubled times,

- Miss Monroe,

- Thank you,

- were you never planning to come inside?

- I'm wetter than a fish,

- There's a good fire going,

- I'm all right,

You're always carrying a tray,

I was going to take some root beer

over to the Negroes,

Somebody said you were enlisting,

- Are you?

- If there is a war, we'll all fight,

- Did you get a picture made?

- Say again?

A tintype, with your musket

and your courage on display,

You're laughin' at me,

I don't know you,

This doesn't come out right,

If it were enough just to stand,

without the words...

It is,

It is,

You... look,

look, look at the sky now,

what color is it?

Or the way... a hawk flies?

Or you wake up...

and your ribs are bruised

thinking so hard on somebody,

what do you call that?

I'll do that,

I can't get much wetter,

what if you are killed,

and I'll never see you again?

You said after a few years

I would barely remember your name.

Oh, Inman.

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