Cold Mountain Page #2

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It is more than three years,

and I remember your name.

Soldiers, Don't get up,

You are mentioned tonight in my report,

You men from Cold Mountain have

once again been heroes for the cause,

There are Yankees in that stand of trees

between us, stuck there from the retreat,

If they stay there, tomorrow mornin'

they can shoot us down for sport.

Go around,

- It's a Reb!

How many of them are there?

I think there's five,

Under the trees,

- we got 'em,

- let's go, let's go,

Butcher's down,

leave him, leave him,

He's gone, let's go,

Go, go! Go! Run!

- Go! Go! Go!

- Hold your fire!

what's over by them trees?

It's us! It's us!

I said hold your fire! Hold your fire,

leave him, leave him,

Agh!

Inman'll get it.

Supposed to bring good luck,

a bird caught in a room,

I'm so sorry to have kept you

waiting, She'll just be a few seconds,

- Mr, Inman,

- Reverend,

- what can I do for you?

- I have some sheet music,

It belonged to my father,

No use to me,

Thank you,

- You must come in,

- I should probably get along,

Mr, Inman is more comfortable outdoors,

Perhaps we might...

perhaps we might take a walk,

A splendid idea,

let me just get your hat,

I dragged my poor daughter 400 miles

from Charleston to Cold Mountain

because my doctors,

they've been sayin' my chest is weak,

So the air's supposed to do me good,

But it's the view I think heals,

It's what people say

we're fightin' for, To keep it that way,

I have no plans to preach war

in my church, Mr, Inman,

I imagine God is weary of being called

down on both sides of an argument,

I imagine God is,

Thank you,

Now, your father played the piano, did he?

That's right, He was a teacher,

And is your father living, Mr, Inman?

- He is not,

- And your mother?

No, sir, She died when I was born,

- Secession,

- North Carolina left the Union,

for I don't care to stay here long

- we got our war!

- whoo-hoo!

we got our war! we got it!

we got it! It's about time,

whoo!

- All right!

- Inman! Inman!

Ready to fight, son, ready to fight,

whoo!

we got our war, man,

well, you have your war,

Ada,

Ada,

It's a great day for North Carolina,

Those who follow lincoln

or preach abolition...

you best keep one eye open

when you're sleepin',

OI' boogeyman might get you,

Are you the law all of a sudden,

Mr, Teague?

That's right, son,

Home Guard for Haywood County,

And I'm the law from today,

Y'all go fight now,

we'll watch over your sweethearts,

Hey, Teague,

why ain't you fightin'?

'Cause he's too old,

- Yeah!

You might be safer back in Charleston,

- But then who'll be waiting for you?

- Three cheers for North Carolina!

- All right,

- Three cheers for the South!

Hip hip hurrah!

Hip hip hurrah!

Hip hip hurrah!

Inman, It belongs to Inman,

I got it, He's here,

They found that book

you been worryin' about, soldier,

wait,

I found you this book to take with you,

william Bartram,

They tell me it's good,

I think he writes about these parts,

the author, so...

Thank you,

And this,

I'm not smiling in it,

I don't know how to do that,

hold a smile,

- Ada,

- what?

- whoa!

- He'll be back in a month,

Kiss her for me,

Come on, let's go,

I'll be waiting for you,

lookin' good, Butcher,

Bring home

some Yankee scalps, Swimmer,

Yee-haw!

look out the window, ladies.

See what these poor fools are dyin' for.

How many would still lose a leg

for the rich man's slave?

Most of these soldiers'll be dead by

morning, or if they're stubborn, by nightfall,

I've other men outside

in the courtyard waitin' for beds,

so any kind word will be a blessin',

It's the heat, I'm sorry, They rot,

Pigeon River...

How are you, son?

Cold... Mountain...

I-I'm sorry,

- You want water?

- Cold... Mountain,

Cold Mountain?

Cold Mountain,

Do you worry when there's no word

from him? From Mr, Inman?

Yes,

But then I've tried countin'

the number of words

which have passed between Mr, Inman

and me - not very many,

But I think about him, Daddy, all the time,

I lost your mother

after 22 months of marriage,

It was enough to fill a life,

That was the last of the ham,

- It was delicious,

- I have to learn how to cook,

I was thinking of saying

something in chapel,

Perhaps some of the womenfolk

will volunteer,

I can't have people coming here

and cooking for me,

I so...

I so regret...

I should have raised you less like a

companion and more like a young woman,

I'm sorry, Ada,

And for dragging you here,

I'm not sorry,

I would have followed you anywhere,

- To Mongolia,

- Mongolia,

But with no one left to work this place,

nothing to buy, nothing left to buy it with...

I just don't know how we're gonna

get through another winter,

will you play me somethin'? Somethin'

peaceful while I look over my sermon,

It's too damp out here,

You should come inside,

No,

I like it,

Daddy, bring the tablecloth in,

Come inside before you drown,

You have a letter,

North Carolina,

It's come a long way,

It's not too recent,

It's written this past winter,

I'm afraid I can't read who it's from,

Dear Mr, Inman...

Since you've left, time has been

measured out in bitter chapters.

last fall, my poor father died.

Our farm at Black Cove is abandoned.

Every house in these mountains

touched by tragedy.

Each day the dread...

of learning who has fallen...

who will not return from this terrible war.

And no word from you.

Are you alive?

I pray to God you are.

This war is lost on the battlefield

and is being lost twice over

by those who stayed behind.

He ain't comin' back, you know that,

You must know that in your heart,

look at me,

- look at me,

I'm not nothin',

I'm still waiting,

as I promised I would.

But I find myself alone

and at the end of my wits...

too embarrassed to keep taking

from those who can least afford to give.

Ada! It's Sally!

Ada!

look at the state of this place,

- well, set it on the porch,

She let them slaves go free,

and now...

Poor soul, she's got nobody and nothin',

and waitin' on a ghost,

Shoo!

Go away,

Devil!

My last thread of courage now

is to put my faith in you...

and to believe I will see you again.

So now I say to you, plain as I can...

if you are fighting, stop fighting.

If you are marching, stop marching.

Come back to me,

Come back to me is my request,

Come back to me.

Come back to me is my request.

wounded men, don't stray

from the hospital grounds,

Hey!

If they send us back to fight...

Hey, get your peanuts now,

from the blind man,

- Hey, your hot goobers here,

- It's a sad day,

Gettin' better, soldier?

Seems that way,

I wouldn't hurry,

The war's almost done,

Don't need your help to lose it,

You got ten minutes now, boys, Ten

minutes to get your haircuts and shaves,

I've been meanin' to ask you,

where'd you take your wound?

Oh, before I was born,

Never set eyes on a thing in this world,

Not a tree, a gun or a woman,

Put my hand on all three, though,

- what would you give for that?

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