Green Pastures Page #2

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- How has you been?

- Fine. I've been visiting my mammy.

She's waiting on the welcome table

over by the throne of grace.

She always was pretty holy.

I guess De Lawd took quite a fancy to her.

I declare, your mammy's

one of the finest lady angels I know.

She claim you the best one she know.

Well, when you come right down to it,

I suppose we all are pretty near perfect.

Why is that, Miss Jenny?

I suppose it's 'cause De Lawd don't like...

associating with the devil anymore,

so there can't be no more sinning.

Poor old Satan.

I wonder whatever become of him.

Gabriel!

Gangway!

Gangway for De Lawd God Jehovah.

- Here comes De Lawd.

- I hope De Lawd likes my robe.

I wonder what De Lawd

coming over here for.

Do I look all right?

- Is you been baptized?

- Certainly, Lawd.

Is you been baptized?

Certainly, Lawd

Certainly, certainly, certainly, Lawd

Is you been redeemed?

Certainly, Lawd

Is you been redeemed?

Certainly, Lawd

Certainly, certainly, certainly, Lawd

Does you bow mighty low?

Certainly, Lawd

Does you bow mighty low?

Certainly, Lawd

Certainly, certainly, certainly, Lawd

Let the fish fry proceed.

- Lawd, look what I've got.

- Get away from De Lawd.

Good morning, Lawd.

Good morning, Archangel.

You're looking mighty spry.

- I can't complain, Lawd.

- That's good.

Fitzhugh, you let go of De Lawd's coattail.

That's all right, daughter.

He's just playing.

Yeah, but he's playing too rough.

- A little boiled custard, Lawd?

- Thank you very kindly. This looks nice.

- 10-cent cigar, Lawd?

- Thank you. How is the fish fry going?

The best one yet, Lawd.

And how you shouters getting on?

We've been a-marching

and singing the whole morning.

I heard you.

You's getting as good as

the choir at the throne.

Why don't you give us

one of them old-time jump-ups?

All right. Anything you say, Lawd.

So High.

No, thank you. I'm going to save this a bit.

- What's the matter, Lawd?

- I ain't just sure yet.

- There's something about this custard.

- Ain't it all right, Lawd?

It don't seem seasoned just right.

Did you make it?

Yes, Lawd.

I put everything in it like I always does.

It's supposed to be perfect.

Yes, I can taste the eggs,

the cream, and the sugar.

I know what it is.

- It needs a little bit more firmament.

- There's firmament in it, Lawd.

- Maybe, but it ain't enough.

- It's all we had.

- There ain't a drop left in the jug.

- That's all right.

I'll just roar back and pass a miracle.

Let there be some firmament.

And when I say,

"Let there be some firmament"...

I don't mean no little

bitty dab of firmament...

'cause I'm getting sick and tired

of running out of it when we need it.

Let there be a whole mess of firmament!

- That's the way I like it.

- Well, he got the order.

- That's a lot of firmament.

- Looks to me like it's ready to rain.

- Where is you, Fitzhugh?

- Look at my Charlotta, Lawd.

She's soaked to the skin.

That's plenty too much firmament.

Well, course I don't want the children

to catch cold. Can't we drain it off?

There's no place to drain it, Lawd.

Why don't we

just take the babies home, Lawd?

No, I don't want to bust up the fish fry.

You angels keep quiet,

and I'll pass another miracle.

That's the trouble with miracles,

when you pass one...

you always got to roar back

and pass another.

Let there be a place

to drain off this firmament.

Let there be mountains and valleys,

and let there be oceans and lakes...

and let there be rivers and bayous

to drain it off in, too.

As a matter of fact, let there be the Earth.

And when that's done,

let there be the sun.

And let it come out

and dry my cherubs' wings.

Look at here!

Look!

- Do you see it, Lawd?

- Yes, Gabriel.

- Looks mighty nice, Lawd.

- Yes.

Yes, sir, and that would make

mighty nice farming country.

Just look at that south forty down there.

I just made a garden, too.

You ain't going to let that go to waste,

are you, Lawd?

- That would be a pity and a shame.

- It's a good earth.

Maybe I ought to put someone

down there to enjoy it.

- Gabriel, I'm going down there.

- Yes, Lawd.

I want you to be

my working boss here while I'm gone.

Yes, Lawd.

- Keep everything neat and tidy.

- Yes, Lawd.

You know that sparrow

that fell a little while ago?

- Tend to that, too.

- Yes, Lawd.

I guess that's about all.

Quiet, angels.

I'm going to pass one more miracle,

and you got to help me...

'cause it's a new kind of miracle.

In my own image, let there be man.

- Good morning, son.

- Good morning, Lawd.

- What's your name, son?

- Adam.

- Adam which?

- Just Adam, Lawd.

Well, Adam, how's they treating you?

How's things going?

I guess I'm gonna make out all right,

once I learn the ropes.

Yes, sir, you are a nice job.

But there's just one thing

the matter with you, though.

Adam, you need a family,

'cause, in your heart, you is a family man.

Yes, Lawd. Just what is a family?

Well, I'm gonna show you.

Close your eyes,

and make out you was going to slumber.

Yes, sir.

Eve.

Now, you all right, Eve.

I'm going to give you two

the run of the whole garden...

and I want you to enjoy yourselves.

Eve, you take care of this man,

and, Adam, you take care of this woman.

Now, don't you all try to do too much...

'cause you both a new kind of experiment

with me and I ain't sure you can make it.

Just drink the water

from the little brooks...

and the wine from the grapes

and the berries...

and eat the food

that's hanging for you in the trees.

That is, all but one tree.

- Yes, Lawd.

- Thank you, Lawd.

Well, I got to be getting along now.

I got 100,000 things to do

before you take your next breath.

Enjoy yourselves.

Adam.

I reckon you children know what happened

after God made Adam and Eve, don't you?

I know, Mr. Deshee. Stop that!

Randolph, this is the fifth time

your sister ain't come with you.

Viney, take away that truck he's eating.

See if you can keep him quiet.

Now then, Myrtle, what happened?

Why, didn't they eat the forbidden fruit?

And then they got driv' out

the Garden of Eden.

And then what happened?

- Why, then they felt very bad.

- I don't mean how they feel.

I mean how they do.

Did they have any children

or anything like that?

Yes. Why, they have Cain and Abel.

Now, one thing we know.

This boy Cain was a mean rascal...

on account of 'cause he killed his brother.

Cain, look what you've done to Abel.

Lawd, I was minding my own business,

working in the fields.

He was settin' in the shade of the tree.

He said, "Me, I'd be scared to get out

in that hot sun.

"I'd be afraid my brains get cooked.

"Course you ain't got no brains,

so you ain't in no danger."

So I up, and I flang this rock.

If I miss him, all right,

and if I hit him, all right.

That's the way I feel.

From now on, that's called a crime.

You get yourself down the road

and far away...

and get married and settle down

and raise some children.

There ain't nothing to make a man

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