Wise Blood

I don't remember this here interstate.

Weren't nothin' but a dirt road once.

It ain't been here about a year.

just long enough

for everybody to drive off on it.

There ain't practically nobody left

in Eastrod or Melsy.

They all done took out

for the city.

Let me off here.

I'm oblined.

...before he casts you down

into the burning pit of hell...

like stones into a lake of fire.

Like stones. You're all like stones.

But Jesus died to redeem ya.

Can you understand that Jesus

was so soul hungry that, for each soul... -

Are you fixin'

to work the farm, Haze?

Uh, no. No, I ain't.

What you gonna do?

I'm gonna do some things... -

I'm gonna do some things

I ain't never done before.

Hardly anyone

left around here anymore.

Everybody done left or... died.

- Can you cash this army check for me?

- Sure.

Was you wounded, Haze?

Yes, I was.

How come you wasn't wearin'

no Purple Heart?

Well, I got one, but... -

I didn't want people to know

where I was wounded.

Oh.

Well, there's no place

quite like home, is there?

Are you going home?

I'm goin' to the city... - Taulkinham.

I don't know nobody in Taulkinham.

I'm gonna do some things there.

I know Georne Sparks in Taulkinham.

I'm gonna do some things

I ain't never done before.

Oh.

Well, time does fly, don't it?

I haven't seen my sister's children

in about five years now.

I don't know

if I'd know 'em if I saw 'em.

There's Roy and Jimmy Jay

and John Wesley.

Oh, they call me "Mama doll"...

and they call my husband "Papa doll.' '

I reckon you think you been redeemed.

Why... - Why, yes.

Life is an inspiration,

don't you think?

Sixty Buckley Road.

- You ain't no friend of hers, are you?

- I never saw her before.

She don't usually have no preacher

for company.

I ain't a preacher.

I only seen her name on...

in a toilet.

Well, you look like a preacher.

Your hat looks like a preacher's hat.

It ain't. It's... - It's just a hat.

Well, it ain't only the hat.

It's the look on your face somewheres.

Look a-here, I ain't no preacher.

Now I understand it ain't anybody perfect

on this green earth... -

not preachers, not nobody.

And you can tell folks better

how terrible sin is...

if you know

from your own experience.

Listen, get this.

There ain't but one thing

that I want you to understand...

and that's that I don't believe

in anything.

- Nothin' at all?

- Nothin'.

Well, that's the problem

with you preachers.

You've all got too damn good

to believe in anything.

You huntin' somethin'?

- Somethin' on your mind?

- The usual business.

Make yourself at home.

Uh, the thing that I mean

to have you know is... -

is that I ain't no goddamn preacher.

That's okay, son. Mama don't mind

if you ain't no preacher...

as long as you got four dollars.

Okay, folks, gather round.

Look at this miracle peeler here, folks.

I'm gonna give away a half a dozen... -

a half a dozen peeled potatoes...

to the first one that buys

one of these here miracle machines.

Who's gonna be first now?

Okay, folks, who's gonna be number one?

What about you back there? You can't

afford to pass up a bargain like this.

- What's your name, boy?

- Name? Enoch Emory.

Oh-ho. A boy with a pretty name like that

oughta have one of these machines.

Okay, folks, let's go.

Who'll be the first one here?

Who'll be the first one

to get one of these?

- Jesus calls.

- Help a blind preacher.

- Help a blind... Thank you, Jesus.

- He's talkin' to you. He's talkin' to you.

Help a blind preacher and his daughter

spread the word of Jesus here.

- Who'll be first now? - Give up a dollar.

I'm gonna start preachin'here.

What the hell do you think

you're doin'? I got this crowd together.

- Who the hell do you think you are?

- I'm gonna start preachin' if you don't give up a dollar here.

- What the hell do you think you're doin'?

I got these people together. - Jesus calls.

Help a blind, unemployed preacher.

I need it worse than you all do.

Help a blind, unemployed preacher here.

These goddamn communist foreigners!

I got this crowd together!

Pay no attention to him, folks.

Who'll be number one?

Who'll be the first one

to buy one of these?

- I seen you.

- Folks, step up here.

No use savin'your money

when your soul ain't saved.

$ 1.50. $ 1.50.

Come on. Give up a dollar for Jesus.

A dollar for Jesus.

Is it too much to ask

for a dollar for Jesus?

Give me one of those.

I got a dollar.

just add 50 cents to that dollar

and you got yourself a deal, okay?

Okay, folks,

who's gonna be the first one?

- Any more quarters? Any more dollars?

- Don't crowd in, folks.

- Help a blind preacher.

- Okay, folks, who'll be first?

- Come on, Papa.

- Help a blind preacher here.

Free potatoes to the first one buyin'

one of these here miracles.

Who's gonna be the first one to buy

one of these here machi... Thank you, sir.

There goes the first sale, folks.

Next sale.

Who'll be the next one to buy

one of these here miracles?

See? All they wanna do

is knock you down.

I ain't never been

in such a unfriendly place before.

There's too many people

on the streets.

- How long you been here?

- Two days.

I been here two months.

I work at the zoo.

- I didn't catch your name good.

- Hazel Motes.

Hazel Motes. You look like you might

be follerin' them hicks.

Stop! Don't you see that... -

Now, what do you think that thing

is up there for?

Maybe you thought that red was for white

folks and green ones was for n*ggers, huh?

- That's what I thought. - You

tell all your friends about these lights.

Red is for stop.

Green is for no.

Men and women, white folks and n*ggers... -

all go on the same light.

Now, you tell all your friends

about that now, you hear?

So that when they come to town,

they'll know.

I'll look after him.

He ain't been here but two days.

- I'm oblined.

- Wasn't nothin'.

I reckon I'll go alonn

and keep you company for a while.

Sure wouldn't wanna get messed up

with no hicks...

particularly the Jesus kind.

I know. I done a lot of that myself.

I was 12 years old, and I could sing

some hymns good I learned off this n*gger.

So this here welfare woman

traded me from my daddy...

took me off to Boonville

to live with her.

She had a brick house,

but it was Jesus all day long.

Reckon she was 40 years old,

and she was ugly.

Her hair was so thin, it looked like

ham gravy tricklin' down her skull.

I got out though.

Wanna know how?

I scared the hell out of that woman.

That's how.

I studied and I studied on it.

I even prayed.

I said, " Jesus, show me a way

to get outta here."

Durned if he didn't.

I got up one mornin'just before daylight.

I went into her room

without my pants on...

and pulled up the sheet

and give her a heart attack.

Your jaw just crawls, don't it?

Don't you never laugh?

It's that boy, Papa.

I can smell the sin on his breath.

- What'd you foller me for?

- I never follered you.

- She said you was follerin' me.

- I ain't follered you nowheres.

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