Days of Heaven Voices Linda ......................................................................... Linda Manz Me and My Brother Me and my brother. It just used to be me and my brother. We used to do things together. We used to have fun. We used to roam the streets. There was people sufferin’ of pain and hunger. Some people, their tongues were hangin’ out of their mouth. He used to juggle apples. He – He used to amuse us. He used to entertain us. In fact, all three of us been goin’ places, looking for things, searching for things, goin’ on adventures. They told everybody they were brother and sister. My brother didn’t want nobody to know. You know how people are. You tell ‘em somethin’, they start talkin’. I met this guy named Ding Dong. He told me the whole Earth is goin’ up in flames. Flames will come out of here and there and they’ll just rise up. The mountains are gonna go up in big flames. The water’s gonna rise in flames. There’s gonna be creatures runnin’ every which way, some of them burned, half their wings burnin’. People are gonna be screamin’ and hollerin’ for help. See, the people that have been good, they’re gonna go to heaven and escape all that fire. But if you’ve been bad, God don’t even hear you. He don’t even hear you talkin’. This Farmer This farmer, he didn’t know when he first saw her, or what it was about her that caught his eye. Maybe it was the way the wind blew through her hair. On This Earth He knew he was gonna die. He knew there was nothin’ that could be done. You’re only on this Earth once. And I – to my opinion, as long as you’re around, you should have it nice. Just Keep Going From the time the sun went up, till it went down, they’s were workin’ all the time. No – nonstop. Just keep going. You didn’t work, they’d ship you right out of there. They don’t need you. They can always get somebody else. This Farmer II This farmer, he had a big spread, and a lot of money. Whoever was sittin’ in the chair when he’d come around, why, they’d stand up and give it to him. Wasn’t no harm in him. You’d give him a flower, he’d keep it forever. He was headed for the boneyard any minute, but he wasn’t really goin’ around squakin’ about it, like some people. In one way, I felt sorry for him, ‘cause he had nobody to stand out for him, be by his side, hold his hand when he needs attention or something. That’s touching. Tired He was tired of livin’ like the rest of them, nosin’ around like a pig in a gutter. He wasn’t in the mood no more. He figured there must be somethin’ wrong with ‘em, the way they always got no luck – and they oughta get it straightened out. He figured some people need more than they got, other people got more than they need. Just a matter of us gettin’ all together. Mud Doctor I’ve been thinkin’ what to do with my future. I could be a mud doctor, checkin’ out the earth underneath. Rich We never been this rich, all right? ! I mean, we were just, all of a sudden, livin’ like kings. Just nothin’ to do all day but crack jokes, lay around. We didn’t have to work. I’m tellin’ you, the rich got it figured out. Wheat Patches I got to like this farm. Do anything I want. Roll in the fields, talk to the wheat patches. When I was sleepin’, they’d talk to me. They’d go in my dreams. Letters Nobody sent us letters. We didn’t receive no cards. Sometimes I’d feel very old, like my whole life’s over. Like I’m not around no more. Shoot ‘im Instead of getting’ sicker, he just stayed the same. He didn’t get sicker, he didn’t get better. They were kindhearted. They thought he was going out on his own steam. I don’t know. The doc musta come over or somethin’ and gave him somethin’. Probably some kind of medicine or somethin’. I coulda just took it, put it in a ditch, like they do to a horse. They shoot ‘im right away. Flyin’ Circus Just when things were about to blow, this flyin’ circus come in. After six months on this wheat patch, I needed a breath of fresh air. They were screamin’ and yellin’ and boppin’ each other. He – The big one pushed the little one and said, “Come on, I start it, you start.” The little one just started in. If they couldn’t think of a good one to come back with, they’d start fightin’. The little one said, “No, I didn’t do this.” The big one said, “Yes, you did do this.” You couldn’t sort it out. The devil just sittin’ there laughin’. He’s glad when people does bad. Then he sends ‘em to the snake house. He just sits there and laughs and watch while you’re sittin’ there all tied up and snakes are eatin’ your eyes out. They go down your throat and eat all your systems out. I think the devil was on the farm. Parts of a Globe He seen how it all was. She loves the farmer. He taught me keys on the pianos and notes. He taught me about the parts of a globe. A Good Life Nobody’s perfect. There was never a perfect person around. You just got half devil and half angel in you. She promised herself she’d lead a good life from now on. She blamed it all on herself. She didn’t care if she was happy or not. She just wanted to make up for what she did wrong. The sun looks ghostly when there’s a mist on a river and everything’s quiet. I never knowed it before. You could see people on the shore but it was far off and you couldn’t see what they were doin’. They were probably callin’ for help or somethin’ or they were tryin’ to bury somebody or somethin’. We seen trees that the leaves are shakin’ and it looks like shadows of guys comin’ at you and stuff. We heard owls squakin’ away, hootin’ away. We didn’t know where we were goin’, what we were gonna do. I’ve never been on a boat before. That was the first time. Some sights that I saw was really spooky that it gave me goose pimples. I felt like cold hands touchin’ the back of my neck and – And it could be the dead comin’ for me or somethin’. I remember this guy – his name was Black Jack. He died. He only had one leg, and he died. And I think that was Black Jack makin’ those noises.