Lyrics Parade - Twenty Miles From Marietta

DORSEY
Your Honor, Gentlemen of the Jury, and good people of Georgia:
THERE IS A FARMHOUSE IN MARIETTA,
KINDA BATTERED AND FORLORN,
AND IN THAT FARMHOUSE, FOURTEEN YEARS AGO,
A GIRL NAMED MARY WAS BORN.
AND SHE WOULD DANCE IN FIELDS OF COTTON,
SHE HAD A TREE WHERE SHE COULD PLAY,
BUT WHEN HER DADDY DIED TWO YEARS AGO,
MARY AND HER MAMA MOVED AWAY.
IT’S ONLY TWENTY MILES FROM MARIETTA
TO A FACT’RY IN THE CENTER OF THIS TOWN,
AND TWENTY MILES WAS ALL IT TOOK
TO STRIKE THAT SWEET GIRL DOWN.
PEOPLE OF ATLANTA FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM TO THEIR GRAVES,
AND NOW THEIR CITY IS A FACT’RY AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE ITS
SLAVES.
PEOPLE OF ATLANTA SWING THEIR CITY GATES WIDE,
AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE WROUGHT!
(HE points to LEO as HE says it, and LEO shrinks from the glare. The crowd outside jeers, and the crowd inside echoes the response. JUDGE ROAN bangs his gavel for silence. Now DORSEY turns to the witness stand, which is suddenly occupied by FRANKIE EPPS, dressed in the same sharp clothes he wore when we first saw him.)
DORSEY
So, Frankie, you say you rode downtown with Mary on the English Avenue streetcar?
FRANKIE
Yessir. Mornin’ of the Memorial Day Parade.
DORSEY
And can you tell us what happened?
FRANKIE
Well, she wanted to go to the picture show real bad and I promised I’d take her after the parade. But first she was goin’ to the factory to pick up her pay.
DORSEY
And did she get off?
FRANKIE
No, sir. Not right then.
DORSEY
Tell us what happened, Frankie.
FRANKIE
Well, she got up to go and she looked funny. And I said—
(MARY enters in her parade finery, as before. The stage is lit moodily through the electric fans which whirl above the courtroom.)
Somethin’ wrong, Mary?
MARY
Mr. Frank.
FRANKIE
Mr. Frank what?
MARY
Looks at me.
FRANKIE
Looks at you? Everybody looks at you.
MARY
Not like Mr. Frank.
FRANKIE
What does he do?
MARY
HE CALLS MY NAME,
I TURN MY HEAD,
HE GOT NO WORDS TO SAY.
HIS EYES GET BIG,
MY FACE GETS RED,
AND I WANT TO RUN AWAY,
AND HE LOOKS...
AND I WAIT...
AND HE SMILES...
FRANKIE
You better tell on him.
MARY
Tell who? He’s the boss.
FRANKIE
He do the other girls that way?
MARY
I guess. Some of ‘em.
FRANKIE
What say I come over there and break his face?
MARY
Go on. You’ll miss the parade. I’ll see you over to the picture show.
FRANKIE
Well, at least let me come with you to get your pay.
MARY
Save me a seat!
(SHE disappears. FRANKIE returns to the courtroom.)
FRANKIE
And that was the last time I ever saw her.
(HE looks over at LEO, knots his fist.)
I wish I had come over there and broke your damn face!
(Reaction in the courtroom. DORSEY puts an arm on FRANKIE to calm him. LEO looks nervously at ROSSER, who is smiling broadly. ROSSER slowly rises to his feet.)
DORSEY
(to ROSSER) Your witness.
ROSSER
Nothing at this time, Your Honor.