Ragtime movie - Justice lyrics
rate me<br>
COALHOUSE<br>
We'll see justice, Sarah<br>
And plenty of men<br>
Who will stand up and give us our due!<br>
<br>
TOWN HALL BUREAUCRAT<br>
Well, you can sign another complaint, Mr. Walker, but volunteer firemen are not municipal employees, and therefore do not<br>
come under the jurisdiction of the city. I'm sorry.<br>
<br>
SECOND BUREAUCRAT<br>
I'm still tracing your first complaint, Mr. Walker. Are you sure you filed it with this office. Let me look again.<br>
<br>
COALHOUSE<br>
Justice, Sarah.<br>
This is America.<br>
<br>
MOTHER<br>
I am ashamed that our community is represented in his mind by that bunch of toughs.<br>
<br>
FATHER<br>
Let me talk to my lawyer.<br>
<br>
YOUNGER BROTHER<br>
That's all it will be: talk, talk, talk!<br>
<br>
COALHOUSE<br>
The law's the law.<br>
The law's been broken<br>
Why should I turn the other cheek?<br>
What about justice!<br>
<br>
PEOPLE OF HARLEM<br>
The bureaucrats and bunglers<br>
The attorneys who smiled<br>
<br>
WHITE ATTORNEY<br>
My advice is recover your car and forget the whole matter.<br>
<br>
PEOPLE OF HARLEM<br>
The clerks and the officials<br>
And the forms that were filed<br>
<br>
CLERK<br>
This is to get a place on the court calendar. This for change of venue...<br>
<br>
PEOPLE OF HARLEM<br>
So many roads to justice<br>
Around the bend<br>
<br>
BLACK LAWYER<br>
I want justice for our people so bad I can taste it. But I won't waste my time on a mere case of vandalism when I have real<br>
injustices to take to the courts.<br>
<br>
PEOPLE OF HARLEM<br>
And every road a new dead end!<br>
<br>
COALHOUSE<br>
I will not move<br>
From where I'm standing<br>
Till what's mine is restored to me<br>
I'm not some fool<br>
I'm not their nigger!<br>
I will have what's fairly owed me!<br>
And till then, I will not marry... <br>
<br>
(MOTHER approaches SARAH.) <br>
<br>
MOTHER<br>
We understand Mr. Walker's outrage. We share it. All decent people do.<br>
<br>
SARAH<br>
He said, "Wheels are turning for us, girl."<br>
<br>
MOTHER<br>
But I'm sure there's some way to settle this affair without calling off the wedding.<br>
<br>
SARAH<br>
He said, "Times are starting to roll."<br>
<br>
MOTHER<br>
To be so close to the happiness you both deserve and have it come to this!<br>
<br>
(SARAH moves away from MOTHER.)<br>
<br>
SARAH<br>
Well, I know he'll get where he wants to<br>
'Cause he's got that fire in his soul<br>
Said, "There's justice, Sarah,<br>
And plenty of men who will stand up and give us our due."<br>
Well, you'll have your due, Coalhouse,<br>
Yes, you'll have your due.<br>
<br>
[Thanks to Yehuda Alexander for lyrics]<br>
<br>
