Original subtitles

Sticks and stones break my bones.

And I always will be true.

When your mom was dead and gone, I sing this lullaby

for you.

What becomes of little boys?

Never say...

On the nickel

I know a place where a royal flush can never

beat a pearl.

And even Thomas Jefferson's on the

nickel.

for supper and you let me down again

What becomes of little boys?

Run away from home.

You'll never know how rich you are.

You haven't got a prayer that's

heads you in and tails you out.

Why do I care?

Get himself run over, thrown in a hooscow.

Jesus Christ, Sam.

What the hell kind of a friend are you?

Morning, Sam.

Oh, hello.

Hey, I'm on my way to the store. Need anything?

Uh, no, I'm all right.

Well, just thought I'd check.

You know, it's a nice day out there. It's a mighty nice day out there. Uh,

just a minute, Hill.

Coffee or milk or bread? Just thought I'd check.

Wait a minute!

There's no stale wine smell, huh?

No piss smell, no filthy shitting up britches a week ago smell, is there?

Look.

Look at this.

Clean, isn't it? Clean, look.

Look at the bed.

No vomit here, no stains.

Look about you.

No damn alley, is it? No patchouli down on the freeway, is it?

Jim, a bona fide place to live, isn't that right?

Damn right it's right.

What do you want?

How's your feet?

Fine.

Nice day out.

I didn't notice.

Maybe you'd like to go out for a walk.

What's wrong with you? Hell, you know my damn feet got the rot. I can't be

walking around any place.

Just thought I'd ask.

And another thing. I'd appreciate it if you didn't come knocking on my door

every five minutes. I ain't no drunk. I know that this isn't all that...

This day ain't starting out right.

Sam,

tell his daddy to let me be. Will you shut up? The man ain't drunk.

Well, what do you want, Paul?

I need to ask you something.

Why do you want to ask me?

Something important.

Now, believe me, Sam, I wouldn't be coming around here for one of them...

Come on down here, will you? I can't.

The feet got the rough, and I got the pleurisy. You just plain crazy hiding

out up there, getting your friends.

Go away.

Go away?

What kind of way is that to talk to a man down here dying on these streets?

You sitting up there safe collecting your factory's check. C.G. could be dead

for all you know.

Where you going, man? Can't you see? You drunk or something?

What you say about C.G.? How many times me and C.G. walk up and down that nickel

looking for a short dog for...

We're selling you to keep you from shaking to death. It ain't fair. Paul,

here, come back. You used to drink. You used to drink just like all the rest of

us. Now you're sitting up here in that room talking about your feet rotting. I

can't hear you. What did you say about C.G.? Me and C.G.?

hear about the time that big shot from the county jail picked up sliver here

and he's living down there in them weeds he did something paul

paul god damn it come over here i gotta he see me with no

shave he hey paul you heard something about cg i ain't heard nothing about him

i ain't been down there in two months well when you're yelling over up at my

window there for something about cg hell no you you sure so i'm sure

Now, don't lie to me. You're holding something back. You come over and tell

me C.G.'s dead, didn't you? Hell no.

Well, why'd you come yelling over there for then? I told you I need to talk to

you.

Now, Dak, you gotta be some kind of fool, you know, to make up a thing like

that. You're getting a little dingy sitting up there in that room, hearing

things people ain't never said.

One of you don't go back to drinking. You got to come out and meet people. Who

am I going to come and talk to, huh?

Your big William here or your friends here? What good are they going to do me

except get me so damn mad? I got to have a drink to keep from going crazy.

You can carry on all you want. You know what I'm talking about.

I don't go to no AAA meetings no more.

Sitting up there in that damn room feeling sorry for yourself.

You bring me out here to give me a goddamn lecture or you got something to

say? What the hell happened to you anyway?

What the hell happened to you?

I'm in trouble.

Hell, we're all in trouble.

I had a fit over at the appliance store.

And you wasn't drinking?

Hell, no. I ain't touched that stuff in five months.

Damn, you should have stopped that thing a long time ago.

You got to see a crooker.

I got to get on back, Sam.

Shit.

I mean it. I got to get on back to Harbor Lights, man. I ain't making it up

here. Go on back there, then.

That's what I want to talk to you about.

I was wondering if you'd take me.

I can't get myself to go back on my own.

Are you crazy?

You bring me across the damn park to tell me this?

I got my car.

You can drive me on down.

Get your friends to take you down there, William.

Get your friends to drive you. Shit, William's too drunk, and Sliver don't

drive. But damn, I don't drive no car neither. I haven't driven a car since

before the Second World War.

Here.

Now take a blush.

Now listen to me, Sam. I don't want your money. Listen to me. Come on. Here, take

it.

I ain't making it up here, man.

I'm scared.

I ain't talking about these broken bones and them fits.

They put me out there too quick.

I got to go back, Sam.

And I don't want to go back, but I ain't making it up here.

It's a one-way street. What?

It's a one-way street. You can't go down there. Of course I can't go. Look,

there's the tunnel. We can go right on down.

Don't fuck with me, man. That shit is dead. Hey, Uncle Sam, look.

Hey, hey, hey.

Shorty, are you back? Hey, didn't know you were back on the nickel. All fits

ain't been the same since you've been gone. Just passing surgery. Hey, hey,

hey, Sam, let's do it. Come on, Sam.

We gotta go, Shorty. Hey, hold on now. You know where I've been? No.

All I gotta do is just show up at the yard, just show up. And the best line of

freight cars you ever seen just start moving.

As if they were waiting for Shorty to get there. Before they start down the

line. Watch him, they say.

Watch old Thousand Miles Shorty.

You want to learn how to ride a freight train?

Just watch him.

Yes, sirree, Sam.

Been a thousand miles, just got back.

That's great, Shorty. Hold on, Sam. Don't be walking me away from my

medicine. Where we going in a second? I got to walk Paul over to the lights.

I'll be right back, all right?

They said you change and you stop drinking.

Said you don't care no more about your friends.

And they was right.

Said if all you care, all C.G. can roll over and die in the weeds.

Jesus Christ, what the hell is this? Every time I turn around, somebody's

telling me I'm killing C.G. You people are crazy.

He died at his business.

Oh,

Paul.

Come on, Paul.

My mind.

It doesn't want to.

Now, Rose, you've got to keep moving.

It's bad.

Now, Rose, C.J. wouldn't like you doing this.

Can I help you?

No.

You wouldn't want CG to be mad at you, would you?

That's the trouble.

Damn. I don't know why I asked you to bring me down here.

I ain't going no further. Just wait a minute. I'm gonna... I went

to see the man who owns the big place where they put the cars.

And I said to him, you don't need that little place where the tree and the

water is.

How much could I pay you for it so that it's my park?

He laughed at me.

No, his son, he did not laugh.

He didn't know I had money, I guess.

He didn't know I was serious.

I wouldn't let you run the park. Well, hell with them roses, other places.

No.

I didn't know how to talk.

I didn't know what to say.

That's it. I ain't waiting no longer. Wait a minute, Paul.

I'm coming.

Wait, Paul.

No, wait a minute.

Look, Rose, I gotta go. I promised.

What's your laugh in that, Rose?

You know the man's son.

He had hair on his neck.

And glasses.

Oh, he looked so serious.

I didn't want to go there, but... C

.G.

C

.G.

what?

C.G., he, uh...

He likes Roses Park.

You keep this shit up, we can forget about the goddamn harbor lights.

I'm gonna go on down to Hard Rock and start juicing.

Don't threaten me, asshole!

What the hell I care if you want a drink? You want a drink, you're going to

drink, ain't you, goddamn mother?

Are we going or not?

We're going.

Hey, pour that out. I'll be the director.

That's him, C.G. He's down.

Let me go.

It's him. Who?

It's him. C.G. You crazy or what are you? Let me go.

You're going to run us all over town. You're going to get us put in jail.

Hey, John.

What are you guys doing here?

Nothing.

You want to join the rest of these men?

Let's go, buddy.

No, sir. We're in a recovery program.

We're going to get off these streets soon. We ain't even drinking. Come on,

Sam. Come on.

Come on.

OK,

you're here.

Well, we finally made it.

Goddamn miracles.

You gonna go in with me?

Hell no. I got you here. That's enough.

Well, here I go.

Hi,

Jim.

Hello, Paul.

I want to come in.

You been drinking today?

No, I ain't drinking.

Okay, you can come in.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

Well, it looks like they're at least going to let me in the door.

Of course they are.

Of course, they're going to kick your ass out if you don't get on welfare

right soon.

I'm going to get on?

Let her start right off kissing Mac's ass.

That's all right.

They're going to put some shit in your stomach, too.

And if you've seen all that bad, the fact is I probably need it.

What are you trying to say to me?

You trying to say don't go in?

Because if you are, I'm telling you right now, you're wrong.

I can't drink no more, Sam.

I just can't.

Shake it.

Can't you see the outline of a man?

Yeah, you look all right. Go sit down. Hey, don't be singing none of your crazy

songs, huh? I ain't gonna be singing. Go sit down and behave yourselves. Do what

the preacher says, huh?

You look good.

Where you been?

Glory be to God, who gave a song to sing his praises. Now, fellas, I think you're

gonna have to start thinking about livin' up a little bit out there.

I mean, we've been singing the Lord's praises.

praises here for some few minutes and I can't hear any noise out there. And if I

can't hear you, how's God going to hear you?

I mean, if you can't even make a little itty bitty sound, how's the Lord Jesus

going to know you want him to come down here and enter your heart?

Because he does, you know. Oh yes, he does. You better believe it.

Jesus, lift you up to eternal life.

Oh, praise the Lord. Praise Jesus.

Praise

Jesus.

And now, brothers, I want to introduce you to a pretty young gal.

Sister Louise.

how Jesus has come into your life.

Bless you, Brother Baker.

Oh, my heart is so full.

Once I was alone like you men.

Once I too was lost and wandering the sins of my life.

But then Jesus touched me.

I feel it in my heart. Jesus loves me. And because

Jesus loves me, I can love you and I do. I really do.

I love each and every one of you.

Please.

You're never going to leave me alone, Sam.

I've had pain all my life.

Ripples with arthritis.

And it was taken.

I threw away the pain.

Glory, hallelujah, yes, sir, I praise the Lord.

Goddamn watch, hotel's open. No, sure.

Sure.

Yes, he's open.

People are open.

God, pal, that ain't open. Open to the public. When the hell are you open, huh?

When the fucking hell are you open?

Hello, Moses.

I've been looking all over.

You ain't seen CG, have you?

Why are you working out, friend?

I mean, you're sober now.

Where are you?

Somebody say you might be in trouble.

Dead, even, I thought.

You're down here because this is where your life is.

You ain't got no life, except for this one.

So what the hell you doing uptown trying to live in that world?

Hey, don't just sit there.

You're sober.

What are you doing out there without nothing to protect yourself?

I'm putting my ghost to rest.

Oh, shit.

What the hell do you think this is?

Some kind of fucking game?

You just stop when you want to?

The hounds of heaven are after you. They're ripping you limb from limb.

You talk like a fool.

All you gotta do is stop drinking.

Don't you tell me about stop drinking.

Ain't nobody gonna tell me about stop drinking.

I'm a wino.

W-I-N-O.

And that's all I am.

You're no cop.

You're no sore bones.

No goddamn social worker.

No detox fink. No priest.

Not even God himself is gonna talk to me about stop drinking.

You take my wine away, I ain't nothing.

But this way, I'm something.

You shit.

You ain't nothing.

You're just walking around empty.

You in a desert.

C.G.

don't need you.

You need C.G.

Leave the man alone.

Let him die in peace

Where

the

hell are you CG?

You screamed. You scared me.

I thought they were hurting you.

No.

But it was good you screamed, Rose.

It scared them away.

You did it again, Rose.

You saved me just when I was going under.

Is it the right time?

Sure it is.

A victory dance is necessary.

Sing, Matilda, you'll come a

-waltzing, Matilda, with me.

And he sat, and he sang, and he

waited while his billy boiled.

You'll come a-waltzing, Matilda.

Thank you.

I got to stop now.

I know.

You rest now.

Oh, what a face.

What a face.

All the scars.

All the wounds.

So many battles.

What's the matter, Rose?

Rose?

Are you thinking about the time I was mad with you?

Yes.

Oh, Rose.

And about the time... you remember?

When you... When you came looking for me...

I was with a man with a short hair.

Oh, Rose.

That was a long time ago.

I was drunk.

In another city.

You had no money, Rose.

No food.

No place to sleep.

Be careful, Rose.

Well, that's what comes of drinking.

Never mind that. Hold me down, Sam.

Because if I fly away, I might never come back.

You're alive.

Of course I am.

Well, this has turned out to be an eventful evening.

I'll just start out. I'm already tired.

I've been looking for you.

Why here?

What you want?

Want me to make the run?

I'm all right, Sam.

Are you mad at me?

No.

Because if we start toting up what we owe each other, Sam, we're liable never

to figure it out.

No, I ain't mad to look.

Probably the best thing you've ever done for me.

I wouldn't be surprised.

I just sat there watching you walk away, starting another day.

Something inside of me just went click. I was sick and tired of being sick and

tired. I knew right then I wasn't ever going to take another drink.

I don't know.

We walked away and left each other thousands of times.

I wonder what was so special about that morning.

When I first saw you standing in the shadows back there at Rose's Park, you

know what I thought?

What? I thought the Pillow Man was coming to get me. Ah, I never believed

all that bunk about the Pillow Man.

Oh, he's around, Sam.

I don't know where, but I got a feeling he's around.

Give me that. Give me that.

Give me that.

Give me that.

Give me that. Give me that. Give me that. Give me that. Give me that.

You know CG.

It's liable to give it all away before they get back.

There's a lot of long throws camping out in their valleys.

Hey, hold it. Hold it. That's $10. Give me $10. Give me $10.

I know for a long time I had to come back down here.

I've been putting it off.

I've thought about you a lot lately, Sam.

I miss you and all that.

But I've been pulling for you in my way.

Hoping you were gonna make it.

Are you gonna make it?

Sure, that ain't hard.

Shit, I hardly wanted to drink at all since I left.

It's just that... Oh,

I don't know, it's just... It's... Oh, you can get the wine out of your

system, but damn, it's hard to get the life out of your system, you know?

It's boring out there, CG. It's just plain boring.

Scary as one of these.

You know, you try to get into what everybody's doing, but damn, when you

come right down to it, it's hard to knock yourself out for, what, getting a

new car, making a lot of money, or trying to be somebody.

It's like you gotta pretend, you know? You gotta pretend all that.

Shit's important.

Like it's a game everybody's into.

And the stone cold truth is the games down here is more fun.

You know, if the wine didn't make me so sick and the damn cops would go away,

I'd just as soon stick with you, C.G.

It's your choice, Sam.

I know there was UCG back there in that alley, but I didn't know the other

fella. So I lay there thinking for a while, and all of a sudden I thought,

hey, that's good old singing Sam.

Hi, Sam.

Since I hadn't heard a good song in a long time, I thought I might as well.

Wander over here and see what's going on.

I've seen you hundreds of times. Besides, I finished that short dog.

120 days up at the farm.

Every day you'd come in with more raisins. I got more raisins, man.

Remember that?

I remember this.

Hey, Tommy.

Come on.

Back at the quake, remember?

You and C.G. leaving that busted-up liquor store carrying all that wine. You

remember? He had the dry heaves and the wine shits... Get

out of here!

Come on!

Jack Rollers. Come on! Get out!

They're after my bags.

They said, what do you got in those bags? You got any dollars? You got any

nickels?

They said, I got my life in these bags.

I got the whole world in these bags.

Them Jack Rollers are real bad guys. They got my friends, and it just pops

his eye out, just like a great pop.

Sam went on a run looking for the profits.

And we were just hanging in there, waiting for Sam to get back.

Sing a song about the snowfall.

Only a song about the snowfall.

Sing how white the snow on

every tree.

And that's how true love should

ever be.

That was beautiful.

Beautiful roses. Peanuts are a root.

And I'm telling you that. And you gotta dig them up out of the ground.

I was raised in Georgia, and I was raised in Phoenix.

I spent a whole summer in South Carolina picking peanuts from bushes.

I had to reach up there.

I've been helping you for two years.

You don't seem to get anything.

How the hell am I going to do all this?

You'll get it. You just leave it for two more years and you'll have it made.

I wasn't the one who bring peanuts up. You were, Larry. You're full of peanuts.

What is it you were? Right here. What is a private photo?

A photo copy? No, photo private.

Probably they take pictures of your private, see whether you have any

disease or something like that. I don't know.

I had to reach way up in the air to get the talk.

How long have you been trying to collect this fucking social security shit? How

long? A long time.

Well, you ain't gonna get it.

You're not gonna get it.

Get out of here!

I'm getting tired of you coming in here and making all that kind of trouble. Son

of a bitch.

Even that busted up liquor store carrying all...

I don't know nothin' about peanuts. Well, I told you about peanuts. They

come from Argentina 2,000 years ago.

They put them in Virginia, and after the war... I picked them in South Carolina.

After the Civil War, I told you that.

You meet a guy wantin' that. Come on, I'm tired of peanuts!

You said something about defects the other day.

Defects? You haven't got any defects.

Oh, yeah, I do.

Thank you.

I told you where they come from. I gave you a whole education for four

hours one night and you don't even remember.

Some used to drink almost

none at all.

Some had wives and kids, cars and houses, and a lot of

friends to call.

That was a long time ago before anyone did know how to

drink in the morning and how to drink at noon and how to drink at night

and how to put it all together and make it come out right.

Here's to us all, and it's just where we sit.

A little wine-drinking friend.

We've got no place to shit.

Sing a song. Come on, Sam.

Come on. Come on, Sam. We ain't heard you sing in a long time.

No,

I don't sing no more, fellas. Come on.

For old time's sake.

Come on, Sam.

We missed

you all this time, Sammy.

Get up, get up.

You gotta give us a song.

Attaboy.

Once a jolly swag man.

What the hell are you looking at?

I'm gonna stand up here and make a fool of myself like a... drunk bum.

Look at you. Look, look at you. You call this a life?

There's a world out there, fella. There's a world people are... living out

there, making a... Not here, out there.

You know what's going on here?

I'll tell you what's going on here, death.

That's what's going on here, death.

You're all dead, you know that?

I'd like to be with you, but I...

Okay, come on, let's go.

Left, move, let's go.

Hey,

come on.

Get it up, come on, come on.

I told you bums not to be here, come on.

Get up, get up, get up.

Hey,

hey, come on, come on.

Let's go, up, come on.

Let's go, come on.

Hey, put him down. Let's go.

Let's go. Move.

Let's go. Hey,

come on.

Now, you men have been charged with violation of Section 647F.

You all should realize that each and every one of you has certain

constitutional rights, the right to face your accuser, the right to trial by

jury, the right to have an attorney.

Your rights were read to you at 1.30.

Kind post, how do you plead?

Excuse me?

Excuse me, sir, and stand up.

What?

Stand up, post.

Guilty or not guilty?

Well, I was just sleeping on the bench.

Answer the judge, Post.

Mr. Post, there are a lot of men here today. If you will cooperate with the

court, we can get on with the business at hand.

Now answer my question by saying guilty or not guilty.

Not guilty.

Do you understand why you're here, Mr. Post?

Yeah. The policeman put me in a wagon and brought me here.

Because you were drunk in public, Mr. Post.

You violated the law, and I want to know how you plead.

I wasn't drunk. I was just sleeping there when... The citation reads,

erratic walk on Los Angeles streets, slurred speech. When the policemen come

along, they start kicking me around. Three days.

Robert Dewey.

How do you plead?

Guilty, Your Honor.

So when do I get out?

Do you wish to waive your rights to an attorney, right to trial by jury, right

to remain silent?

Um... I hadn't thought about it.

You see, I got this job. I'm a dishwasher.

Offered that place on 52nd Street.

You'll be out in three days, Mr. Post.

When were you last here, Mr. Dewey?

No.

I can't remember.

Mr. Dewey, it says here...

You've been in this court 12 times during this month alone.

You couldn't prove it by me.

Well, we're going to have to keep you off the streets for a while, Mr. Dewey.

15 days, county farm.

Next time you come in here, I'm going to see to it you go away for a long time.

Do you understand that?

Yes, Your Honor.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Joe Cartidia.

How do you plead?

Joe Cartidia?

What's wrong with this man? Why didn't he answer?

Cartilla, levantese.

Come on, Joe, stand up.

How do you plead, Mr. Cartilla?

You see, Your Honor, I was discharged from the army because

they said I was drunk.

How do you plead, Mr. Cartilla? Do you understand the charges against you? I've

been going to the SSI office for so long, and...

They sent me to one office and then they sent me to the other one.

They took my forms away. Ten days.

Have the doctor look at that man.

They sent me to another place.

Paul Smith.

Paul Smith, how do you plead?

How do you plead, Mr. Smith?

How do you plead, Mr. Smith?

I've been sober for a long time. I was just trying to get myself straightened

out. Mr. Smith, how do you plead?

Just trying to get back to Harvard Lights.

Three days.

Get down, Mr. Smith.

C.G., doesn't this man have a name?

Your Honor, according to this, this man has not responded to questioning.

Come on, C.J., stand up.

Let's go.

I've seen this man in here many times before. He must have a record. Get it.

Are you all right, sir?

Are you now pleading the charge, sir?

It was real pretty.

Excuse me, sir?

Must have been guilty of something because

you killed it.

Bailiff, has this man been given medical attention?

It was real pretty.

It was just standing.

Like this.

Like this.

Sir, we have a large number of cases waiting.

Stand up.

Like this.

Sir.

Get out.

Maynard, get that man.

Years. Years, perhaps 20 or 30 years of excessive use of alcohol,

malnutrition, exposure.

Battery of police leaves the Skid Row alcoholic in a condition that defies

description.

Now, let's see.

Fingernails indicate clubbing.

Notice the bluish color and the claw-like appearance?

Only palysis.

Of course, look.

The nail is separated from its bed.

You may notice the overgrown and diseased liver protruding several inches

below the castral margin.

It's massive. It's almost out of the pelvic rim.

Here. Let's have a look at the face. First, the tongue.

Tongue is smooth.

Atrophied. Liver disease.

What have we here?

It's covered with decamosis.

Any way?

Intuition?

It's a battle sign.

It's probable.

Basal skull fracture.

Well, let's look at the eye, shall we?

Oh.

What is this called?

Anybody?

A blown... A blown...

The park, Sam.

Out in the park with Rose and you and my friends.

Sam.

Sam, Sam.

Oh, Sam.

You can't get me out of here, Sam.

Can you at least...

The pillar man strikes again.

All right, lift him up, put him on there.

This one I should have seen long ago.

This one will go fast.

Funny thing about the winos.

You can always tell when you put a wino in the oven.

No time flat.

Nothing but ashes.

Regular stiffs take three, more than three hours.

Not the winos.

Less than an hour.

Nothing but ashes.

Yeah, go fast.

And they burn with a different flame, blue.

Yeah, it's all the wine.

It's soaked into the bones.

The winos burn bright and fast.

Gotta keep them well covered.

Don't want to upset nobody.

Don't want the live ones to get too jumpy.

Roll along.

One more day till tomorrow.

all that you need roll

along roll right over your sorrow

rolling along

rolling until you are free

Would you believe that I used to dance?

I paid my money, took my chance, followed

my star.

It landed me here, winked at me once, then

disappeared.

Sometimes I wonder where I went wrong.

Could be I pressed?

my luck too long.

Still, if I had it over again, I'd never

be a citizen.

Okay, let's go over this one more time.

BM, you go to the furnace room. BM!

BM! Take the plugs out!

You go in the furnace room, alright?

I go in the furnace room, in the front there.

Well, it's the building in the back, in the front of the building in the back.

It's the furnace room.

In front of the building in the back. Right.

Just keep a mark. Just five minutes. Now, don't get yourself thrown out. In

front of the building in the back. Good.

Now, Bert and Peanut John, you go in the ash room.

See through the rose garden, over the little wall at the back of this round by

the stack.

Then we go up the stairs and then the...

There, it's just to the right.

To the left, God damn it. To the left.

Paul and me, we go in the office.

As soon as we find out the number, we yell it out to you, B.M.

B.M.!

As soon as we yell the number, pass it on to these guys in the back.

Pass the number to the back. Right.

As soon as you find what you're looking for, out the door, down through the

meadow, we'll meet you on the corner.

You all right?

You stay with me.

This is getting spooky.

Do we got to look in them ovens?

Oh, no. It's just a little peephole. You don't have time to look in.

I don't want to look in the ovens.

Look at that smoke coming out of that stack.

I think that's when I'll stay burning today. No, there's no bodies out here

today. Today's parts day, the guy told me.

What day?

Parts day. Tuesday's parts day.

What's parts day?

Well, parts.

You know, people give their...

Parts to medical science.

When they've used enough parts, they bring the other parts out of here and

put them in the furnace on Tuesdays.

Come on, let's go.

Sam,

Sam, they're drinking. Put that bottle right. Come on.

What the hell is that?

Them's parts.

Them's parts. God damn it, Sam. Them's parts.

It's not parts. It is a part.

It's garbage.

You can see it. You can tell.

Sorry, fellas.

Keep calm. God damn it. We're doing this for CG, remember?

Right there.

No. How?

Come on, Paul.

Look at that smokestack. We're breathing our friends.

Jesus Christ.

The bastards are spreading the ashes.

These are people who grow things.

Them ain't ashes.

Like hell they're not.

All right, all right.

Know how many of us wind up here?

They burned Cold Dick Harry and Foolish Carl up here last month.

We're walking on our friends.

It's a terrible world.

Yes. Yes, it's a small fee. Yes.

$19. Yes.

Then after you do that, you bring them down to our office, which is the

mortuary.

You take the papers to the health department.

Then they will give you a release.

Yes, there's a slight fee.

How much?

$12.

Then you would take them back to our office, which would be the mortuary.

And there would be a slight, yes, there would be a slight fee.

And you're not allowing him something? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. They said at the house

that I could come over here.

You see, I was walking down there and I said to myself, God damn it, this is a

great idea, you see, because I was thinking about in the future when I die,

you know, we all got to die sometime, right? I'm sorry, you're not allowed in

here. No, he said it was all right that you should show me exactly how it's...

Oh, my God.

Is that it?

Is that it?

Yeah.

Wait a minute. Excuse me, fella, you cannot go in there. Wait a minute.

$12. Then you bring the papers to me.

And then I'll, in turn, give you the creaming.

Thank you.

How you doing, brother?

Fine.

This office for the crematory, ain't it? Yes, it is.

You in charge?

Yes.

I had a friend that died, and I got some papers here so I can pick up his ashes.

I want to ask you something.

You get many people from Skid Row down here?

Yes, I do.

How many do you figure you get in a week?

By 25, from Skid Row.

Now, if a guy died in a county hospital and he's supposed to be brought out

here, now how long would it take? About 15 days to get to me.

I got you. Well, what's the date?

What's the date today?

May the 1st.

May 1st.

May Day.

What is this thing?

Oh, that's the board. That's the board. They take the form, these two fellas

over here. But I'll show you. Watch it.

Just take the board all the way down, near the door, and that's the oven.

We place the body over here. You gotta be quick. You know, I don't lose many.

But sometimes I say to myself, oh, well, we can always get more boards. And I let

it go.

Where do you keep the ashes?

Oh, the ashes, we put them in a little box, you know, and we keep them in the

back. They'll be concealed very nice.

These are not the right papers. What do you mean?

They are not the right papers. What do you mean, wrong papers?

Oh, that's the papers the lady gave me. Come on, man. But his name's supposed to

be here, and the day that he expires is supposed to be here, and his address is

supposed to be at the bottom. Now, what do you mean, ain't the right paper?

That's a jail release.

Huh? That's a jail release. Damn, wait a minute.

Those are the right papers, man. It's got to be the right papers. See right

there? No, man.

Hey, listen. What do you say is supposed to be on it?

That's it.

Who?

He sent you these papers.

Well, wait a minute. This is big.

I'm going to go back and do this right now.

Six, seven, three, four.

Did you hear that?

I heard a number.

What number?

64, 37.

What was that number?

What the hell are you doing? What number did I say?

Oh, it's 6734.

What the hell is that goddamn number?

3467!

7436!

7436!

7436!

There's somebody out there, right?

You see, Rose?

Now you got a park that moves.

You know the police won't hurt your park as long as you keep moving, right, Rose?

They never arrest us as long as we keep moving.

So now we can keep moving.

Rose, this is what's left of CG.

C.G., you died like you lived, wanting a drink.

We don't know for sure where you are now, but we all hope somebody's keeping

an eye on you, because you sure as hell don't know how to look after yourself.

There ain't nobody in the whole world going to miss you, buddy, except us.

As soon as these guys got some wine in them, it ain't hardly going to miss you

either.

You got through, C.G.

And now maybe there won't be no more arrests, no more times in jail, no more

waking up sick as hell.

No more of the world treating you like you didn't count.

Of course you didn't count.

Except a rose and a couple of us.

Sleep well, CG.

It's time.

It's time to go now, Rose.

We gotta keep moving.

Up sprang the swag man and jumped into the billabong.

He'll never take me alive, cried he.

Ghosts may be heard as you walk along the billabong.

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

Waltzing Matilda.

That's the first time I ever sang sober.

I didn't think I could do it.

It keeps getting bigger when you get over on your own.

You'll never know how rich you are if you haven't

got a prayer.

It's heads you win, tails they lose on the

nickel for that.

You know I hate to leave you, but it's time to

say goodbye.

The buffalo can find you when you're

on the other side.

So here's to all the little boys.

Sandman takes you well.

You're sleeping with the pillow man on the

nickel over there.