Subject:Play
Entries
Entry 10052
(You what?)
Goes tuh de fo'ks of de road an' learn how tuh play music, an' dey will play right dere. Take a black cet bone, ah believe it is, an' as dey play an' as dey talk, dey draw it across dem, yo' know, until dey find dat main bone. Den dey fin' dat main bone an' ah think it's - dey'll heah a roostah crow. An' den dey 'ave sold dereself tuh de devil.
(I see.)
An' den dey kin play music jis' as good as a pursun dat's been playin' all de time. (What do they do to the cat first, before they pull all those bones through their mouth?) Well, yo' see, dey boils de ket. (And then they take each bottle while they are playing and put it through their mouth?) [This was inferred from informant's dey draw it across dem.] Yes, sir, put 'em through dere mouth.
(And when the right bone appears, a rooster will crow?)
A roostah 'ill crow.
(I see. And they have sold themselves to the devil?)
Yes sir.
(I see.) [For rooster see also 10066.]
Entry 10497
Those forks of the road? If a man wants to join in with the order world work, he want to go to the forks of the road at between twelve and one o'clock at night. He'd want to take his guitar and he'd want to play it at twelve or one o'clock at night; see, at the forks of the road. And cuss The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and he'd get them. His sight would come through his eyes [sight would be only guide] where he could be a underworld man and anything don't bother him - the worry. And he'd just say he joined the devil and anything that he'd take, that Wasn't right, well he'd be successful at it.
Entry 10509
(What do they say about that?)
Well, they tell me you go to the fork of the road late at night, by yourself, with a guitar. See, forks of de road - a road go this way and one go the other Way [demonstrates]. You sit there with that guitar 'till it get dark, you under- stand. It kin be fair, but it come - it's getting dark. See. Well, if you know how to play dat guitar, you under- stand, well you go there and get in that fork of the road for three nights. And you come an' play, make any kind of tune - make any kind of note on that guitar you want. (I see.) [This is learning to play better or selling self to devil.]
Entry 10510
If yo' got a gui-tah or ukulele or eithah a banjo, an' if yo' wants tuh learn how tuh pick an' yo' can't learn with your own knowledge, yo' take at about fo' 'clock in de mawn- in' an' go an' sit out at de fo'ks of de road, an' begins tuh pick. Ev'rythin' will appeah befo' yo' but 'cos' when yo' do dat yo' sells yo'self tuh de devil. If yo' kin stand tuh see all dose things tuh come befo' yo', when yo' come back home yo' kin pick jes' as well as if yo' been doin' it fo' ten or twelve yeahs; if yo' can't, [then you] be 'fraid of anythin' dat come befo' yo'.
Entry 10515
Dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road tuh learn music. Yo' go at twelve a'clock in de night an' yo' have yore instruments, an' yo' stop in de centah of de road - see, dere fo' points. An' den yo' start tuh play yore music an' dat's de way yo' learn tuh play music. [The center of the crossroad is rarely expressed as here, it probably always being assumed. If it is the center of a 4-forked road, each with a 90° angle, it is a quincunx rite.]
Entry 10516
Well, ah had a friend, he wanted tuh learn how tuh play music. An' he said dat he went tuh de fo'k of de road an' carried a rooster in a box; an he had a little - made him a guitar. An' when it twelve a'clock dat box wus layin' ovah dere, an' he [it] went tuh playin' music - de roost- er crowed first - an' dat box went tuh playin' music. An' when dat box went tuh playin' music, he went an picked it up. An' den de devil come up dere, he says, an' he showed him how tuh play dis.
(He went out there at any time?)
No, went at night, twelve a'clock at night.
(Any day of the week?)
All 'cept Sunday.
(You can't go on Sunday? Any day but Sunday?)
Yes.
Entry 10522
I've heard of people selling thereself to the devil when they wanted to be a musician. They go to a cedar tree and git under the cedar tree and that's where they commence using this music. They carry what they want to play with them. That's supposed to sell themself to the devil. The devil appears to them and shows them how to play this music.
Entry 10533
Well, ah heard if anybody wanted tuh learn how tuh play music or any tind dat dey could jes' take dere music fo' nine mawnin's an' go to de fo'ks of de road an' sit dere an' begin tuh play. An' as dey begin tuh play, den sompin adl come along an' tune dis music [instrument] fo' 'em an' cause dem tuh play anythin' dey Wanta play.
Entry 10536
Ah heard long yeahs ago concernin' a person's goin' dere on sech an' sech a day. Ah heard folks say yo' could take a banjo on Sunday mawnin' [before day] fo' nine mawnin's an' go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' pick dat banjo, an' de ninth mawnin' de devil would meet chew dere an' yo' would be able tuh do anythin'.
(You will learn how to play?)
Yes.
Entry 10537
Dis story whut ah've heard of, de man whut wants tuh learn tuh play de gui-tah music. He kin take his instrument, whut he Wants tuh learn tuh play, an' he kin go tuh a crossroads fo' nine mawnin's. An' on de ninth mawnin' dere will be sompin dere, dey said, which would take de gui-tah - which would be de devil. He take dat instrument an' tune it into tune fo' yo' tuh play, understand. An' yo' kin play it from den on, aftah de ninth mawnin' at de crossroads.
Entry 10539
If you want to learn how to pick a banjo, you go to the fork of the road before sunrise nine mornings. The ninth morning when you go there, they say you meet a man, but it was the devil. They said the man asked him what he got there and [the owner] told him a banjo. And he [devil] took it and tuned it for him and learn him a piece.
Entry 10542
To play guitar, go out to forks or road before sunrise. Sell self to devil. Go 7 mornings with the guitar and play.
Entry 10556
Now yo' kin take a bullbat an' if yo' wanta tuh, jes' lak if some people, yo' know, dey play de bolito or somepin an' dey wanta dream a good num- ber. Well dey take dat bullbat an' dey goes out an' dey kill him an' git some of de blood, yo' know when it's running from him an' take it an' jes', anything yo' know, an' [with this blood] jes' write jes' whatever yo' wanta know, yo' see, onto dat paper, an' place it under yore head dat night, an't [and it] will come tuh yo' in yore dreams, jes' whatever yo' wanta know. Yeah, if yo' wanta git de right number.