Jason Robert Brown
That’s What He Said
[DORSEY, spoken]
Bring in Jim Conley!
[SOLOISTS, SOLOISTS, GROUP 1, (GROUP 2)]
Lemme see!
What's he
Watch out! Gonna say?
(What's he)
Who's (Gonna say?)
Jim Conley? Jim? Why they gonna
Wait a minute! Call that (Why they gonna)
Lord 'nother Man? (Call that)
N*gger...
Look-a this! Watch out! What's he (Man?)
What's he gonna Gotta say about? (What's he gotta)
What's he gonna Say? (Say about...?)
Say? Oh!
Watch out! Will ya (Oh!)
Look! Look-a that? (Will ya)
Jimmy! Puttin' on airs (Look-a that?)
Now
Wait a minute! (Puttin' on airs)
He's no Slick
No damn good! Good!
Who's As an onion! (Slick as an)
This? What's he gonna (Onion!)
What's he doin'? Do? (What's he gonna)
He's askin' him a What's he gonna (Do?)
Question... What's he gonna Say?
Say... Say? (What's he gonna)
(Say?)
[CONLEY]
He told me to watch the door
“Watch the door,” that’s what he said
That's what he said, I should make sure no one came and interrupted
Well, I’d say once or twice a month
He’d tell me, “Jim, you watch the door
I got a lady comin’
I got a lady comin’.”
Like I said, once or twice a month
There’d be a lady comin’ to call
And he’d say “Jim, you watch the door.”
That’s what he said
(spoken)
And once, I remember, there were two ladies
Another time there was this young black gentleman from Chicago—
[ROSSER, spoken]
Objection!
[DORSEY, spoken]
Alright then, Jim
Will you tell us about the morning of April 26th?
[CONLEY, spoken]
The day of the parade?
(singing)
He told me to watch the door
“Watch the door,” that’s what he said
That’s what he said
“I’ve got a girl
She’ll be comin’ up to see me
She’s a very pretty girl,”
He said, “don’t let me catch you lookin’
At Miss Mary Perkins.”
(spoken)
That’s what he called her, I think, uh-huh
(singing)
“Miss Mary Perkins!”
So when Miss Mary came to call
I kept my eyes down to the floor
Cause Mr. Frank said not to look
That’s what he said
(spoken)
Next thing
I hear Mr. Frank yellin’ somethin’
So I runs upstairs and I open the door
And Mr. Frank looks up!
(singing)
He said “We were playin’ a game
“Playin’ a game,” that’s what he said
That’s what he said
And little Mary’s kinda crumbled in the corner
He said, “You don’t understand!
She didn’t wanna play the game
And so I went and hit her!
You see, I had to hit her!”
He told me I should go and look
He said, “She’s acting like she’s sick,”
And I said, “Lord, that child is dead!”
That’s what I said
And he said “No! No!
It ain’t my fault that girl is dead!”
He said “No! No!”
That’s what he said
[CROWD]
That’s what he said
[CONLEY]
He said “No! No!”
And his eyes were wild, and his face was red
He said “No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
That’s what he said!
[CROWD]
That’s what he said, that’s what he-
What he said, he said that’s-
That’s what he said!
[CONLEY]
He said “Gotta get her out
Let’s get her out!”
That’s what he said
[ENSEMBLE]
That’s what he said!
[CONLEY]
And so I found me this old gunny sack and wrapped her
He said, “You’re a good boy, Jim!
I know you won’t tell no one nothin’!
Here’s a hundred dollars”
[CROWD]
No! It can’t be true!
[CONLEY]
I got a hundred dollars
[CROWD]
God! What can we do?
[CONLEY]
And so I put her on my back
We took the elevator down
He said, “Just throw her on the ground!”
That’s what he said
[CROWD]
That’s what he said!
[CONLEY]
Yes, he said “No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"There ain’t no reason I should hang”
He said “No!”
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
That’s what he said!
[CROWD]
That’s what he said!
[CONLEY]
He said “No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"No!"
[CROWD]
No!
[CONLEY]
"There ain’t no reason I should hang
You got money in your pocket
And there’s plenty more of that-
I got wealthy friends and fam’ly
And a wife who’s dumb and fat!
And I got rich folks out in Brooklyn
If I need somewhere to go!
And these stupid rednecks never gonna know!”
[CROWD]
Hang him!
[CONLEY]
“No!”
[CROWD]
Hang him!
[CONLEY]
“It ain’t my fault that girl is dead!”
[CROWD]
Hang the Jew!
[CONLEY]
He said “No!”
[CROWD]
Hang him!
[CONLEY]
“No!”
[CROWD]
Hang him!
[CONLEY]
That’s what he said!
[CROWD]
Make him pay!
[CONLEY]
He said "No!"
[CROWD]
Get him!
[CONLEY]
“No!”
[CROWD]
Now!
[CONLEY]
And his eyes were wild
And his face was red
He said “No!”
[CROWD, LEO, FIDDLIN' JOHN, (RANDY)]
Hang him!
Hang him!
Hang him! No!
Yeah!
Hang the
Killer!
Kill him!
Jew! People of
Kill him! Atlanta!
Hang him! (People of)
Get him (Atlanta...)
Yes! Raise
Make him Your
Pay! Voices!
Bastard!
Yeah!
Take him Raise your (Raise your)
Down! Voices (Voices)
Kill him! High! (High)
Get him! (For)
Nail him! (Mary!)
Now!
[CROWD, FIDDLIN' JOHN, FRANKIE, RANDY, & LIZZIE]
Hang him!
Hang him!
High!
Hang him!
Hang him!
High!
Hang him!
Hang him!
Hang him! Hang him!