The Green Pastures

by Marc Connelly

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"I'll Jest R'ar Back An' Pass A Miracle"

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Context: A short time after the play opens, the scene shifts from a Sunday-School room in Louisiana, where several Negro children are hearing the story of creation, to Heaven before creation, as conceived by the unsophisticated imaginations of the children. Their Heaven is very much like southern Louisiana, and the angels display all of the earthly qualities of the folks who gather at church every Sunday. When the scene in Heaven opens, the angels are having a fish fry. After the scene is sufficiently developed to show the basic human elements in this Heaven before creation, an anthropomorphic God enters the scene. Received like a highly respected friend, he accepts a "seegar" and a cup of "b'led custud." To the embarrassment of all, however, he finds that the custard "needs jest a little bit mo' firmament." The custard-maker says: "It's all we had, Lawd. Dey ain't a drap in de jug."


GOD
Dat's all right. I'll jest r'ar back an' pass a miracle. Let it be some firmament! . . . caise I'm sick an' tired of runnin' out of it when we need it. . . .

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