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Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
KALE OF WORKER Ralph Ellison
ADDRESS 470 Mr. 150th Street
DATE June 15, 1939
SUBJECT HARLEM
FOLKLORE
494
NEW YORK
v
1. Date and time of interview June 14, 1939
2. Place of interview Front of the building at il4470 W. 150th Street.
3. Name and address of informant
4. Name and address of person, if any, who .,:ut you in
touch with infurmant.
5. Name and aderess ot pe:rson, if any, accomipanying you
6. Description of run, house, surroundinj, etc.
city Street.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms,
each bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material
refers.)
FORM C
TEXT OF INTERVIEW (UNEDITED)
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Ralph Ellison
ADDRESS 470 Ti. 150th Street
DATE June 15, 1939
SUBJECT HARLEM
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
I was sitting up on the bandstand drumming, trying to make
myself some beat -up change. Meant such a crowd in the place that
night, just a bunch a them beer -drinkers. I was looking down at
em dancing and wishing that things would liven up. Then a man come
up and give me four dollars just to sing one number. Well, I was
singing for that man. I was really laying it Jack, just like Marian
Anderson. What the hell you talking about; I'd sing all night after
that cat done give me four buoks; thats almost a finl But this is
what brings you down. One a these bums came up to the stand and says
to the banjo player:
"If you monkeys dont play some music, 1m gonna throw you outta
de jernt."
Men, I quit singing and looked at that sonofabitch. Then I
got mad. I said:
"Where the goddam hell you come from, you gonna throw somebody
outs this band? How you get so bad? Why you poor Brooklyn motherfriger,
I'll wreck this goddam plaoe with you."
Man, he looked at me. I said:
"Dont look at me goddamit, I mean what I say!"
By this time everybody is standing around listening. I said:
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"I oughta snatch your goddam head off-- Oh I know the restill
try to gang me. But they wont get me before I get to you. You crummy
bastard."
Then man, I make a break for my pocket, like I was pulling my gun.
Ha, Ha, goddaml You oughta seen em fall back from this cat. This bum
had on glasses and you oughta seen him holding up his hands and gitting
out amy way. Then the boss come up rtnning and put the sonofabitch out
into the street and told me to get back to work. Hell, I scaired, the
hell out of that bastard. A poor sonofabitch: Drinking beer and coming
up talking to us like that: You see he thought cause we was black he.
could talk like he wanted to: In a night club and drinking been I.
fixed him. I bet he wont try that no more.
Man, a poor white man is a bring -dawn. Be aint got nothing. He
cant get nothing. And he thinks cause hes white hes got to impress you
cause you black.
Then some of em comes up and try to be your friend. Like the other
night; Lm up on the stand drumming and singing, trying to make myself
some change. Iwas worried. I got a big old boy, dam near big as me,
and every time I look up hes got to have something. Well the other
night I hadnt made a dam thing. And I was sitting there drumming when
one of these buns what hangs around the place -one a these slaphappy
jitterbugs, comes up to me and says:
"You stink!"
Now you know that made me mad before I even knowed what he was
talking about. A white cat coning up to me talking about I stinkl I
said: "What you talking about. What you mean I stink? He said: "You
aint a good fellow like the other cats. You wont take me up to Harlem
and show ne around." I said:
"Hell yes, mammydodgr, I stink: If thats what you mean In gon
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always stink. Youll never oatoh me carrying a bunch of you poor
sonsabitches up there. Milt the hell you gonna do when you get up
there? You aint got nothing. Hell, you poor as I am. I dont se
you coming down to Harlem to carry me up to show me the Bronx. You
dam right I stink." Nan, he just looks at me now and says:
"Jack, you sho a funny cat.
Can you beat that? Be oughta know I aint got no use for him.
DAMI
Another one comes up to me another one a these beer -drinking
bums- and says:
"I want to go up to pour house sometime."
I said:
"Fo what! Now you tell me fo whatl" I said: What -in -the -world
do you want to cone up to 3E, place for? You aint got nothing and I
sho aint got nothing. Mats a poor colored cat and a poor white cat
gonna do together? You aint got nothing cause you too dumb to get it.
And I aint got nothins cause Al black. I guess you got your little ol
skin, theta the reason? Im supposed to feel good cause you walk in my
house and sit in my chairs? Hell, that skin aint no more good to you
than mine is to me. You oaint marry one a Du Ries daughters, and I
know dam well I oaint. 4o what the hell you gon do up to my place?"
Aw man, I have to get these white cats told, They think you
supposed to feel good cause they friendly to you. Boy I dont fool
with em. They just the reason why I oaint get ahead now. They try
to get all a mans money. Thats just the reason why I found me a
place up the street here. Mks Got two rooms in a private house witha
private bath. These other cats go down to Ludwig Baumans and give him
all their money so they can meet you on the street and say: "Oh you
must come up to my apartment sometimes. Oh yes, yes, I have some
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lovely furniture. You just must cone up sometime; You know, man,
they want to show off. But me I done got wise. In getting my stuff
outa junk shops, second hand stores, anywhere, I aint giving these
Jews my money. Like the chicks. I used to get my check and go out
with the boys and pick up some of these fine feathered chicks. You
know the light chicks with the fine hair. Wed go out making all the
gin mills, buying liquor. Id take em to a roam and have a ball. Then
Id wake up in the morning with all my beatup change gone and 41 have
to face my -wife and tell her SOMB deep lie that she didnt believe.
I dont do that no more. Now I give most of my money to my wife. And
I put the vest on the numbers. And when I see the fine chicks I tell
fen they have tolait till the numbers jumps out.
See this bag? I got me a head a cabbage and two years a corn.
In going up here and get me a side a bacon. When I get home, gonna
cook the cabbage and bacon, gonna make me some corn fritters and set
back in my twenty -five -dollars -a -month room and eat my fritters and
cabbage and tell the Jews to forgit it Jack I'm just sitting back
waiting, cause soon things is gonna narrow down to the fins point.
Hitlers gonna reach in a few months and grab and then thingsll start.
All the white folkell be killing off one another. And I hope they
do a good job! Then there wont be nobody left but Sm. Then we'll
be fighting it out amongst ourselves. That'll be a funky fight. Aw
hell yes: When Negroes start running things I think I'll have to get
off the earth before its too latex