Mississippi Joe Monologue

It had been a hot, humid day playing on the corner for Mississippi Joe and Willy Brown. Their white cotton shirts were completely soaked through with sweat and their throats were dry. They had received about two dollars from pedestrians, and were ready to end their day on the street. “I think it’s about time we head on over to the juke joint, Willy,” said Mississippi Joe. “You think we’ll get the stage tonight?” asked Willy. “That’s why we gotta get their soon. You know how Skip is. If he gets their ‘fore us there ain’t no way we'll get to play,” responded Mississippi Joe, saying Skip’s name with disdain. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m gettin’ tired of being pushed off to the side by him,” Willy said. The two men packed up their guitars and got into Willy’s old, half broken jalopy. It struggled to start and then slowly chugged on down the gravel road towards the juke joint, kicking up a cloud of dust as it went. Rain clouds could be seen far off in the distance and a slight breeze could be felt. “I

Joe started to play “M & O Blues”. A familiar song, but much more exciting with is intricate playing. The crowd started to move around and dance, enjoying the fast paced version of the song. Joe started to sing, but he wasn’t able to match the pitch. He had never had this problem. He tried again and his voice cracked horribly. The crowd began laughing and then started booing. He decided to give it one more try. This attempt was even worse than previous two, and a volley of bottles came flying at the stage. Joe ran off the stage, embarrassed by yet another failure. He ran out of the juke joint into the heavy rain. His feet splashing through the muddy puddles of the gravel road. He ran until he reached a crossroads and dropped down on his knees in exhaustion. Through the heavy rain Joe saw a bible black Lincoln Model K rolling towards him down the muddy road. It stopped and the man in black stepped