Crossroad Poem by jackilton peachum

CROSSROAD
(MISSISSIPI,1938)
Play me some chords, my man, play me some chords!
Tell my friend, Willie Brown, / Lawd, I'm standin‘ at d' Crossroad, babe, /
Lord I b'leeve I' m sinkin' down, / I b'leeve I'm sinkin' down!
Aw, don' I know, don' I know!
Crossroad at midnight, moonlight's bright as day, hot wind's a-blowin', cotton shakes a white head, holds up a white arm, bows like its a ghost gon' jump off goin' somewhere, but ain't nowhere t' go-- nowhere atall!
A man I met down 'ere—don' prove nothin', do it? Naw, don' prove nothin'—he won't colored n'r white, kinda copper-skin't, jes' a swarthy li'l old man-- skin 'bout t' like a new penny-- red suspenders, red shoes-- shabby clothes ahangin' off 'im!
Don't make no sense, do it? He a devil, you figger he got all th' money he gon' ever need, right? Shoot-- first thing he'd buy hisself a decent suit, wouldn't he? Sho', he would!
He don' say a word— not one word! I'm tellin' 'im I give my soul t' be outta sharecropper Missippi an' I dont know nothin' but music!
He takes my guitar an' plinks it-- then I notices—a mean li'l smile, his eyes agleamin' under iz black hat—oh, he perks up when I mentions my soul! He proceeds tunin' that guitar, hands it back t' me--
Lawd-- I'm standin‘ at d' Crossroad, babe/ I b'leeve I'm sinkin' down!
Next mawnin' I set down on edge of bed an' tetched a string- oh, my honey, suddenly-- hit's all I ever wanted! All I ever dreamed- sweetest sound I ever hear- sweeter'n a woman's voice when she's lovin' on you- sweeter'n good whiskey in back room of a country store at sunrise!
That music's real-- I kin reach out'n tetch it! And ain' like I'm alone-- naw, somebody's playing guitar right longside me— they's two of us!
Aw, I know it's Devil's music—but I can't he'p myself— I gots t' play an' play— an' when I plucks that string agin, I ain't down south no mo'- I ain't no po' broke colored man- I's a free spirit floatin' ‘cross Delta headed up-river past Vicksburg 'r down t' New Orleens! Ever'where I goes they's music in th' night- an' I'm man what's playin' hit!
Soon, guitar takes me out t' road an' we rambles up and down- I been t' Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, St. Louis- spent time over t' Memphis, down t' Mo-bile- I been most ever'where they plays Devil's music--
I went to d' Crossroad, fell down on my knees, / I went to d' Crossroad fell down on my knees, /Asked d' Lawd above, / 'Have mercy now--/ Save po' Bob if you pleeze, / Save poor Bob if you pleeze!
Play me some chords, man-- play me some chords! I
b'leeve I'm sinkin' down--
An' I ain't feeling good this mawnin'- oh, I'm sick t' my stomach- been so all night long! I was at a dance last evenin' talkin' to a woman when up comes 'er husband offers me 'iz bottle- I'm all set to drink an' 'nother feller comes long knocks it out of my han'! I didn't like that an' tol' 'im so- he says I shdn' drink outta no bottle I ain't seen opened myself!
Husband comes back an' hands me 'nother bottle- this time I drink ‘bout all of hit. I looks over an' his eyes aburnin' same as that old man at th' crossroad- suddenly, I'm a-shakin' all over an', oh, Lawd, makes me wanna cry!
Suddenly, I'm skeered- yeah, I'm real skeered! See, I recall how he bit when I mention tradin' my soul- he set straight up then, he did!
I got th' music, awright- but I think I done messed up! I b'leeve I been pizen'd! I'm real sick t' die and I'm thinking mebbe he put something in that there bottle!
But what if I die and I ain't got no soul no mo'? What's gon' happen t' me?
Robert Johnson, you been a fool- hit's Devil's music awright!