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Text: Leffe
As I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left
'Cause I been blastin' and laughin' so long
That even my mama thinks that my mind is gone
I really hate to trip but I gotta loc
As they croak I see myself in the pistol smoke
Fool, I'm the kind of "G" the little homies wanna be like
On my knees in the night sayin' prayers in the street light
Been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
They been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in a gangsta's paradise
Look at the situation they got me facin'
I can't live with no hope I was raised by the state
So I gotta be down with the hood team
Took much television-watchin' got me chasin' dreams
I'm a educated fool with money on my mind
Got my tin in my hand and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loc'd out gangsta set trippin' banga
And my homies is down So don't arouse my anger
Fool, death ain't nothin' but a heartbeat away
I'm livin' life do or die What can I say
I'm 23, never will I live to see 24
The way things is goin' I don't know
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me
Been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
They been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in a gangsta's paradise
Power and the money Money and the power
Minute after minute Hour after hour
Everybody's runnin', but half of them ain't looked what's goin' on in the kitchen
But I don't know what's cookin'
They say I got to learn but nobody's here to teach me
lf they can't understand it how can they reach me
I guess they can't I guess they won't
I guess they front, that's why I know my life it outta luck, fool
Been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
They been spending most their lives living in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives living in a gangsta's paradise
And... Yeah, I'm just gonna have to check the schedule.
Thank you. Mm-hmm. Okay. Let me write that down.
Carla? My friend Louanne Johnson's here to see you.
Oh, God, is that today? Hal, it's-it's not a good time.
Well, she came in.
All right. Uh, I'm gonna have to call you back. Thank you.
Louanne, I'd like you to meet, uh, Carla Nichols, our assistant principal.
- Hello. - Carla, Louanne Johnson.
I'll wait outside.
Uh, please, uh, have a, have a seat.
- Thank you for seeing me. - Oh, well,
Mr Griffith... Uh, Hal... has told me so much about you.
- I hope not everything. - Oh...
Oh. No, only... only good.
And I must say, it-it isn't often that we have an applicant...
of your maturity and, uh, varied experience.
Um, B.A. in English Lit, public relations, telemarketing.
- M-Marine. - Mm-hmm.
- You don't look like a Marine. - Oh, well.
Long sleeves. Hides the tattoos.
Uh, fully accredited, except for one term of, of supervised student teaching.
Why did you stop so close to being certified?
Well, I met my husband and started working for his company.
Uh, w-we're divorcing.
W-Well, it would be no problem to get you emergency certification.
- When could you start? - Start?
Teaching.
Miss Johnson, I'lI-I'll cut to the chase.
One of our, uh, academy teachers, Mrs. Shepherd, left,
and since then we've had three substitute teachers.
The last one, Mrs. Gingrich, fell ill just this morning.
So we have a fulI-time position and we need to fill it now.
- I... Um... Full time. - Yes.
I'm sorry, um, I thought this was an interview to, uh, t-to student teach.
- Well... - Uh, w-w-w-w-wh... Um, what is a...
What... What is an academy teacher?
Uh, well, the academy is, uh...
lt...lt's sort of a school within a school.
Uh, special kids. Passionate, energetic, challenging.
The, uh, salary is, is $24,700 a year. Are you interested?
Yes, I... Yes, I'm, I'm, I'm interested.
Oh, that's wonderful. That... Great. Great.
Okay, so... Oh, welI... So, uh, these... these are for you.
Uh, curriculum, schedule and, uh, whatnot.
And if you would just follow me.
- We have a new teacher. - Great!
- Congratulations! - Full time.
- What? - Yeah. - Yes. Uh, starting tomorrow,
Mrs. Johnson is going to be teaching one of our academy classes.
I'm afraid Mrs. Gingrich is no longer with us.
- Carla, they... - Mr Griffith's classroom is right next to yours.
So would you meet her outside tomorrow and show her 107?
- Right. - Thank you.
- I just know this is gonna work out. - Thank you so much.
Thank you.
- Full time. - Louanne...
-Hal! -Louanne, d-did she t-tell you about, uh, the academy programme?
Yeah, yeah. No, she told me all about it.
She said, you know, bright, special kids and...
- Uh, Louanne, d... - I wanna teach, Hal!
- lf I have any questions, I'll know who to ask, right? - Yeah. I'll be counting on it.
Fly ho's and chains and swingin' thangs
Save me
Just another young nigger havin' thangs
Just a-havin' thangs
Fly ho's and chains and swingin' thangs
Why must I feel like that
Just another young nigger havin' thangs
lt's to your right.
I guess Miss Shepherd's lesson plans will be in her desk.
Very possibly.
This is your classroom.
- Noisy bunch, aren't they? - Yes, but if you stand there long enough,
they'll usually quiet down.
Don't try and shout over them.
Right. Thanks.
Louanne.
I'm right next door.
Thanks.
A little history and history of government...
lmmobilizing your physical and your brain
With the emotion of subliminal motivation
- Look at that! - No, no, no. Not yours.
- White bread. - Snappin' my fingers appropriately when I rip
You get flipped and then I pass the microphone to my homegirl Chris
Now I see you runnin' I'm comin', boom, how stunnin'
Fast as I step Got to earn a big rep
For huntin' homies like deer Crack a beer and some heads
Then go find another poor person I can trap in my cage for a night
Let loose, fool, run 'Cause my first meal is done
- May I have your attention, please? - How long y'all been together?
You run, I'll shoot 'Cause your homies said 'boo' to me
Your life is a joke Smoked by the A to the K
You went to bed without a trace lnfrared dot marks the spot
-So duck or find your ass shot -What happened to Miss Shepherd?
- Better not do that. - What?
- What happened to Miss Shepherd? - Ooh, no, she ain't askin' about Miss triflin'-ass Shepherd.
You playin' yourself. Playin' yourself.
Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo! Listen up! Yo, listen up!
White Bread wanna know what happened to Miss Shepherd.
We killed the bitch.
Kick it, kick it, kick it, kick it, kick it. Hey!
I was beginning to like the puta!
Ohh! No, no, no. Everybody, everybody. Emilio ate her.
Bullshit.
- That bitch was too ugly to eat. - Yeah!
Fed her to my dogs.
But I'll eat you.
What is your name?
Emilio Ramirez.
- Now, Emilio! - Emilio, you in trouble!
Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio!
- Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! - Oh, my God. - What's that?
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. You know what they're like. Come on.
Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio! Emilio!
Madison surrendered to the nationalists.
Hamilton himself could have already have composed the message that embraced...
Donna. Donna, take over the class.
Shut up!
What happened to Miss Shepherd?
- Well, she quit. - Why?
Well, she was a very high-strung individual.
What, did she have a breakdown?
No. She quit before that.
One of the substitutes, she had a breakdown.
- That's how they weed them out. - Who are these kids, rejects from hell?
No. They're bright kids with little or no educational skills...
and what we politely call a lot of social problems.
Damn it, Griffith, you could've warned me!
Hey, Louanne, you said you wanted to teach.
- Now, is that a load of bull or what? - No!
- So teach. - I ca... - What?
I can't teach them!
Yes, you can. All you gotta do is get their attention.
Or quit.
I'm back!
"She decided that if Brian broke a rule she would utilize these consequences:
The first time he broke a rule his name would be put on the board."
This is the life
Okay, you little bastards.
- Come on - Put your back into it
- Come on - Put your back into the beat
Achieve the goals in which you seek
Don't let nobody steer you wrong
Or you'll be singin' that same old song
- How someone's always holdin you down - There she is.
- Just keep your two feet on the ground - Girl, you didn't get enough yesterday?
And when you come you be direct 'cause punks get no respect
- My eyes to the west side - East side, west side
How you doin'? Yeah.
Hey, everybody, everybody, look! A cowboy!
Put your back into it Put your back into it
- Put your back into it - Don't talk about... Don't talk about yourself like that.
"I am a..."
- Shut up! Y'all sound like them fifth-graders! - You shut up! - You shut up!
"Does... anyone...
know..."
- What's "karate"? - Karate, you stupid asshole.
- You're so stupid. - You're a Marine? A for-real Marine?
- Discharged, but yes. - Estupido.
I'll try some karate with you, Miss Johnson.
I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to touch a student.
But if you really think you know what you're doin', come on up here.
Hey, sounds like a challenge to me, ?se. You'd better get up there.
Oh, I know what I'm doin'. There's no sense doin' it though if you can't touch me.
Okay, anybody else know any karate? What about you?
- Durrell Chang Chang. - I know some motherfuckin' karate.
Whoo! Durrell, gimme it!
- Durrell. - Shit.
- What about you? You know any karate? - Raul. Yeah, I know enough.
- Okay, Raul. - Go on up there.
Come on up here.
- All right. Yeah, shit. I'm gonna take that motherfucker. - Come on, Nacho.
Shit. All right. Come on, let's go, ?se.
Let's go.
Shit!
You guys... Wait, wait, wait. Whoa!
You guys don't know shit.
-"l don't know shit," man. I know what I'm doin', lady. -You don't even know any throws.
Now, I heard that a Marine can kill a man with his, uh, bare hands. ls that true?
Absolutely.
Oh, shit.
Okay, h-here's how it starts.
Um, okay, where's a... Can you two move that desk down there a little bit?
Um, okay, everything is slow motion at first.
- Um, Durrell. - Yeah.
Okay, you, um, you move into Raul like you're gonna hit him.
Yeah, I can do that.
- Okay. - Nacho.
Now, Raul, you're gonna step into Durrell...
and you're gonna grab his wrist, okay?
You're gonna turn your body away from him so that your butt is in his stomach. Okay?
Fuck you! Get the fuck off me, man!
What you gonna do?
- Man, you wish, homes! You wish, man! - Bring it on, homes!
- Fuck you! Get your hands off me! - Bring it on, Nacho. - You wish, man!
- Bring it on. - Now, it's a hip throw. lt's a hip throw.
- Okay, take your fighting stance again, okay. - Nacho.
Okay, grab his wrist. Okay.
Now, now this time, as you move in,
you're gonna take this hand, you're gonna grab onto this shoulder.
Okay? Ready?
Oh, shit!
Thank you! Hey! Hey! All right!
- Ow, man! I'll kick your motherfuckin' ass, ?se! - Sucker! Sucker!
Well, that was "A" work.
You'd make good Marines.
ln fact, from this moment,
each one of you is like an inductee...
- Who's a duck? - with a clean record. - Quack.
- So, if you wanna pass, - Quack quack.
all you have to do is try.
Oh, homes.
Because at this point, everyone has an "A."
- What? - ls she serious?
But it's up to you to keep it.
-Bullshit. -Yo, why don't you shut up, man.
What if it ain't bullshit? Ain't never had no fuckin' "A" before.
I once knew a man who couldn't read
He said it ain't no thang 'cause I graduated twice
With the game I possess
Bulletproof vest to the chest
But when his kids needed help to prepare for a test
lt was stress 'cause Pops didn't achieve any academics
And true, indeed This problem is an epidemic
Who want to work five long hard days through it and get taxed
So that's a message for your mind
The story's been told about a thousand times
So here's a message for your mind
One thousand-one One thousand-two
So here's a message for your mind
Morning.
- Okay, today we are going to conjugate some verbs. - What? - What?
Hey, what about karate?
Well, I can't just teach you karate. I'll show you another hold next week.
Get outta here!
Belt it out, too. I wanna hear it.
We eat green beans for dinner. What you do with 'em?
"We eat green beans for dinner."
- Okay... - Hey, Pam. Pam!
Ye... Yo, Chris!
Hey. Hey. Hey, what's up?
Hey, man, it's not a big deal, okay?
ls that true?
lf we wanna die? Shit, no.
We want you to die.
- ls that true? - Well, if it was between you and us, hell yeah.
- Okay. - Hey! Hey! I don't care if I live or die!
- What about that? - Suicide, man. - What's all this bullshit with dying?
- You want us dead? - No, darlin', but I do want you to keep your "A."
So, no, I'm gonna make it real easy on you, okay?
All you have to do is tell me the verb that makes this sentence true.
We choose to do some karate.
- Yeah, right. - Okay, give me a verb instead of "choose."
- We're going to die? - We must die, okay.
- Okay, "we must die." ls "must" a verb? Can you, uh... - No, "must" ain't no verb.
- Can you "must" something? - Yeah. I must piss right now. You'd better believe it.
Okay, what verb that we used today is the most powerful?
- Die. - Piss.
Oh, you so stupid!
- Choose. - Choose.
- What's your name? - Callie.
Callie, why?
Because that's the difference between owning your life and being afraid.
Saying "l choose" no matter what.
You mean, like a guy's got a gun to your head...
and he's pulling the trigger and you say, "l choose to die"?
No, you ain't choosin' to die, but you can choose to die without screaming, right?
I mean, you could always choose somethin'.
- Not where I live. - Shit.
Did you read that somewhere in this class?
No. ln our class we readin' this book called My Darling, My Hamburger.
- From this. - My what?
- My Darling, My Hamburger. - Hamburger?
Possessive pronoun, noun, possessive pronoun.
- Oh, watch it, girl. - Let's see.
E-Excuse me.
- Excuse me, Miss Johnson. - Uh... Oh, yes.
Would you stop by the principaI's office before your next class, please?
Mr Grandey would like to speak to you.
The principal!
Oooh, White Bread in trouble!
Yes. I'll talk to you later.
Bye-bye.
Miss Johnson, this is an office. We knock before we enter.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Please.
Now, Miss Johnson, I'm taking into consideration the fact that you're new...
and therefore don't know that teaching karate is against school policy...
and can lead to a lawsuit in case of an injury.
But you can avoid this kind of error... you simply follow the curriculum...
dictated by the Board of Education.
Well, um, sir, that's almost impossible, um...
Most of my students don't even know what a verb is.
lf you're going to teach them,
I'm sure there's a better sentence than "We choose to die."
I'm sure there are, but I... I-l needed a sentence that would get their attention...
- Mmm. - and, well, it had to be better than this.
Miss Johnson, that is the approved curriculum for second period.
Your class.
Now, I know the newer the teacher, the smarter she is,
but I-I'm afraid you're just going to have to go along with our policies,
even if you don't agree with them.
- All right? - Mm-hmm.
What a fuckin' idiot.
- Griffith. - Don't let them get to you.
I'm not. I-ln fact, I'm about to challenge the entire curriculum.
- lf I could just find the paper in the Xerox room. - You can't. There isn't any.
- What do you mean? - I mean there isn't any.
I mean, we're out of Xerox paper and art paper and we're short on pencils.
But we do have plenty of students. I guess that, uh, balances things out.
Thanks.
Another fuckin' idiot.
No, I can't run, I can't hide from all this pressure
lf I sell out, that means I'm coppin' to a lesser charge
- And whenever there's a will baby, there's a way - Shit!
Each one teach one I always say the murder rate is risin'
Society ain't scarin' me Life is like a puzzle Ain't no tellin' when they'll bury me
- Problems, problems How are we gonna solve 'em - So, what's on today's lesson plan?
A little kickboxing? Some, uh, target practice, huh?
No. My own little secret weapon.
Problems, problems How are we gonna solve 'em
Okay, so, "never" is...
- lt's a verb! - Adverb! Adverb! - Adverb! Adverb!
Adverb! Fantastic!
- Whoo! - You guys'll be reading poetry soon.
- You guys are sharp. - Oh, my...
- Whoa! - Okay.
- Homeboy! - King of the calle!
Sit down, sit down, sit down.
- Sit down. - Honourable sensei. Hmm.
lt's obvious that "homeboy" is a noun.
Noun is correct!
Well, give me my damn candy bar.
- Whoo! - Thank you.
Boy, poetry will be a piece of cake for this crowd.
Yo, how come you keep sayin' poetry? What's poetry got to do with this shit?
Poetry? WelI...
Because if you can read poetry, you can read just about anything, hon.
- When you're ready for poetry, you're ready for bear. - I say bring on the bear!
- I'm always ready for bear. Shit. - I'm always ready to see you bare.
- Whoa! - Oh, shut up, you stupid! - Oh, yeah? Ohh! Ohh!
Well, okay, here's the bear.
So what the fuck is that?
- I just happen to have copies of-of... of a poem... - Wait for me! Shit!
- That's okay. - written by the greatest poet.
My Darling, My Hamburger. How's that?
- Okay, here's the deal. - She was joking about the bear.
When we finish this assignment, I am gonna take...
all of you...
to a place that has...
the highest parachute jumps,
the biggest roller coaster,
the best rides,
the most delicious hot dogs,
the hardest games...
and the best prizes in the world.
- You're kiddin'. - For real?
- And we don't gotta pay for it? - Huh?
- And we don't gotta pay for it? - Not a penny.
So then, who pays?
The Board of Education.
- Lord, did you hear that? - I don't believe it.
- Sound good? - Hey!
That's bullshit, man!
I'm sorry?
Since when has the Board of Education done anything for us, huh?
Yeah, man, we fuckin' barely get lunch.
Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Emilio.
Good.
- Uh, Durrell, you wanna read the first four lines? - Oh, man, you trippin', man.
I ain't readin'. You trippin'.
- Okay, how about the f... - You've got to read it. - How about the first line?
I'm scared to death, motherfucker, all right? That's all.
- Move slowly to the right, people. - Yep, yep
Miss Johnson.
- You better be for real. - Yep, yep
- Miss Johnson?
Yes, Callie?
lf you wanna get the class to listen, get Emilio.
- Yep, yep - lt's all right
- As you may have heard
- Yeah - To smoke a fat one
- And drink a Thunderbird
- Drink a Thunderbird - lt's okay
- To play this loud
- Mister DJ, don't mean to sweat you down - Wait
- I'll get you, you little fucker. - Yep
- Poetry? - Poetry, yeah.
- These kids? - Why not these kids?
Well, hey, go for it.
No, but I gotta find a gimmick first, you know. Something that'll grab their attention.
- Who's your favourite poet, Griffith? - My favourite?
- Oh, there are so many. How do I choose? - I'm serious.
Mmm. Serious. Okay.
- Big D. Dylan. - Get out!
Why not?
Well, I don... He's n... You know, he's not for everybody.
I mean, he's a little long-winded, don't you think?
I suppose that's 'cause he wrote drunk.
He had a drinking problem?
Well, the guy's Welsh. There ain't a lot to do there.
I thought he was from Minnesota.
You know, if the guy's your favourite poet, you might want to read up on him a little bit.
He was Welsh and he drank himself to death.
Dead? He's not dead. I saw him yesterday on MTV.
You saw Dylan Thomas on MTV.
No. Bob Dylan.
Oh...
-Bob Dylan? Ohh! -He looked dead. He looked dead.
- Ohh! - Hey, Mr Tambourine Man
Play a song for me
"Hey, Mr Tambourine Man..."
- Tambourine! - Tambourine! - Tangerine.
"T-Tambourine Man,
Play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to"
Wow, he can read.
Thank you. Taiwana?
The next three lines, Taiwana.
"Hey, Mr Tambourine Man
Play a song for me
ln the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you"
- Good. - All right.
- Yes. - What does that mean?
What do you think it means?
What, some guy's got a tambourine...
and this other guy wants him to play it 'cause he can't sleep.
- Okay. - Yeah, but how come he want to play the tambourine?
Don't he got a radio or somethin'? You know what I'm sayin'?
Well, you kn... That's a good point. I mean, i-i-it's... it's a weird choice.
So, what if I told you that Mr Tambourine Man...
is a code name?
- A code name for what? - James Bond.
- A drug dealer. - ls it?
Well, a lot of people think so.
You know, this song is from the '60s, when you couldn't sing about drugs,
so they had to make up codes.
So what was the code? What does "Hey, Mr Tambourine Man Play a song for me" mean?
- Well, you figure... - "Play a song for me" means "give me the stuff."
Yeah, it's like that nigger been out drinkin' all night and smokin' some shit...
and everybody broke out on his ass, you know what I'm sayin'?
And he's high... he's still high, but he's kinda low and shaky. You know... "jingle-jangle."
Yeah, and he needs something, like a big hit of crack or cocaine and shit.
He's crazy, okay?
So, what do you think, Emilio? Do you think that Raul is right?
- All right, it's too personal to discuss. - What?
You mean you choose not to participate in the discussion?
- Boy's too slick. - Not about somethin' so personal.
Wanna draw for it?
What?
High card, you don't have to discuss anything.
Why do I gotta draw for it? That's the way it is now.
Listen to this.
Name one of the most influential presidents of the 20th century.
- Roosevelt. - Simple, right?
Wrong. A history teacher's nightmare.
How about Snoop Doggy Dogg for an answer?
Joe Montana. Winston Churchill.
But this... this is the best.
"l will not answer this question on the grounds that it is culturally biased...
against individuals such as myself."
Actually, for this answer I'm gonna give him partial credit.
Louanne, you lose your sense of humour, it's over.
Uh, here. New pictures of the rug rats.
- Oh, God. People are supposed to ask first, Griffith. - Shut up.
Ohh. They look like Maggie. Thank God.
Oh, I don't know. Harry with his thumb in his mouth, he kinda looks like me.
ls that his thumb? I thought that was a cigarette.
- How is Maggie? - Good.
She wants you to come over for dinner.
We had some fun times, you and Maggie and me and... what's his name?
- I remember. - Yeah.
I remember too. That's why it's hard for me to come to dinner.
- Seeing anybody? - No.
How do you do that? You walk around with a bag over your head?
- No. - Louanne, it's over six months.
I'm not ready, Hal.
You know, I thought you guys always stuck together. What are you sitting here with me for?
You know, he was my best friend, Louanne. "Was" is the operative word.
He isn't worth your spit.
What was that for?
Just tell Maggie she's a lucky lady, Griffith.
Yeah, when they made me they broke the mold. Both of them.
- Good morning, ladies. - Good morning.
We gotta stop meeting like this.
You sound awful.
I refuse to take medical advice...
from somebody who eats Cheetos at 8:00 in the morning.
Yeah, well, you shouldn't smoke. Listen to that cough!
You know...
- I'll see you inside. - You're gonna finish the cigarette, aren't you?
No, I'm not. Really. Honest. I swear.
Here! Right here! Yeah!
- Guys are off playin' pool. - You wanna smoke a cigarette?
- I gave you your money, man. 350 bucks! - Three-fifty?
What are you talkin' about, homes? Are you callin' me a liar?
- What, do you think I'm fuckin' stupid? - Yo, man, no. Don't get loud, motherfucker!
I'm gonna kick your fuckin' spic ass!
- Fuck you, man! - Jump back, motherfucker! - Fight! Fight!
- Get back, get back. - You fuckin' pendejo! - Okay, okay, okay!
Back off! Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
- iPuto! - One of you makes a move, I will call security!
- Aw, bullshit! - Big fuckin' deal. - They don't care.
Okay, get to your classes. Okay. lt's all over. Move!
-You are stronger than these two put together, and you know it! -Bullshit, man!
- iVato! - He wishes, man!
You could all be expelled if I report this to the office, and you know that.
Okay, if you give me your word that it ends here, I'll forget it.
ls it over?
Yeah.
How about you?
- Yeah, sim?n. - Absolutely.
Okay, I trust you. Now get to your classes.
See you later, puto.
Catch you later, ?se.
lf you hit those kids, you'll pay for it. I swear.
Get to your class and behave yourself.
You shouldn't have done that.
- Oh? Why not? - 'Cause you just shouldn't mess with Emilio.
Raul knows that if you make a deal with Emilio and you fuck up on him,
you get your locker smashed in with your head.
Everybody knows that.
Well, maybe they'll all have time to think about it...
before they get to the locker-smashing stage.
They're gonna fight, no matter what they tell you.
What do you mean?
When? Now?
Where? Angela! Where?
- Come on, motherfucker! Come on! - Get him!
Keep fightin'! Keep kickin' his ass!
Shit! Fuck!
Ohh!
Oh, shit.
- Come on! Fuckin' come on! - Fuck that!
Shit!
Come on, break it up! Break it up!
- Get the fuck off me! - Get outta there! - iPuto! You motherfucker!
Get back! Now! Get back! Get back!
All of you! Comin' through!
- Watch your head. - Kickin', man.
No. Wait a minute. Wait. No, no. Gimme... G... Just give me a minute.
- You promised! - Yeah, but we had to,
or we couldn't walk around with our heads up no more.
We got a reputation to protect. You a Marine. You understand.
Like, if America didn't stand up everyone would attack it.
Well, in our neighbourhood if you don't stand up you can't walk down the street,
'cause everyone will attack you, you know?
Rata, you fuckin' puto.
- Man, I cracked that motherfucker's head, ?se. - See you in the fuckin neighbourhood, ?se.
Okay, I see.
And I made it worse and I made you and Gusmaro look bad in front of everyone...
by saying that Emilio was stronger than the both of you.
Yeah, well, you thought you was helpin' us.
Ma'am, I'm sorry. We really have to go. I gotta get 'em home.
Nasty cut.
You mind telling me what the fight was about in the first place?
Yeah.
I really would like to know what happened. I'm not gonna make any trouble for you.
- I just wanna know, was it worth it? - Yeah, it was worth it.
- Why? - Because it felt good hittin' him in the face.
- I got him good, man. - Yeah, you like to hit people?
Yeah, I like to hit people.
Why?
You feel angry a lot of the time?
So now you're gonna try and psychologize me?
You're gonna try and figure me out? I'll help you.
I come from a broken home, and we're poor. Okay?
I see the same fuckin' movies you do, man.
I would like to help you, Emilio.
Thank you very much. And how would you like to do that?
You gonna give me some good advice? "Just say no"?
You gonna get me off the streets? Well, forget it!
How the fuck you gonna save me from my life, huh?
Yep, yep
Karen?
I have three, uh, student files here...
- and I can't find a phone number in any of 'em. - Yep, yep
Well, sometimes they don't give a number...
- and sometimes they don't have a phone. - Yep, yep
- lt's all right - lt's all right - As you might have heard
- Yeah - To smoke a fat one - To smoke a fat one
- And drink a 'Bird - A Thunderbird
- lt's okay - lt's okay
- To play this loud - Oh, play it loud
Mister DJ, don't mean to sweat you down
- lt's all right - lt's all right
- As you may have heard - Yeah
- To smoke a fat one - Smoke a fat one
- And drink a 'Bird - A Thunderbird, now
lt's okay
Come on. Come on.
Do your homework.
- You have a lovely family, Mrs. Sanchero. - Thank you.
We know why you're here, Miss Johnson.
I warned Raul to stay out of trouble.
He's first in our family to maybe graduate high school.
- So he gonna get punished big for what he done. - N...
Don't you worry about that.
But he didn't do anything wrong.
-But he expelled for three days. -l know. No, I know.
But he didn't start the fight. He was defending himself from a bigger boy.
He was protecting himself.
- Uh, why they send him home? - lt's just school policy.
I-I-lt gives the other boy time to cool down.
Actually,
I'm here because I just wanted to tell you both personally...
what a pleasure it's been having Raul in my class this semester.
You must be very proud.
Yes.
He's, um... Well, he's very bright...
and funny, articulate.
The truth is, he's... he's one of my favourites.
Uh, soy Louanne Johnson.
Oh.
"l will not go down underground
'Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round"
Okay, this is another Dylan poem.
Now, is that a code, or does that just mean what it says?
"And I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave My head will be high"
"My head will be high." What does that mean?
Anybody.
Nobody.
ls there something I should know?
Yeah. I'll tell you.
You ratted on Raul, Gusmaro and Emilio.
Yeah. You got Emilio put into detention.
lt wasn't none of your business, chismosa.
And you got Raul and Gusmaro suspended.
- Now they're gonna get their fuckin' asses kicked. - And you got Emilio...
- Hey, I didn't rat on anybody. - Wasn't none of your business anyway, you chismosa.
- Bullshit. - Let this... - Told you she was full of shit.
- Snitches get stitches, bitch. - Do you wanna talk about this?
On you, shit. Whatever floats your boat, teach.
We don't have no choices in this room.
Well, if you all feel that strongly about it, leave the room.
- What? - Hey, listen.
Nobody's forcing you to be here. You have a choice. You can stay, or you can leave.
Lady, why are you playin' this game? We don't have a choice.
You don't have a choice? You don't have a choice on whether or not you're here?
No. lf we leave, we don't get to graduate. lf we stay, we gotta put up with you.
Well, that's a choice, isn't it? You have a choice.
You either don't graduate or you have to put up with me.
lt may not be a choice you like, but it is a choice.
Man, you don't understand nothin'. l mean, you don't come from where we live.
- You... You're not bussed here. - Do you have a choice to get on that bus?
Man, you come and live in my neighbourhood for one week...
and then you tell me if you got a choice.
There are a lot of people who live in your neighbourhood who choose not to get on that bus.
What do they choose to do? They choose to go out and sell drugs.
They choose to go out and kill people. They choose to do a lot of other things.
But they choose not to get on that bus.
The people who choose to get on that bus, which are you, are the people who are saying,
"l will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave My head will be high"
That is a choice.
There are no victims in this classroom!
Why do you care anyway? You just here for the money.
Because I make a choice to care. And, honey, the money ain't that good.
- Whatever. - Read it again, Miss Johnson.
- What? - Read those lines you just read again.
"l will not go down underground
'Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round"
Does that mean just what it says?
No, it don't mean just what it says.
Because...
you wouldn't go under the ground...
if someone told you death was comin'.
But you would go into the ground if you were already dead.
Do the rest of you agree with that?
Well, I kinda agree with it,
but I think it just means that...
he ain't gonna help death out, you know?
lt's not like he's just gonna lay down and wait for it.
I think he's gonna choose... No, I think he's gonna make the choice...
to die hard.
Mm-hmm.
- Yeah, I agree with that. - Yeah, me too.
- That's what it sounds like to me. - Okay.
Well, what about, uh, the rest of it? Um...
"When I go to my grave My head will be high"
"Head will be high." What does that mean?
- You're gonna die with pride. - Right.
- See you tomorrow. - Callie, wait up!
You went to RauI's house last night, and Gusmaro's too, right?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, that's what they told me.
That's cool.
Hold up, wait a minute Don't go there 'cause I ain't with it
What you want Baby, I got it
What you need Babe, you got it
All I'm askin' is for a little respect
Yo, kick it, homes! What you waitin' for, man?
- Are you trying to steal my $2.50, ?se? - Ah, go, go, go.
Man, that ain't shit. Go faster, man. Go faster, man.
- Come on, come on - Faster, man, faster! - You got to gimme, gimme
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T - I got to get it, get it
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T - You got to gimme, gimme
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T - I got to get it, get it
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T - Come on, get back.
Are you all right, man? That looked like a real bitch right then.
Hey, get the fuck out of there, man. Look at you! You look like my grandma, man.
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T - Miss Johnson,
the... the School Board would have every right to insist on your dismissal.
You informed no one. You got no permission slips.
Oh, but there was no one to inform. All the kids just decided to go to the amusement park at the last minute.
And then they let me come along.
- Did they pay for you? - No, I paid for them.
I was just so moved by the invitation.
This wasn't, by any chance,
their reward for reading poetry, was it, Miss Johnson?
ln my class, Mr Grandey, poetry is its own reward.
Angela, would you read the first line?
"Appetizers. Freshly cut bay shrimp grilled to perfection."
- This is a Xerox of a menu. - That is correct.
lt's from The Flowering Peach, the best restaurant in town.
- Ever hear of it? - Yeah, we heard of it.
lt's supposed to be like some special restaurant or somethin'.
Mm-hmm. So, does it sound good?
Because whoever wins the, uh, the... the Dylan-Dylan contest...
- The what? - goes there for dinner with me.
Hey, what's the Dylan-Dylan contest about?
Well.
There's Bob Dylan,
who we've been reading.
And then...
there's Dylan Thomas,
who also wrote poems.
lf you can find the poem written by Dylan Thomas...
that is like a poem written by Bob Dylan,
you win the Dylan-Dylan contest.
Hey, Mr Tambourine Man Play a song for me
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey, Mr Tambourine Man Play a song for me
ln the jingle-jangle morning
I'll come following you
Yo, every fuckin' poem Dylan Thomas wrote is about death, man.
Now, how we supposed to know which one to write?
"The sniper laid him low, and strewed his brains.
One would not think the greenness of this valley...
could let a day be sick with so much blood."
Man, that's some Rambo-Schwarzenegger bullshit you found.
- That's how it's supposed to be, right? - No.
- There's supposed to be killing shit. - But it... But it don't...
But it don't even mean the same as "l will not go under the ground."
Now you're some sort of poetic critic, now, right?
- Oh, well, it don't. - Thank you.
Okay. Listen to this.
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Where's the code? Where's the death?
Night. All that stuff about night. That's death.
So it's "Don't go gentle into that good death."
Yeah, but I think "good" is sarcastic.
When he say, "Do not go gentle," that's like sayin', "Don't go easy."
- So it's the same as "l will not go down." - We just won us a motherfucking chicken.
Shh.
This is the life
Everyone has to be somewhere
Oh
I am here
This is the life
- This is my - Well, the results of the Dylan-Dylan contest are in.
- Life - The winners are...
- That's me. Right here. - Sit down. I am Bob Dylan. Sit down.
- Yo, shh! Shh! - Sorry, Miss Johnson.
- Shh. - Shh.
Raul, Durrell and Callie!
- Congratulations. - Thanks.
- Here's your certificate. - Hey! - Congratulations.
Congratulations, Callie.
Okay!
But there are no losers in this class. You guys did great.
You all get to pick a prize from the box.
How come they get a prize when they got the wrong answer?
Well, because sometimes it takes a lot of wrong answers to get to the right one.
Hey, everyone can't be right, 'cept for us!
Come on up.
- Miss Johnson? - Hey, Callie.
- Um, I wanted to talk to you about the restaurant. - Uh-huh.
- I can't go. - Why?
Because I have to work at this supermarket every night until June and I already told them...
Oh, isn't there any way to get out of it?
No. Because of the schedule and everything, I have to do it.
- But thank you anyway. - Well, o-okay. Well.
Shoot.
Well, no, it's okay. lf you can't come to dinner, then, uh, well, we'll bring dinner to you.
- Really? - Mm-hmm.
- Thank you. - I'm taking orders, Miss Roberts.
I couldn't find a parking space.
lt's okay. I just got here myself.
- Oh, you look very handsome. - How 'bout this jacket?
lt's fantastic.
Go ahead, touch it. lt's real leather.
- Ooh! - Hey, where's Callie?
Oh, she had to work. Where's Durrell?
- Oh, he had to work too. - Oh.
Well, I guess it's just you and me, handsome.
I guess so.
Oh. Ladies first.
Thank you.
- Hey, are you sure they got chicken? - Mm-hmm.
May I tell you a little about this evening's specials?
The chef is featuring foie gras with smoked duck and figs on a hill of bulgar.
Uh, salmon tartar in potato gaufrette...
over wild mushrooms, and fennel salad.
Uh, for the entree we're featuring...
a complex shellfish pan roast with orso,
a touch of comfit and a broth thickened with lobster shell oil.
All very, very good.
- Could we have a few minutes, please? - Ah, yes.
Thank you.
- Are you sure they got chicken? - Yes.
Here. See, it's right there, sweetie. You see? Poulet.
And when the waiter comes back, you may as well talk to him.
lt'll be good practice for your summer job interviews.
I can't talk to that guy. He probably thinks I'm weird or something.
He does not. He can't help but notice your natural charm.
You just look him straight in the eye and you talk to him like you would anyone else.
Now, go ahead and call him over.
Go ahead. Just give him a little nod.
- Are we ready? - Okay, I'll have the chicken.
A whole one.
And I'll have the same.
And one to go, please.
One to go. Thank you.
Hey, Miss J?
I was wondering maybe, like, in the next couple of days, if I...
- ls everything all right? - Everything's fine. Thank you.
All right.
Now don't be mad or nothing, but I gotta be absent...
for a couple of days without your coming to my house.
lt's important.
- You'll have to tell me why. - I got some shit to do.
I gotta make some money to pay back this guy.
This doesn't sound important enough to cut school.
lt is. I gotta pay for this jacket.
See, I got it off the street from this guy for 200 dollars,
and he said he'd trust me for it until Friday.
Why did you buy it on the street instead of in a store?
Are you crazy? You know how much this would cost in a store?
I needed a nice jacket and fast, and I got it from this guy 'cause he cut me a deal...
'cause he stole it, probably.
So, are you gonna go out and get a job or are you gonna go out and steal too to pay him back?
Miss J, I gotta pay him back.
He'll kill me.
I didn't have nothing to wear!
Fine. I'll lend it to you.
I can't take your money. Teachers are poor. Everyone knows that.
Well, you don't really have a choice, do you?
lf you don't pay the guy back, he'll kill you.
lf you cut school, I'll tell your father and he'll kill you.
- So I'm your only way out. - Oh, man.
- But I do have one condition. - Big?
- Huge. - What do you want, interest?
- Mm-mmm. Bigger. - Jesus Christ, what is it?
Well.
- Would you like dessert? - No!
- Another glass of wine? - Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you.
- Coffee, perhaps? - Hey, man, we're talking!
So, what's the condition?
You have to pay me back on the day you graduate.
But... But what if I don't graduate?
Well, then you'll never pay me back the money.
But I know that if you say you will,
you'll kill yourself keeping your word.
Well, what do you say?
I don't get it. Why do you care so much if I graduate?
Weird, isn't it?
All right, I'll pay you back.
- You have my word. - Hey.
lt is a very nice jacket.
Thank you.
- Hey. - Oh, hi! - Hi.
- How you doin'? - Oh, good.
I think this is the first time I ever brought food into a supermarket.
-Yeah, I can smell it from here. -Yeah. -Good. Thanks.
Well, Raul says if you don't like it, he'll take it off your hands.
Oh, please. Like hell he will.
Callie, could you help load in aisle three, please?
Be right there. I'm telling you, this place would fall to pieces if it wasn't for me.
You know, Callie,
just between you and me,
with your scores, I think you should consider going into Advanced English.
- Oh, but I'm gonna be at Clearview. You didn't know? - No.
You didn't see my record? I tell you.
No, I... I didn't know.
- Bye now. - Yeah.
ln the middle of a semester? Are... Are you moving?
No. I'm pregnant.
And since I'm startin' to show, they thought it was time, you know?
- Who thought it was time? - The school. They don't let you stay there if you're pregnant.
But they told me they have this really good programme at Clearview for, like, teenage mothers.
And they teach you stuff like parenting and nutrition, all kinds of stuff.
So I thought it would be good for me, you know?
- Yeah. - Aisle three.
"Degrade first the arts if you'd mankind degrade."
Hey, that's the spray can poem.
-Hey, hey, what's the code word? -The code word is "great rides and great prizes."
I'm keeping it undercover But comin' soon, I surmises
Does anybody know where, um, Durrell and Lionel are today?
- Durrell and Lionel. - No. - They around.
Yeah, so what's the prize we're gonna get for learning this poem?
Learning is the prize.
Yeah.
Knowing how to read something and understand it is the prize.
Okay? Knowing how to think is the prize.
- I know how to think right now. - Okay. Well, yeah, well, you know how to run too.
But not the way you could run if you trained.
You know, the mind is like a muscle.
Okay? And if you want it to be really powerful, you got to work it out. Okay?
Each new fact gives you another choice.
Each new idea builds another muscle, okay?
And it's those muscles that are gonna make you really strong.
Those are your weapons, and in this unsafe world...
I want to arm you.
- And that's what these poems are supposed to do? - Yeah.
Hey, try it. You're just sittin' here anyway.
Look. Okay. lf at the end of the term,
you're not faster, stronger and smarter,
you will have lost nothing.
But if you are,
you'll be that much tougher to knock down.
So what's "Hire idiots to paint with cold light and hot shade"?
They're being sarcastic, Raul.
I mean, 'cause you know that light is supposed to be warm, right?
- And shade is supposed to be what? - Cold?
Exactly. But if you go and hire an idiot to do the job, he's gonna do it backwards.
- Hello. - There you go. - Hmm.
Don't make a big fuss about this, Louanne.
You have to help me. You have no idea how bright this girl is.
Yes, I do. And there's nothing I can do about it.
Oh! That just makes me crazy!
What right do these miserable, self-righteous sons of bitches from the Board of Education...
have to make a moral judgment on Callie Roberts?
- Do you know... - Louanne, there are parents in the next room.
Look, I don't c... I'm gonna fight this ruling.
I'm gonna write an open letter to every newspaper condemning the entire School Board.
- Oh, you can't do that. - Why not?
Well, first of all, the Board has nothing to do with it.
We prefer that these girls go to the mother-to-be programme at Clearview.
Oh, wait a minute.
You mean this isn't a rule? You mean this is your preference?
Well, yes.
You mean Callie Roberts is free to go to any school she wants?
- lncluding this one? - Unless she's absent for more than 30 days.
And then she has to wait until the baby's born before she can come back here.
But, Louanne, once these girls have babies, very few of them come back to school anyway.
I see.
So you make them think they have to leave.
You just push 'em out a little earlier, make it a little harder,
make it a little more hopeless.
I do what I have to do...
because it is dangerous to have a pregnant girl in a classroom.
lt's not a warning, Louanne. I-lt's prestige, it's stardom, it's attention.
You know, not all these girls become pregnant by accident.
- Pregnancy is contagious. - Yep, yep
- lt's all right - lt's all right
As you may have heard
- Yeah - To smoke a fat one - To smoke a fat one
- And drink a 'Bird - Drink a Thunderbird
- lt's okay - lt's okay
- To play this loud - Play it loud
Mister DJ, don't mean to sweat you down
Who is it?
lt's Louanne Johnson, Callie's second period teacher.
Hi.
Um, Callie's getting ready to go to work.
- Come on in. - Thank you.
Curiosity killed the cat
- Oh. - Hi. - Hi, there.
- What you doing? - Watching TV.
- What's your name? - Tyeisha.
- Oh, that's a pretty name. - She just love her TV.
Why ain't you in bed? Come here, baby.
Callie? Honey? Your teacher's here.
- Hi. - Hi.
I'm sorry to just bust in on you like this, but I have the most wonderful news...
and I wanted to come tell you personally.
You do not have to go to Clearview.
There is nothing in the rules that says you can't stay exactly where you are.
But, uh, she already enrolled in Clearview.
Uh, well, that's all right. She... that... But she doesn't have to go there.
Yeah, but Kimboley wants me to take the mother-to-be programme at Clearview, you know.
He thought it would be a good idea if I learned how to take care of the baby and stuff.
I don't understand.
Do you not want to stay at Parkmont?
Well, yeah, but I gotta learn how to take care of us, you know.
I mean, we're getting our own place and everything, so...
Callie, just don't throw away all you can become.
Kimboley was so right. He was so right.
He told me that you'd probably try to talk me out of this.
You want to know what else he said?
He said that you probably don't even like men...
and that you're probably not married and you don't want anybody else to be.
That's why you're always in everybody else's life.
Look, I'm not saying that I agree with him, okay?
Well, Kimboley's wrong.
I was married...
and I was pregnant.
So what happened?
We got divorced...
and I had an abortion.
He beat me.
Well, sometimes you start out wrong...
and just keep going.
Hey, don't touch me. Oh, get outta here!
I'll see you.
You took something that fuckin' belonged to me, ?se.
Man, she came to me with open arms.
Besides, you gotta have one of these.
You're dead.
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left
'Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long
That even my mama thinks that my mind is gone
I really hate to trip but I gotta loc
As they croak I see myself in the pistol smoke
Fool, I'm the kind of "G" the little homies wanna be like
On my knees in the night sayin' prayers in the street light
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
- Hey, Miss Johnson. - Hey! - Been spendin' most their lives
- Haven't seen you guys in a week. - Livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Thought maybe you got lost on your way to class.
I wanted to help you find your way back.
Get on inside.
Clean up that pigsty of a room.
Hi. I'm Louanne Johnson. I'm the boys' teacher.
I know who you are.
You're that white-bread bitch messin' with my babies' minds.
I beg your pardon?
My boys don't go to your school no more, and that's gonna be it.
- You took 'em out of school? - You're damn right I did.
I saw what they were bringing home... poetry and shit.
A waste of time. They got more important things to worry about.
Don't you think that finishing high school will be valuable to their future?
That's not in their future.
I ain't raising no doctors and lawyers here. They got bills to pay.
Why don't you just get on outta here.
Go find yourself some other poor boys to save.
Mama! I could stand some lemonade.
"lt is easier to forgive an enemy...
than to forgive a friend.
The man who permits you to injure him...
deserves your vengeance.
He also will receive it."
Wow, who wrote that? Some Mafia guy?
You know, let's go on with this poem tomorrow.
Why don't you... Take out your work sheets and do the vocabulary drill.
- Say what? - Oh, man! - Man, I don't wanna do no vocabulary.
I don't wanna do no damn vocabulary.
Then don't.
What do you mean? You mean I have a choice?
You're not gonna let me get away with not learnin' my vocabulary, right?
That's right. You have to do your vocabulary.
Words are thoughts and we can't think without 'em.
So... Please?
And so let's just do it, man. She's gonna be down our back in a minute.
- Whatever. She's grouchy. - Grouch.
- Thanks, Louanne. - Grouch, grouch.
Thank you, Louanne. Such a nice lady, Louanne.
What do I do? What the fuck you want from me?
Who, my teacher? You think I'm gonna fuckin' talk to a teacher?
Like they're gonna really help me, huh? Huh?
Teachers aren't gonna fuckin' help me, okay?
Miss Johnson! Miss Johnson, we gotta talk to you.
- There's nothing to talk about, Angela! - What, are you Superman?
ls your ass bulletproof? ls that what you think? Tell her!
- Tell her what you're gonna do. - What is it?
- He's strapped. - Shut the fuck up! She don't need to know my business.
ls your business dying? No!
There's this crackhead named Shorty. He just came out of jail.
He says that I'm his girl and that Emilio took me from him.
And now he wants to kill Emilio.
Emilio, if this boy is threatening you, we can go to the police.
Look, this is nothing you can do anything about.
This guy is looking for me to kill me, and the only way for me to stop him...
is for me to kill him first.
That's just the way it is, all right?
Wait, Emilio, wait, wait, wait, wait, no! Can we... Can we talk about this?
- Come to my house. - Yeah, right.
Oh, what? You're too proud to hide?
lt's better to wander the streets all night?
- Come on. - Please?
Please, just go.
Go. Go.
- Can we drop you? - Just go.
ls this boy your age?
- Yeah. - Does he go to Parkmont?
I won't tell you who it is.
No, don't.
But if you tell Mr Grandey about him...
not about his threatening you, but about his being on crack...
he'll be turned over to the juvenile court for... for drug abuse in school.
H-He won't serve hard time,
but by the time he gets out and he's detoxed, he... he will have gotten over trying to kill you.
No, I can't rat on him.
Right. Kill him. That's better.
Man,
you don't understand.
You asked me once how I was gonna save you from your life.
This is how. This moment.
Right now.
This will make the difference in your life forever.
Emilio?
- Oh, Mr Grandey. - ls there a problem, Miss Johnson?
- Shouldn't you be in class? - Yes, I'm late.
Um, I just wanted to ask. Did Emilio Ramirez come to your office this morning?
- Yes. - Oh, God. Oh, thank God.
- Did you talk to him? - No, I sent him away.
You... What do you mean?
- I mean I sent him away. - Why?
Because he didn't knock, Miss Johnson.
- Here we are. - Because he didn't knock?
Yes, Miss Johnson. I'm trying to teach these children how to live in the world.
And in the world, you just don't burst into someone's office.
Because he didn't knock?
Damn it!
Uh, Louanne.
Mr Grandey is with the police.
- Yes? - Um.
They just found Emilio Ramirez three blocks from the school.
He was shot this morning.
ls he dead?
- He's dead. - I'm very sorry.
Um...
are you going to tell them now?
Do you think that's wise?
Yeah.
Well, uh, perhaps if you talk to them a little bit about death...
and... and... and what it means.
What would you like me to say?
That if you don't want to die, remember to knock?
- That's not fair. - What is?
Bad news.
Emilio was shot this morning.
ls he dead?
- Yes, baby, he's dead. - Oh, no.
Yo! Listen up. Miss Johnson got something to say!
- Shh. - Thank you.
I just want to say...
l, uh... I won't, um...
I will not be here next year.
I'm not coming back.
How come? ls it something we did?
No. No, no, no. No. Um...
I-l never intended to stay.
Um, this was an unexpected job.
So if you knew you wasn't gonna stay, how come you made me promise what I promised?
I...
At that time, I thought I would stay.
So how come you're leaving?
I just...
have my reasons, certain reasons.
ls it because it's too sad for you, what happened to Emilio?
Maybe.
And Durrell and Lionel and Callie. And I just...
I just think that...
So if you love us so much and you're so interested in our graduating,
- how come you choose to leave? - Yeah.
You sad about Durrell and Callie and Emilio and Lionel, but we're here.
What about us, huh? None of us make you feel happy?
We been working hard and we stayed in school, man. What about us?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Why are you packing up today when tomorrow is your last day?
Oh, just gettin' a head start.
Oh, I see.
What you did, when you gave me the 200 dollars?
That was the nicest thing anybody ever did for me.
I don't know anybody else who would give 200 dollars...
to a Mexican kid on his word of honour.
S-So you gotta let me pay you back.
Even if I don't graduate, all right?
Why wouldn't you graduate?
Ain't no other teacher gonna give me no "A."
Yes, they will, if you work for them the way you worked for me.
No, but it was different with you. You gave me an "A" to start with.
- I didn't have to earn it. I just had to keep it. - Are you kidding?
Keeping an "A" is harder than getting an "A." Almost anyone can get an "A" once.
But keeping it, that's an accomplishment.
- You think so? - Oh, I know so.
Do you realize the work you did this term?
Do you realize that the poetry that we read...
is given to people in college?
- ln college. - These same poems?
- Yes. - But they weren't even so hard.
So, you see?
Keep working.
You'll graduate.
I might even see you in college.
What do you think?
I feel so bad about leaving I can hardly breathe.
I know, but... Oh, what the hell. You're right.
You gotta be crazy to stay here and teach these programme classes.
There's no money. lt's killer work.
Why do you stay?
Why do I smoke? I'm crazy.
You need any more help?
No. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow.
Yeah. Bye.
This is the life
Everyone has to be somewhere
Oh
I am here
This is the life
'Cause this is my life
This is my life
Hi.
Well. Welcome back.
This is the 29th day, the last day I have to come back.
So, am I still okay for next term?
Yeah.
Did, uh,
did you come back because it was your last day or did somebody...
ask you to come today to talk me into staying?
Well, it was both, really.
See, 'cause I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do...
until I heard that you were leaving and...
'Cause up until then, I don't know, I thought...
that you'd always be here for me, you know.
You know, whenever I came back.
But then Raul tells me that you're leaving...
just like that.
And I realized that this was my last chance.
And I decided...
We decided that...
we're not gonna just let you leave like that.
Yeah, we realized like the poem said:
You can't give in.
"You can't go gentle.
- You got to rage against the dying of the light." - Yeah.
Yeah, you gotta go for yours. You know that, right?
- Yeah. - You gotta kick it in and get it up.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. No, no. Wait, wait. I'm not giving in.
Um, this is my choice.
I have no reason to "rage against the dying of the light."
'Cause you're not the one who's raging. We're the ones who are raging.
See, 'cause we see you as being our light.
- What? - You're our Tambourine Man.
- Oh, I'm your drug dealer? - You got the stuff, Miss J?
You're our teacher. You got what we need. lt's the same thing.
Come on, Miss J. All the poems you taught us say you can't give in.
You can't give up.
- Well, we ain't giving you up. - No way.
Now, listen, baby, we gonna have to tie you down to the chair and gag you...
'cause you know we want you to stay.
What you need to stay, girl? You want a candy bar?
Okay, on the left and on the right, a "Louanne, Louanne." Uh, here we go.
Louanne, Louanne, Louanne, Louanne.
- Louanne, Louanne, Louanne, Louanne. - Come on!
Louanne, Louanne, Louanne, Louanne.
- You have to go first. - I don't want to go first. - Come on. You have to.
Ready? You go like this. Go.
- lt go like this. - This how you do it.
Go, Louanne. Go, Louanne. Go, Louanne. Go, Louanne.
Go, Louanne.
Let me see.
- Excuse me. - Are you okay? - Yeah.
- You want to sign my book? - Yeah, I'll sign your book.
How'd they get you to come back?
They gave me candy and called me "the light."
That'll do it.
I won't do you wrong
I'll do you right
You can roll with me for the rest of the night
No need to fuss 'cause I don't wanna joke
Baby, sit right here and let the chronic smoke
So hang around, love
And give it up
'Cause all the real "G"s know what I'm thinkin' of
'Cause you wanna be down, down so give it up
There's a party over here So, baby, show your love
'Cause I got the gin and juice Yeah
- You know that, you know that - I got the gin and juice
Yeah
'Cause I got the gin and juice Yeah
- I got the, I got the gin and juice - Yeah
- I got the answer - 'Cause I got the gin and juice
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left
'Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long
That even my mama thinks that my mind is gone
I really hate to trip but I gotta loc
As they croak I see myself in the pistol smoke
Fool, I'm the kind of "G" the little homies wanna be like
On my knees in the night Sayin' prayers in the street light
Been spending most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
You spent so many nights in heat
- And out of control - Like that
Waiting impatiently to see
- What's under my clothes - Like that
I just wanna take time to get right into the point
Now you got your choice, girl
- To come and rock this funky joint - Like that
Don't you take too long, baby
I'll be waitin' here for you, baby, baby
Here's a gift to you from me
Just you wait and see lt's the curiosity
- lt's the curiosity - Curiosity
- Do you wanna feel my body - Like that
Girl, all night long, yeah
lt's the curiosity
- Why not now - Oh, yeah
- lt's the curiosity
For you, for me
lt's the curiosity
Text: Leffe