What You Want With Bess

BESS
Crown!

CROWN
You know very well dis Crown
I seen you lan' an' I been
waitin' all day for see you
I almost dead on this damn island.

BESS
You ain' looks mos' dead, you bigger'n ever.

CROWN
Oh, I got plenty to eat, bird egg, oyster an' such
But I almost dead of the lonesome
without a single person to swap a word with
Lord! I'm glad you come.

BESS
I can't stay, Crown, or the boat'll go without me.

CROWN
Damn the boat! Got any happy dus' with you?

BESS
No, Crown, no mo' happy dus'
I done give up dope, an' besides, Crown
I got something to tell you.

CROWN
You hear what I got to tell you
I waitin' here till de cotton begin comin' in
Den libbin 'll be easy
We'll hide you an' me on de ribber boat
fur as Savannah. Who you libbin' with now?

BESS
I livin' wid Porgy.

CROWN
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha
You sho'got funny tas' in men, but that's your business
I ain' care who you takes up wid while I's away
But membuh, what I told you. He's temporary
I reckon it'll be just a couple of weeks now 'fore I come for you.

BESS
Crown, I got something to tell you.

CROWN
What's that?

BESS
I...I livin' wid Porgy now, an' I livin' decent.

CROWN
You heard what I tol' you
I say in a couple of weeks I'm comin' for you
an' you is goin' tote fair, lessen you wants to meet your Crowd
you gets dat?
(Boot whistles)

BESS
Take your hands off me, I goin' miss that boat.

CROWN
You tellin' me that you'd rather have dat cripple than Crown?

BESS
It's like this, Crown, I'm the only woman Porgy ever had
and I'm thinkin' now
how it'll be tonight
when all these others gets 'em go back to Catfish Row.
He'll be sittin' an' watchin'.

He'll be watchin' and waitin' for me
an' I ain' there.. .
(Crown laughs)
Lemme go, Crown! You can get plenty other women.

CROWN
What I wants wid other woman?
I gots a woman an' dat's you, see!

BESS
Oh... What you want with Bess?
She's gettin' ole now;
Take a fine young gal
For to satisfy Crown
Look at this chest
An' look at these arms you got
You know how it always been with me
These five years I've been your woman
You could kick me in the street
Then when you wanted me back
You could whistle, and there I was
Back again, lickin' your hand
There's plenty better lookin' gal than Bess.

[CROWN / BESS]
What I wants wid other woman,I gots a woman, yes
(Can' you see, I'm with Porgy)

And that is you, yes, that is you, yes
(Now and forever I am his woman, he would die without me.)

I need you now an' you're mine jus' as long as I want you.
(Oh, Crown, won't you let me go to my man...)

No cripple goin' take my woman from me.
(to my man...)

You got a man tonight an' that is Crown, yes, Crown, yes
Crown.
(He is a cripple and needs my love, all my love.)

You're my woman, Bess, I'm tellin' you, now I'm your man.
(What you want with Bess?)

BESS
Lemme go, Crown, dat boat, it's goin' wiout me!

CROWN
You ain't goin' nowhere!

BESS
(Weakening)
Take yo' hands off me, I say, yo' hands, yo' hands, yo hands.
(Crown kisses her passionately)

CROWN
I know you' ain' change - wid you and me it always be the
same.
(Bess backs into woods; Crown follows.)