The Grapes of Wrath

A HARMONICA is easy to carry. Take it out of your hip pocket, knock it against your palm to shake out the dirt and pocket fuzz and bits of tobacco. Now it’s ready. You can do anything with a harmonica: thin reedy single tone, or chords, or melody with rhythm chords. You can mold the music with curved hands, making it wail and cry like bagpipes, making it full and round like an organ, making it as sharp and bitter as the reed pipes of the hills. And you can play and put it back in your pocket. It is always with you, always in your pocket. And as you play, you learn new tricks, new ways to mold the tone with your hands, to pinch the tone with your lips, and no one teaches you. You feel around— sometimes alone in the shade at noon, sometimes in the tent door after supper when the women are washing up. Your foot taps gently on the ground. Your eyebrows rise and fall in rhythm. And if you lose it or break it, why, it’s no great loss. You can buy another for a quarter.

A guitar is more precious. Must learn this thing. Fingers of the left hand must have callous caps. Thumb of the right hand a horn of callous. Stretch the left-hand fingers, stretch them like a spider’s legs to get the hard pads on the frets.

This was my father’s box. Wasn’t no bigger’n a bug first time he give me C chord. An’ when I learned as good as him, he hardly never played no more. Used to set in the door, an’ listen an’ tap his foot. I’m tryin’ for a break, an’ he’d scowl mean till I get her, an’ then he’d settle back easy, an’ he’d nod. “Play,” he’d say. “Play nice.” It’s a good box. See how the head is wore. They’s many a million songs wore down that wood an’ scooped her out. Some day she’ll cave in like a egg. But you can’t patch her nor worry her no way or she’ll lose tone. Play her in the evening, an’ they’s a harmonica player in the nex’ tent. Makes it pretty nice together.

The fiddle is rare, hard to learn. No frets, no teacher. Jes’ listen to a ol’ man an’ try to pick it up. Won’t tell how to double. Says it’s a secret. But I watched. Here’s how he done it. Shrill as a wind, the fiddle, quick and nervous and shrill. She ain’t much of a fiddle. Give two dollars for her. Fella says they’s fiddles four hundred years old, and they git mellow like whisky. Says they’ll cost fifty-sixty thousan’ dollars. I don’t know. Soun’s like a lie. Harsh ol’ bastard, ain’t she? Wanta dance? I’ll rub up the bow with plenty rosin. Man! Then she’ll squawk. Hear her a mile.

These three in the evening, harmonica and fiddle and guitar. Playing a reel and tapping out the tune, and the big deep strings of the guitar beating like a heart, and the harmonica’s sharp chords and the skirl and squeal of the fiddle. People have to move close. They can’t help it. “Chicken Reel” now, and the feet tap and a young lean buck takes three quick steps, and his arms hang limp. The square closes up and the dancing starts, feet on the bare ground, beating dull, strike with your heels. Hands ’round and swing. Hair falls down, and panting breaths. Lean to the side now.

Look at that Texas boy, long legs loose, taps four times for ever’ damn step. Never seen a boy swing aroun’ like that. Look at him swing that Cherokee girl, red in her cheeks an’ her toe points out. Look at her pant, look at her heave. Think she’s tired? Think she’s winded? Well, she ain’t. Texas boy got his hair in his eyes, mouth’s wide open, can’t get air, but he pats four times for ever’ darn step, an’ he’ll keep a’goin’ with the Cherokee girl.

The fiddle squeaks and the guitar bongs. Mouth-organ man is red in the face. Texas boy and the Cherokee girl, pantin’ like dogs an’ a-beatin’ the groun’. Ol’ folks stan’ a-pattin’ their han’s. Smilin’ a little, tappin’ their feet.

Back home— in the schoolhouse, it was. The big moon sailed off to the westward. An’ we walked, him an’ me— a little ways. Didn’ talk ’cause our throats was choked up. Didn’ talk none at all. An’ purty soon they was a haycock. Went right to it and laid down there. Seein’ the Texas boy an’ that girl a-steppin’ away into the dark— think nobody seen ’em go. Oh, God! I wisht I was a-goin’ with that Texas boy. Moon’ll be up ’fore long. I seen that girl’s ol’ man move out to stop ’em an’ then he didn’. He knowed. Might as well stop the fall from comin’, and might as well stop the sap from movin’ in the trees. An’ the moon’ll be up ’fore long.

Play more— play the story songs— “As I Walked through the Streets of Laredo.” The fire’s gone down. Be a shame to build her up. Little ol’ moon’ll be up ’fore long.