
Black Nativity
Silent night
You'll get through the night
I heard that
when a mother bestows
a name on her child,
she reveals her hope.
Mine named me Langston,
like the poet, Langston Hughes.
She had great hope for me.
But whatever dreams she had before...
...they got
deferred in Baltimore.
Been me and her since my
first steps on this earth.
My daddy went MIA
after my birth.
I used to envy happy
families on the street.
After a while,
I chose not to see.
Got to stay strong
for Mom and me.
Unanswered prayers
make you weak.
This right
here is a cold, cold town
I don't know why I'm here
Mama tried to save me
from the street war
But I don't need no savior
Yo, I'm good
Yeah, we 'bout to ride hard
I know I'm young,
but sometimes I feel old
Things I need
can't be bought or sold
A mother's love
or a father's name
Nothing heavier than
the weight of shame
I flip my collar
so they can't see
The tears fallin'
down inside of me
Got to roll out,
got things to do
Lace up, head up,
foot down, move
Walk like you've got a purpose
I can't let them see me nervous
'Cause this right here
is the coldest town
You can't let it bring you down
This is my Christmas story.
Yo, yo, yo.
Hey, Ma.
What took you so long?
I ran into Kyle and Snoop.
What's wrong?
We've been evicted?
I thought you were working
it out with the bank.
We'd rent it back.
It's hard to get
that much together.
So we got to move?
Where will we live, Ma?
Why didn't you tell me?
I can help you.
Help me?
You got $5,000?
That's what they want before Christmas.
So you're just letting
them throw us out?
You have no idea
what I had to do
just to keep a roof over your
head for the past 15 years.
Making sure you got clothes
and you're fed. I did that!
And I'm letting them
kick us out?
It's Naima.
I need you to take
Langston for the holidays.
I'm putting him
on the 10 A.M. bus.
He gets into
Times Square at 1:15.
He'll have this number
and your address.
I hope you get this message.
Who was on the phone?
You're sending me away?
To spend the holidays
with your grandparents.
My grandparents?
I don't even know them.
They live in Harlem.
What about you?
I got to work.
We barely see each other.
So you're sending me off to strangers?
They're not strangers.
At Christmas?
No. I ain't going.
I ain't leaving you alone.
If I know you're safe,
I'll be okay.
I'll come get you
as soon as I can.
Langston,
I'm just thinking about what's best for you.
I've done everything I can.
Whatever.
This love in my heart
Is all I have left
That's not enough
But it's my best
So I'll set you free
Pray that you'll fly
And come back to me
Better than I
You've got my mother's eyes
And you've got my father's hands
And Mama can't teach you Things
you can only learn from a man
Our hearts beat in sync so
I'm gonna be off beat
Until the day
you come back to me
In the meantime
I'll be wishing on stars
Praying for change
And mending my heart
In the meantime
I'll cry myself awake
'Cause there's no testament
Without a test of faith
Faith
Faith
I look in your eyes
And I see myself
But you're so much better
Be someone else
'Cause I let you down
It's time you get up
And fight for yourself
You've got my attitude and
You've got your daddy's blues
I want you to see
Love can be faithful and true
Our hearts beat in sync so
I'm gonna be off beat
And hope someday
Is sooner than we think
In the meantime
We'll be wishing on stars
Praying for change
Translation
Translate and read this script in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:
"Black Nativity" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 28 Jan. 2021. <https://www.scripts.com/script/black_nativity_4191>.