Meet Joe Black Jamaican patois

Question

Is there anywhere a line by line translation of the Jamaican patois conversation between Death (Brad Pitt) and the old lady in the hospital in "Meet Joe Black"?

Answer 1

"Obea" is a general word for evil supernatural entity and so is "jumbie." "Duppy" is a word for evil ghost. "Irey" means alright.

The gist of the conversation is: Joe is not a demon or evil spirit, he is like a bus driver to "the next place" (afterlife). Joe says he is on holiday, Easter tells him that he could have picked a better place (somewhere that is not a hospital). Easter asks him if it is her time to die, Joe says it is not yet her time. Easter says to make it her time. Joe says he can't do that (he doesn't decide the future, he is there to pick her up at he moment of death but he doesn't decide who lives and who dies and when). Joe says he has nothing to do with her pain and can't do that, sister. Easter says that the pain is really bad ("pain is through and through" her whole body) so he can help take it away, mister, take me to the afterlife. Joe says he can't do that. Joe helps her with her pain later and says that soon will be her time.

     JOE
    No obeah, sister.  No duppy, no
    jumbie.  Evera ting gon' be irey.
Susan and Teena both look at him, astonished.  Easter's
fearful gaze remains locked on him.
         JOE (cont'd)
Go wi' de doctor lady.  Momma be
fine.

         EASTER
Don' leave!?

         TEENA
    (pleading)
Momma.


Susan leads Teena away.  Easter is riveted on Joe.
         EASTER
    (with certainty)
Obeah.

         JOE
Obeah evil.  I not evil.

         EASTER
What you then?

         JOE
I from dat nex' place.

         EASTER
You wait here'n to take us?  Like
you bus driver to dere?

         JOE
    (smiles)
No, no.  I on holiday.

         EASTER
    (looks around, dubious)
Some spot you pick.


She winces with pain, gasping.
         EASTER (cont'd)
Pain is bad.

         JOE
I nuttin' to do wi' dat.

         EASTER
Make it go 'way.

         JOE
Doctor lady make it irey.

         EASTER
Not dis pain.  Dis pain tru an' tru.
Make it go 'way.

         JOE
Can't, sistah.

         EASTER
    (adamant, pleading)
Can, mistah.  Take me to dat nex'
place.


Joe regards Easter, a long moment.
         JOE
Not time yet.

         EASTER
Make it time.


Joe shakes his head, a firm no.  But when he looks and speaks
to Easter again, it is with concern and even regret.
         JOE
Can't feel wi' de way tings gotta
be, Easter.


Susan and Teena return with an Orderly and a wheelchair for
Easter.
         EASTER
    (to Joe)
Please...

         TEENA
Come now, Momma.


Easter is helped into the wheelchair.  She looks pleadingly
at Joe.  The Orderly starts to wheel her away.  Joe stays him,
putting his hand on Easter's arm.
         JOE
Close your eyes, Easter.


She does, her pained grimace melts into a peaceful smile.
         JOE (cont'd)
Soon.


He takes his hand away, and the Orderly wheels Easter off.
         SUSAN
    (to Teena)
Go with her.  I'll be right there.

There is another scene when they speak in patois. In that scene she tells him that he was on holiday, he got lucky and he had a good time, he got tanned and mosquitos didn't bite him and he didn't get a sunburn and he didn't get hungover from rum. But that he shouldn't deceive himself, holiday is one thing, once the holiday is over, real life is not so great and people are lonely here too, it is one thing to visit the place like a tourist, but something else to actually live there. So go home with the good memories before you get hurt and don't try to overstay your welcome. Take the nice pictures and memories and go home. Joe asks her if she got enough nice pictures (to take from her life to the afterlife). Easter nods and he takes her life, relieving her of pain.

              EASTER
    Mistah Bad News.  'Bout time you
    show up.
Joe speaks to her in the dialect.
         JOE
Don' be facety, sistah.

         EASTER
I not facety, mistah.  You come for
me?  Dat's good news.

         JOE
No, I come to see da Doctor.

         EASTER
Doctor?  What could be wrong wit'
you?

         JOE
Nuthin'.


Silence, then Easter smiles.
         EASTER
Oh, you come to see Doctor Lady?

         JOE
Yah mon.

         EASTER
My Doctor Lady?

         JOE
Mine, too.


She thinks about this for the moment, Joe grows uncomfort-
able.
         EASTER
You in love?


Joe seems slightly tormented by the question, Easter senses
him trying to frame a response.
Joe shakes his head then nods.

         EASTER
You loved back?

Joe smiles.

         EASTER
She know your real self?

         JOE
She knows how she feel.

         EASTER
    (scoffing)
Rass!  What da hell kind of
business is this?

         JOE
    (irritably)
Don' need you okayin'.

         EASTER
Schoolboy tings in you head.
Badness for you, badness for her,
badness for me, lyin' here tumor,
big as breadfruit, poison my inside
an' waiting.

         JOE
Bring you flowers and all I's gettin's
aggravation.

         EASTER
    (stubbornly)
Only flowers I wan' see's one's
over my peaceful self restin' in
the dirt.

         JOE
Can do no right by people.  Come to
take, you wan' to stay, leave you
stay, you wan' to go.  Rahtid!


Silence, Easter waits, watching Joe.
         EASTER
Your not in you right place, mistah.


Easter's response stops Joe cold, he looks away and then
back at her, she had clearly reached him.
         EASTER (cont'd)
Me either.  No more.  Take me,
an you come wi' me now.

         JOE
But I not lonely here.  Somebody
want me here.


Easter considers Joe, she smiles sympathetically.
         EASTER
It nice it happen to you.  Like
you come to the island and had a
holiday, sun didn't burn you red red,
just brown, sleep an' no mosquito eat you.
But the trut' is, it bound to happen,
if you stay long enough.  So tak dat
nice picture you got in your head
home wi' you, but don'
be fooled.  We lonely here mostly,
too.  If we lucky, maybe we got some
nice pictures to take wit' us.


Easter drifts into silence, her eyes and Joe's meet, a sense
they understand each other.  Easter shifts, trying hard to
ease her discomfort.
         JOE
    (gently)
Ye got enough nice pictures?


She looks at him and nods gratefully and closes her eyes.
Joe watches her, now his eyes close.  Easter exhales
raspingly, falls still.  The monitors flatline.  A beeping
alarm sound somewhere down the hall.
Joe opens his eyes, takes a deep breath, he seems troubled.
         JOE (cont'd)
G'bye, sistah.


He slips out of the room.