Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories The Ballad of the Sad Café, Coda Summary

The Twelve Mortal Men

  • A few miles outside of town, there's a twelve-man chain gang patching the road.
  • A guard watches the men work.
  • Everyday, the chain gang works all day, singing.
  • The men singing all together is so beautiful, it seems as if the music is coming from the earth.
  • But it isn't. It's just seven black men, and five white men, working together.