The Deck of Cards

The Deck of Cards is a recitative that was popularized in both the country and popular music fields, first during the late 1940s.

Though legendary country musician T. Texas Tyler was credited with writing this story, The Deck Of Cards is actually based in part on an excerpt from a piece of 19th Century British Literature called "The Soldier's Almanack, Bible And Prayer Book"

This religious, touching tale of a young soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service first became a hit in the U.S. in 1948.

Through the years, other artists recorded cover versions, including:

• Tex Ritter (1948)
• Phil Harris (1948)
• Wink Martindale (1959)
• Max Bygraves (1973)
• Bill Anderson did a version in the early 90s. It became popular during the Persian Gulf War

By far the most popular version of the song was recorded in 1959 by future game show host Wink Martindale, and was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Martindale's rendition went to #7 on the Billboard charts in the Fall of 1959.

Story

"The Cards" is set during World War II, where a group of Army soldiers, on a long hike during a campaign in southern Italy, had arrived and camped near a town named Cassino. While Scripture is being read, one boy who has only a deck of playing cards, pulls them out and spreads them in front of him. He is immediately spotted by a sergeant, who orders the soldier to put them away (thinking he's playing cards in church). The soldier is then arrested and taken before the Provost Marshal to be punished.

The Provost Marshal demands an explanation, to which the soldier explains the significance of each card:

Ace: The one true God
Deuce: The Old Testament and New Testament in the Bible
Trey: The Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit/Ghost
Four: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John, authors of the four Gospels
Five: The two groups of five virgins who trimmed their lamps for a wedding. Five were wise (by saving enough oil) and were admitted, while the other five were foolish (did not have enough oil) and were shut out.
Six: God creates the Earth in six days.
Seven: God rests on the seventh day, now known as the Sabbath.
Eight: The eight righteous people whom God saved during the Great Flood: Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
Nine: The ten lepers whom Jesus cleansed; nine of whom didn't even thank him.
Ten: The Ten Commandments God handed down to Moses.
King: Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Queen: Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Queen of Heaven.
Jack or Knaves: Satan or the Devil
365 Spots: Days in a year
**NOTE - basic deck contains 364, + 1 for a Joker, (even though most decks of cards will contain 2 jokers)
52 Cards: Number of weeks in a year
Four Suits: Approximate number of weeks in a month (can also mean the four seasons but this is not included in the song)
Twelve Face Cards: Number of months in a year
Thirteen Tricks: Number of weeks in a quarter

He then ends his story by saying that "my deck of cards serves me as a Bible, an almanac and a prayer book." The narrator then closes the story by stating that "this story is true," either by claiming either he is the soldier in question or that he knows him.

Parodies

The Welsh Comedian and singer Max Boyce recorded a Rugby Union themed version. In a Spitting Image sketch, Leon Brittan performs a satirical version when Margaret Thatcher catches him and the rest of the cabinet playing poker in a cabinet meeting.

Bill Oddie performed a parody version written by Tim Brooke-Taylor about a cricket bag in I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.

External links

• Urban Legends