Bill Anderson - Deck Of Cards lyrics
When I first heard this song, I was a little boy growing up
down in the state of South Carolina. The song had been
written and recorded by a man named T. Texas Tyler.
The song in it's original form related to something that
happened during the second World War. Last year, early in
1991, when things were going kinda crazy over on the other
side of the world, I remembered this old song. And I rewrote
the first part of it to fit the situation. The second part of it I
left like it's been all of these years, because you can't
improve upon perfection. I'd like to dedicate this tonight to all
the Veterans, to their families, their loved ones and
everybody that loves this country.
It was a sweltering hot Sunday morning in the Saudia Arabian
desert and a young soldier sat alone in his tent, deep in
thought. A picture of his wife and children back home in the
United States, rested on a table nearby. His mind began to
wander across the miles, back to other Sunday mornings,
that seemed so long ago, now, and so far away. He thought
of home and he knew that when this day dawned in America,
his family would go to church, to pray for his well-being and
his safe return. The young soldier reached into his bag and he
took out a deck of playing cards. He began to spread them
out across his bunk. About that time, one of his buddies came
by and said, "You gonna get up a game?" "No," the soldier
replied, "I'm gonna spend a little quiet time with the
Lord." "Looks like to me you're playing cards." his friend
said. "No, you see, I don't have my Bible and since we can't
display our religion in public, here, I brought along this deck
of cards." And with that, the young boy started his story.
"You see, when I look at the Ace, It reminded me that there
is but one God; and the Deuce reminds me that the Bible is
divided into two parts. The Old and the New Testaments.
When I look at the Trey, I think of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost. When I see the Four, I'm reminded of the
four Evangelists, who preached the Gospel. There was
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And when I see the Five, I
think of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps. There
were ten of them, five were wise and were saved. Five were
foolish and were shut out. And when I look at the Six, I'm
reminded that in six days, God made this great heaven and
earth. The Seven reminds me that on the seventh day, God
rested from His great work. When I see the Eight, I think of
the eight righteous persons God saved when He destroyed
this old world. There was Noah, his wife, their three sons and
their wives. And when I look at the Nine, I think of the lepers
our Saviour cleansed. And nine out of the ten, didn't even
thank Him. And when I see the Ten, I think of the Ten
Commandments God handed down to Moses on the table of
stone. When I look at the King, it reminds me that there is but
one King of Heaven, God Almighty. The Queen reminds me of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven. And the Jack, or
Knave is the Devil.
When I count the number of spots on a deck of cards,
I find 365 - the number of days in a year;
There's 52 cards - the number of weeks in a year;
There's 4 suits - the number of weeks in a month;
There's 12 picture cards - the number of months in a year;
There's 13 tricks - the number of weeks in a quarter.
So you see, my friend, this deck of cards serves me as a
Bible, as an Almanac and as a Prayer Book."
"And friends, this story is true,
I know, because I know that soldier."...
