The Deck of Cards
Encyclopedia
"The Deck of Cards" is a recitative that was popularized in both the country
and popular music fields, first during the late 1940s. This religious, touching tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service first became a hit in the U.S. in 1948
by country musician T. Texas Tyler
.
Though Tyler wrote the spoken-word piece, the earliest known reference is to be found in an account/common-place book belonging to Mary Bacon, a farmer's wife, dated 20 April 1762. The story of the soldier can be found in full in Mary Bacon's World. A farmer's wife in eighteenth-century Hampshire, published by Threshhold Press (2010). The folk story was later recorded in a piece of 19th century British literature called "The Soldier's Almanack, Bible And Prayer Book"
, where a group of US 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 in church, one man 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/Three: The Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit/Ghost
Four: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John
, evangelists and 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 created the Earth in six days.
Seven: God rested 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: Of the ten lepers
whom Jesus
cleansed, nine of them didn't even thank him.
Ten: The Ten Commandments
God handed down to Moses
.
King: God
, the Father.
Queen: Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Queen of Heaven
.
Jack or Knave: Satan
or the Devil
365 Spots: Days in a year
52 Cards: Number of weeks in a year
Thirteen Tricks: Number of weeks in a quarter
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
He then ends his story by saying that "my pack 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," by claiming he is the soldier in question.
, and was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show
. Martindale's rendition went to No. 7 on the Billboard charts
in 1959, attained multi-platinum recognition, and reached No. 1 on many worldwide music charts.
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
and Chris Stuart-Clarke about a cricket bag in I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
. This same version was also performed by David Frost
and released as a single by Parlophone
records in 1966 with Chris Stuart-Clarke's name being misspelled as Stewart-Clarke. A Parlophone
promotional single released April 29, 1966 exists which has a John Cleese
sketch titled "Zoo Keeper" as the A side but versions are also found with "Deck of Cards" as the A side.
The Soft Boys with Robyn Hitchcock
also recorded a parody version, originally an outtake from "Live At The Portland Arms (Cambridge)". It was released as a bonus flexi-disc with Bucketfull of Brains magazine #23. While the backing is done straight, Hitchcock's recitation veers off from the original as is characteristic of his off kilter and absurd sense of humour. For example, "...when I see the trés, I think of tea time; when I see the four, I think of the Fab Four... John... Paul...George... and Ringo;... ...when I see the six I think of Unit 4 + 2
" etc. before concluding with "... I know because I was that bicycle clip."
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and popular music fields, first during the late 1940s. This religious, touching tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service first became a hit in the U.S. in 1948
1948 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1948.-Events:* April 3 — Radio station KWKH of Shreveport, Louisiana airs the Louisiana Hayride for the first time....
by country musician T. Texas Tyler
T. Texas Tyler
David Luke Myrick , known professionally as T. Texas Tyler, was an American country music singer and songwriter primarily known for his 1948 hit, "The Deck of Cards".-Biography:...
.
Though Tyler wrote the spoken-word piece, the earliest known reference is to be found in an account/common-place book belonging to Mary Bacon, a farmer's wife, dated 20 April 1762. The story of the soldier can be found in full in Mary Bacon's World. A farmer's wife in eighteenth-century Hampshire, published by Threshhold Press (2010). The folk story was later recorded in a piece of 19th century British literature called "The Soldier's Almanack, Bible And Prayer Book"
Story
"Cards" is set during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where a group of US 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 in church, one man 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
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
to be punished. The provost marshal demands an explanation, to which the soldier explains the significance of each card:
Ace: The one true God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
Deuce: The Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Trey/Three: The Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit/Ghost
Four: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
, evangelists and 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 created the Earth in six days.
Seven: God rested on the seventh day, now known as the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
.
Eight: The eight righteous people whom God saved during the Great Flood: Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
Nine: Of the ten lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
whom Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
cleansed, nine of them didn't even thank him.
Ten: The Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
God handed down to Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
.
King: God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Father.
Queen: Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Queen of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
.
Jack or Knave: Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
or the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
365 Spots: Days in a year
52 Cards: Number of weeks in a year
Thirteen Tricks: Number of weeks in a quarter
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
He then ends his story by saying that "my pack 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," by claiming he is the soldier in question.
Cover versions
The highest-charting version was recorded in 1959 by future game show host Wink MartindaleWink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
, and was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
. Martindale's rendition went to No. 7 on the Billboard charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1959, attained multi-platinum recognition, and reached No. 1 on many worldwide music charts.
Parodies
Red River Dave composed a parody, "The Red Deck of Cards" about a U.S. prisoner of war, who hates cards, because the North Koreans tried to teach him Communism by the using a deck of cards.The Welsh Comedian and singer Max Boyce
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
recorded a Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
themed version.
In a Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
sketch, Leon Brittan performs a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
version when Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
catches him and the rest of the cabinet playing poker in a cabinet meeting.
Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
performed a parody version written by Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
and Chris Stuart-Clarke about a cricket bag in I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again was a BBC radio comedy programme which originated from the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus...
. This same version was also performed by David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
and released as a single by Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
records in 1966 with Chris Stuart-Clarke's name being misspelled as Stewart-Clarke. A Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
promotional single released April 29, 1966 exists which has a John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
sketch titled "Zoo Keeper" as the A side but versions are also found with "Deck of Cards" as the A side.
The Soft Boys with Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
also recorded a parody version, originally an outtake from "Live At The Portland Arms (Cambridge)". It was released as a bonus flexi-disc with Bucketfull of Brains magazine #23. While the backing is done straight, Hitchcock's recitation veers off from the original as is characteristic of his off kilter and absurd sense of humour. For example, "...when I see the trés, I think of tea time; when I see the four, I think of the Fab Four... John... Paul...George... and Ringo;... ...when I see the six I think of Unit 4 + 2
Unit 4 + 2
Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band, who had a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1965 with the song "Concrete and Clay". The track topped the UK chart for one week.-Early days:...
" etc. before concluding with "... I know because I was that bicycle clip."