Song titles that are sounds; Song titles with the artist's name; Songs that had different titles when they started; Songs that reference playing cards or card games; Songs with ages in the title; Songs with animals in the title; Songs with bad grammar in the title; Songs with beverages in the title; Songs with birds in the title.
Tex Ritter/Amazon.com.uk
- There are 52 cards, the number of weeks in a year. There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month. There are twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year. There are thirteen tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter. So you see, Sir, My deck of cards serves me as a bible, An almanac and a prayer book.' 'And friends, this is a true.
- But my FAVORITE card-playing song has to be OAR's 'That Was A Crazy Game of Poker.' - it puts me in a fantastic mood every time I hear it!!
Popularized in the fields of both the country and popular music, 'The Deck of Cards' is a recitation song first recorded in the late 1940's. This song, which relates the 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 British 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 Threshold Press (2010). Editor's Note: Check out Another Sure Fire from Alabama: '(There's A) Fire in the Night' for another interesting read!
The Story
Set during World War II, the song happened where a group of U.S. Army soldiers, on a long hike during a campaign in southern Italy, arrive and camp near the town of 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 believes the soldier is playing cards in church and orders him to put them away.
The soldier is then arrested and taken before the provost marshal to be judged. The provost marshal demands an explanation and the soldier says that he had been on a long march, without a bible or a prayer book.
The Deck of Cards: Its Representation
With the marshal arresting and demanding for an explanation for the act, the soldier then 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: the number of days taken by God to create the Earth.
Seven: the day on which God rested, 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 nine out of ten lepers cleansed by Jesus who did not thank him.
Ten: the Ten Commandments God handed down to Moses.
King: God, the Father.
Queen: the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Queen of Heaven.
Jack or knave: Satan or the Devil.
365 spots: the number of days in a year
52 cards: the number of weeks in a year.
Thirteen tricks: the number of weeks in a season, or quarter of a year.
Four suits: the approximate number of weeks in a month.
Twelve face, or 'Picture' cards: the number of months in a year.
He then ends his story by saying,
'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.
Reflection
Some players of the deck of cards will question bringing Christian thought into their realm. Likewise, some Christians will question bringing the deck of cards into their realm. And while some people in good conscience will judge the realms mutually exclusive, others may find common ground.
Objecting Christians might avoid being superstitious and mindlessly fearing a factory-printed, shrink-wrapped deck of cards. Like music or movies, surely cards can be used for both good and bad purposes, whether an innocent game or a gambling addiction. As wine can be used in holy communion yet also abused in drunkenness, perhaps cards can be used in Christian reflection and not only for forbidden gambling or so.
Indeed, 'The Deck of Cards' is a song that simply demonstrates how the intent of the heart determines the significance of the cards.
Listen and try to relate to the lyrics of this Tex Ritter recitation song, 'The Deck of Cards'.
Any thoughts folks? Tell us what you think. Don't forget to like and share this post. Share the country spirit folks! For more country reads, visit our website, https://www.countrythangdaily.com/.
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Writers & Publishers
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
Related
It was a sweltering hot Sunday morning in the Saudi 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'
Check Out
'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
Songs About Playing Cards
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
Custom Sound Birthday Cards
And friends, this story is true
I know because I know that soldier
