The Card Cheat

There's a solitary man crying, "Hold me!" It's only because he's lonely And if the keeper of time runs slowly He won't be alive for long If he only had time to tell of all of the things he planned With a card up his sleeve What would he achieve? It means nothing To the opium dens and the barroom gin In the Belmont chair, playing violin The gambler's face cracks into a grin As he lays down the king of spades But the dealer just stares There's something wrong here, he thinks The gambler is seized and forced to his knees And shot dead He only wanted more time Away from the darkest door But his luck it gave in as the dawn light crept in And he lay on the floor From the Hundred Year War to the Crimea With a lance and a musket and a Roman spear To all of the men who have stood with no fear In the service of the King Before you met your fate Be sure you did not forsake Your lover may not be around anymore There's a solitary man crying, "Hold me!" It's only because he's lonely And if the keeper of time runs slowly He won't be alive for long