Lyrics
The festival was over, the boys were all planninâ for a fall
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillinâ in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblinâ wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standinâ in the doorway lookinâ like the Jack of Hearts
He moved across the mirrored room, «Set it up for everyone,» he said
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doinâ before he turned their heads
Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin
«Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?»
Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts
Backstage the girls were playinâ five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens, she was hopinâ for a third to match her pair
Outside the streets were fillinâ up, the window was open wide
A gentle breeze was blowinâ, you could feel it from inside
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts
Big Jim was no oneâs fool, he owned the townâs only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookinâ so dandy and so fine
With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste
But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town
She slipped in through the side door lookinâ like a queen without a crown
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
«Sorry, darlinâ, that Iâm late,» but he didnât seem to hear
He was starinâ into space over at the Jack of Hearts
«I know Iâve seen that face somewhere,» Big Jim was thinkinâ to himself
«Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebodyâs shelf»
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the houselights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starinâ at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child
She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash in her smiled
Sheâd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere
But sheâd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts
The hanginâ judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drillinâ in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind
It was known all around that Lily had Jimâs ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king
No, nothinâ ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary started drinkinâ hard and seeinâ her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention, tired of playinâ the role of Big Jimâs wife
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookinâ to do just one good deed before she died
She was gazinâ to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts
Lily washed her face, took her dress off and buried it away
«Has your luck run out?» she laughed at him, «Well, I guess you must
have known it would someday
Be careful not to touch the wall, thereâs a brand-new coat of paint
Iâm glad to see youâre still alive, youâre lookinâ like a saint»
Down the hallway footsteps were cominâ for the Jack of Hearts
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair
«Thereâs something funny going on,» he said, «I can just feel it in the air»
He went to get the hanginâ judge, but the hanginâ judge was drunk
As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts
Lilyâs arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch
She forgot all about the man she couldnât stand who hounded her so much
«Iâve missed you so,» she said to him, and he felt she was sincere
But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear
Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts
No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked
And Big Jim was standinâ there, ya couldnât say surprised
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes
She was with Big Jim but she was leaninâ to the Jack of Hearts
Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall
And cleaned out the bank safe, itâs said that they got off with quite a haul
In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town
But they couldnât go no further without the Jack of Hearts
The next day was hanginâ day, the sky was overcast and black
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back
And Rosemary on the gallows, she didnât even blink
The hanginâ judge was sober, he hadnât had a drink
The only person on the scene missinâ was the Jack of Hearts
The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, «Closed for repair»
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair
She was thinkinâ âbout her father, who she very rarely saw
Thinkinâ âbout Rosemary and thinkinâ about the law
But most of all she was thinkinâ âbout the Jack of Hearts
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillinâ in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblinâ wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standinâ in the doorway lookinâ like the Jack of Hearts
He moved across the mirrored room, «Set it up for everyone,» he said
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doinâ before he turned their heads
Then he walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin
«Could you kindly tell me, friend, what time the show begins?»
Then he moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts
Backstage the girls were playinâ five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens, she was hopinâ for a third to match her pair
Outside the streets were fillinâ up, the window was open wide
A gentle breeze was blowinâ, you could feel it from inside
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts
Big Jim was no oneâs fool, he owned the townâs only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookinâ so dandy and so fine
With his bodyguards and silver cane and every hair in place
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste
But his bodyguards and silver cane were no match for the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town
She slipped in through the side door lookinâ like a queen without a crown
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
«Sorry, darlinâ, that Iâm late,» but he didnât seem to hear
He was starinâ into space over at the Jack of Hearts
«I know Iâve seen that face somewhere,» Big Jim was thinkinâ to himself
«Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebodyâs shelf»
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the houselights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starinâ at the butterfly who just drew the Jack of Hearts
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child
She did whatever she had to do, she had that certain flash in her smiled
Sheâd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere
But sheâd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts
The hanginâ judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drillinâ in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind
It was known all around that Lily had Jimâs ring
And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king
No, nothinâ ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary started drinkinâ hard and seeinâ her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention, tired of playinâ the role of Big Jimâs wife
She had done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookinâ to do just one good deed before she died
She was gazinâ to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts
Lily washed her face, took her dress off and buried it away
«Has your luck run out?» she laughed at him, «Well, I guess you must
have known it would someday
Be careful not to touch the wall, thereâs a brand-new coat of paint
Iâm glad to see youâre still alive, youâre lookinâ like a saint»
Down the hallway footsteps were cominâ for the Jack of Hearts
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair
«Thereâs something funny going on,» he said, «I can just feel it in the air»
He went to get the hanginâ judge, but the hanginâ judge was drunk
As the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts
Lilyâs arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch
She forgot all about the man she couldnât stand who hounded her so much
«Iâve missed you so,» she said to him, and he felt she was sincere
But just beyond the door he felt jealousy and fear
Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts
No one knew the circumstance but they say that it happened pretty quick
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked
And Big Jim was standinâ there, ya couldnât say surprised
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes
She was with Big Jim but she was leaninâ to the Jack of Hearts
Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall
And cleaned out the bank safe, itâs said that they got off with quite a haul
In the darkness by the riverbed they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town
But they couldnât go no further without the Jack of Hearts
The next day was hanginâ day, the sky was overcast and black
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back
And Rosemary on the gallows, she didnât even blink
The hanginâ judge was sober, he hadnât had a drink
The only person on the scene missinâ was the Jack of Hearts
The cabaret was empty now, a sign said, «Closed for repair»
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair
She was thinkinâ âbout her father, who she very rarely saw
Thinkinâ âbout Rosemary and thinkinâ about the law
But most of all she was thinkinâ âbout the Jack of Hearts