The festival was over
the boys were all plannin for a fall
The cabaret was quiet except for the drillin in the wall.
The curfew had been lifted and the gamblin wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town.
He was standin in the doorway lookin 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 doin 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 playin five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens
she was hopin for a third to match her pair.
Outside the streets were fillin up
the window was open wide
A gentle breeze was blowin
you could feel it from inside.
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.
Big Jim was no one s fool
he owned the town s only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookin 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 lookin like a queen without a crown.
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
"Sorry
darlin
that I m late," but he didn t seem to hear.
He was starin into space over at the Jack of Hearts.
"I know I ve seen that face before," Big Jim was thinkin to himself
"Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody s shelf." But then the crowd began to stamp their feet and the house lights did dim And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starin 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 every time she smiled.
She d come away from a broken home
had lots of strange affairs With men in every walk of life which took her everywhere.
But she d never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts.
The hangin judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drillin in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind.
It was known all around that Lily had Jim s ring And nothing would ever come between Lily and the king.
No
nothin ever would except maybe the Jack of Hearts.
Rosemary started drinkin hard and seein her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention
tired of playin the role of Big Jim s wife.
She had done a lot of bad things
even once tried suicide
Was lookin to do just one good deed before she died.
She was gazin 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
there s a brand-new coat of paint
I m glad to see you re still alive
you re lookin like a saint." Down the hallway footsteps were comin for the Jack of Hearts.
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair.
"There s something funny going on," he said
"I can just feel it in the air." He went to get the hangin judge
but the hangin 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.
Lily s arms were locked around the man that she dearly loved to touch
She forgot all about the man she couldn t stand who hounded her so much.
"I ve 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 standin there
ya couldn t say surprised
Rosemary right beside him
steady in her eyes.
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin to the Jack of Hearts.
Two doors down the boys finally made it through the wall And cleaned out the bank safe
it s 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 couldn t go no further without the Jack of Hearts.
The next day was hangin 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 didn t even blink
The hangin judge was sober
he hadn t had a drink.
The only person on the scene missin 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 thinkin bout her father
who she very rarely saw
Thinkin bout Rosemary and thinkin about the law.
But
most of all she was thinkin bout the Jack of Hearts.

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