The Deck of Cards
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- For other uses of "deck of cards," see Deck of cards (disambiguation).
"The Deck of Cards" is a recitation that was popularized in both the country and popular music fields, first during the late 1940s. Written and originally recorded by T. Texas Tyler, this religious tale of a young soldier who is arrested after being found in possession of playing cards during a religious service, first became a hit in 1948.
Through the years, many artists recored cover versions. Both country music performer Tex Ritter and popular music artist Phil Harris both had hits in 1948. A well-known version was recorded in 1959 by future game show host Wink Martindale, and was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Other versions have been recorded by Max Bygraves (who had a hit in the United Kingdom in 1973) and country singer Bill Anderson (whose 1991 rendition was popularized during the Persian Gulf War.
[edit] Story
"The Deck of Cards" is set during the North African campaign of World War II, where a group of Army soldiers had arrived in a town named Casino after a long hike. While the text is being read, the boy has only a deck of playing cards, so he pulls them out and spreads them in front of him. He is immediately spotted by the sergeant, 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 (e.g., the ace "reminds me there is but one God," the deuce telling him that the Bible is divided into two parts, etc.).
The soldier relates other facts about the cards, such as finding 365 spots in an entire deck, one for every day of the year. He ends his story by saying that "my deck 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," either by claiming either he is the soldier in question or that he knows him.
The fate of the soldier — whether he is jailed or if the Provost Marshal accepts the explanation and lets the soldier go — is not told.
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