Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts
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.
Lily, Rosemary e o Valete de Copas
O festival tinha acabado, os caras já planejavam a queda,
O cabaré estava quieto, só se ouvia o barulho da broca na parede.
O toque de recolher tinha sido suspenso e a roleta fechada,
Quem tinha juízo já tinha deixado a cidade.
Ele estava parado na porta, parecendo o Valete de Copas.
Ele atravessou a sala espelhada, "Prepara tudo pra galera," ele disse,
Então todo mundo começou a fazer o que já fazia antes de ele virar suas cabeças.
Então ele se aproximou de um estranho e perguntou com um sorriso,
"Você poderia me dizer, amigo, que horas começa o show?"
Então ele se moveu para o canto, de cara pra baixo como o Valete de Copas.
Nos bastidores, as garotas jogavam pôquer perto das escadas,
Lily tinha duas damas, torcendo pra sair uma terceira pra combinar com a dupla.
Lá fora as ruas estavam se enchendo, a janela estava bem aberta,
Uma brisa suave soprava, dava pra sentir de dentro.
Lily fez mais uma aposta e puxou o Valete de Copas.
Big Jim não era bobo, ele era dono da única mina de diamantes da cidade,
Ele fez sua entrada habitual, parecendo tão elegante e tão bem arrumado.
Com seus seguranças e bengala de prata, e cada cabelo no lugar,
Ele pegava o que queria e deixava tudo em ruínas.
Mas seus seguranças e a bengala de prata não eram páreo pro Valete de Copas.
Rosemary arrumou o cabelo e pegou uma carruagem pra cidade,
Ela entrou pela porta lateral, parecendo uma rainha sem coroa.
Ela piscou os cílios postiços e sussurrou no ouvido dele,
"Desculpa, amor, pelo atraso," mas ele parecia não ouvir.
Ele estava olhando pro nada, lá onde estava o Valete de Copas.
"Eu sei que já vi esse rosto antes," Big Jim pensava consigo,
"Talvez lá no México ou numa foto na prateleira de alguém."
Mas então a multidão começou a bater os pés e as luzes da casa se apagaram
E na escuridão da sala só havia Jim e ele,
Olhando pra borboleta que acabara de puxar o Valete de Copas.
Lily era uma princesa, tinha pele clara e era preciosa como uma criança,
Ela fazia o que tinha que fazer, tinha aquele brilho toda vez que sorria.
Ela tinha saído de um lar desfeito, teve muitos casos estranhos
Com homens de todas as classes que a levaram pra todo lugar.
Mas nunca tinha conhecido alguém como o Valete de Copas.
O juiz que pendurava veio sem ser notado e estava sendo bem tratado,
O barulho da broca continuava, mas ninguém parecia se importar.
Era sabido por todos que Lily tinha o anel de Jim
E nada jamais ficaria entre Lily e o rei.
Não, nada jamais ficaria, exceto talvez o Valete de Copas.
Rosemary começou a beber pesado e a ver seu reflexo na faca,
Ela estava cansada da atenção, cansada de fazer o papel da esposa de Big Jim.
Ela tinha feito muitas coisas ruins, até tentou suicídio uma vez,
Estava procurando fazer apenas uma boa ação antes de morrer.
Ela estava olhando pro futuro, montada no Valete de Copas.
Lily lavou o rosto, tirou o vestido e o escondeu.
"Sua sorte acabou?" ela riu dele, "Bem, eu acho que você já
sabia que isso ia acontecer um dia.
Cuidado pra não tocar na parede, tem uma nova camada de tinta,
Fico feliz em ver que você ainda está vivo, você está parecendo um santo."
Pelo corredor, passos vinham em direção ao Valete de Copas.
O gerente dos bastidores estava andando de um lado pro outro perto da cadeira.
"Tem algo estranho acontecendo," ele disse, "Eu consigo sentir no ar."
Ele foi buscar o juiz que pendurava, mas o juiz estava bêbado,
Enquanto o ator principal passava apressado vestido de monge.
Não havia ator melhor em lugar nenhum do que o Valete de Copas.
Os braços de Lily estavam ao redor do homem que ela amava tocar,
Ela esqueceu do homem que não suportava e que a perseguia tanto.
"Eu senti sua falta," ela disse a ele, e ele sentiu que ela era sincera,
Mas logo além da porta ele sentiu ciúmes e medo.
Só mais uma noite na vida do Valete de Copas.
Ninguém sabia das circunstâncias, mas dizem que aconteceu bem rápido,
A porta do camarim se abriu com força e um revólver frio clicou.
E Big Jim estava lá, não dava pra dizer que estava surpreso,
Rosemary bem ao lado dele, firme nos olhos.
Ela estava com Big Jim, mas estava se inclinando pro Valete de Copas.
Duas portas adiante, os caras finalmente conseguiram passar pela parede
E limparam o cofre do banco, dizem que saíram com um bom saque.
Na escuridão à beira do rio, eles esperavam no chão
Por mais um membro que tinha negócios de volta na cidade.
Mas não podiam ir mais longe sem o Valete de Copas.
O dia seguinte era dia de enforcamento, o céu estava nublado e negro,
Big Jim estava deitado coberto, morto por uma faca nas costas.
E Rosemary na forca, ela nem piscou,
O juiz que pendurava estava sóbrio, não tinha bebido nada.
A única pessoa que faltava na cena era o Valete de Copas.
O cabaré agora estava vazio, uma placa dizia: "Fechado para reforma,"
Lily já tinha tirado toda a tinta do cabelo.
Ela estava pensando no pai, que via raramente,
pensando em Rosemary e pensando na lei.
Mas, acima de tudo, ela estava pensando no Valete de Copas.