The Card Cheat
The Clash Lyrics
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It's only because he's a-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 cryin', "hold me!"
It's only because he's a-lonely
And if the keeper of time runs slowly
He won't be alive for long
The Card Cheat by The Clash is a poignant song that tells the story of a solitary man who seeks to cheat death because he is lonely. The first verse paints a picture of a sad man who feels alone and wishes that time would slow down so that he can live longer. The second verse then shifts to the setting of a gambling den where a gambler cheats his way to success. The gambler becomes reckless in his success and ultimately, is shot and killed. The chorus of the song brings back the message of the first verse, emphasizing, once again, the importance of time and how it waits for no one. Finally, the third verse brings the theme of war and death into the mix, explicitly warning listeners to cherish their loved ones before it is too late.
Overall, The Card Cheat is a melancholy song that speaks to the human condition. It talks about the universality of loneliness and the struggle to hold onto time. The lyrics are thought-provoking and penned in true punk fashion. It is not surprising that The Clash chose to tackle such an existential subject matter in their songs. The Card Cheat is a great example of punk rock's socio-political commentary.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a solitary man cryin', "hold me!"
A man is alone and he is crying out for comfort because he feels lonely.
It's only because he's a-lonely
The reason the man is crying is because he's lonely.
And if the keeper of time runs slowly
If time slows down, the man won't live very long.
He won't be alive for long
The man doesn't have much time to live.
If he only had time to tell of all of the things he planned
If the man had more time to live, he could tell people about his plans.
With a card up his sleeve, what would he achieve?
Even if the man cheats, he won't achieve anything significant.
It means nothing
Cheating at cards doesn't mean anything and it won't help the man achieve his goals.
To the opium dens and the barroom gin
The man turns to vices like opium and alcohol to escape his loneliness.
In the Belmont chair playing violin
The man may try to distract himself from his sadness by playing music.
The gambler's face cracks into a grin
The gambler is happy because he thinks he's won at cards.
As he lays down the king of spades
The gambler places the king of spades on the table.
But the dealer just stares
The dealer is suspicious of the gambler's win.
"There's something wrong here", he thinks
The dealer senses that something isn't right about the game.
The gambler is seized and forced to his knees
The gambler is caught cheating and is made to kneel.
And shot dead
The gambler is killed for cheating at cards.
He only wanted more time
The gambler wished he had more time to achieve his goals.
Away from the darkest door
He wanted to move away from a place of fear and darkness.
But his luck it gave in
His luck ran out and he was caught cheating and killed.
As the dawn light crept in
The sun started to rise as the gambler was dying.
And he lay on the floor
The gambler died on the ground.
From the Hundred Year War to the Crimea
The song references various wars throughout history.
With a lance and a musket and a Roman spear
The song references various weapons used in wars.
To all of the men who have stood with no fear
The song praises soldiers who have bravely fought in wars.
In the service of the King
These soldiers fought for their king or country.
Before you met your fate
Before you die.
Be sure you did not forsake
Make sure you didn't abandon or betray someone important to you before you die.
Your lover may not be around anymore
Your partner or loved one may have died before you did.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephencoomer5692
[Chorus]
There's a solitary man cryin', "Hold me"
It's only because he's a'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 nothin'
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
(Repeat 1st verse)
@LaichzeitFX
one of their most underrated songs
@jasonkolo
It's super beautiful.
@selenenorman3050
@Talorc MacAllan of
@lildevil2380
Their best song in my opinion
@joebryant8500
^ what he said.
@Blackirish57
The list of underrated Clash songs is exactly as long as their entire catalog
@BucksMusicJourney
I'm 42 and 'discovered' the Clash last year. Only knew a couple of hits, but never paid attention to their discography. And now: stole the musical room in my heart. With a big kaboom they entered. Every decade has it's gems. That's why I love music and want to be open to all kinds of music, despite the age or style. London Calling is now an important piece in my album collection. Very versatile album.
@raywallace633
Welcome to radio clash!!!! .joe strummer did a duet with johnny cash on "redemption song" its amazing.
@vickynixon2002
I’m just sorry you didn’t discover sooner 😊
@stephencopeland3413
The only BAND that has ever mattered.