Jack of Diamonds
Nora Jane Struthers (live) Lyrics

I walked to school on Monday and when I stepped in the door
I started my day as usual, walking to school and entering the building.

the other girls were gathered in a circle on the floor
I saw a group of girls sitting on the floor in a circle.

Their slates and books were resting, dejected upon their desks
Their books and slates were sitting on their desks untouched, looking neglected and ignored.

Their skirts bloomed out around them like the late spring tulips
Their skirts were fanned out around them, resembling tulips in late spring.

Henrietta glanced up and called to come and see
One of the girls, Henrietta, looked up at me and called out to come over and see something.

Peering round the ponytails all was revealed to me
As I approached the group, I looked around the ponytails and saw what was happening.

A shinny deck of playing cards strewn upon the ground
There was a shining deck of playing cards spread out on the ground.

Hastily we snatched them up as the bell began to sound
We quickly picked up the cards as the bell signaling the start of class rang in the distance.

When the lessons ended we lingered in the street
After class was over, we hung around outside on the street.

Counted up and made sure that the whole deck was complete
We counted the cards to make sure there were no missing pieces.

Then Henrietta handed the entire lot to me
Henrietta gave the entire deck of cards to me.

She said, Annabelle, tonight, keeper of the cards you'll be
Henrietta appointed me as the keeper of the cards for the night, calling me by my name, Annabelle.

When I got home I snuck into my room and shut the door
I went home and sneaked into my room, closing the door behind me.

I knew I should be stealthy, still I spread them on the floor
Despite knowing I should be quiet, I still spread the cards on my bedroom floor.

Red and black and yellow, green, blue, purple, and white
The cards were colorful, containing red, black, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white.

The faces of the kings and queens brought colorfully to life
The faces of the royal cards came to life with vivid color.

I didn't hear my mother until it was too late
I didn't notice my mother's presence until it was already too late.

Like a storm out of the southwest, she blew in and she raged
My mother came in like a raging storm from the southwest.

Before I knew what hit me all the cards were in her hands
Before I realized what had happened, my mother had taken all the cards from me.

She was screaming at the Devil as to the kitchen fire she ran
My mother was running to the kitchen with the cards, screaming about the Devil.

Hot on her heels in horror, I knelt before the flames
I was horrified and followed closely behind my mother as she rushed to the kitchen.

Where the beauty of each number was burned into my brain
The memory of each individual card burned into my mind as they caught fire.

With my hands deep in my pockets, my teary eyes cast down
I stood with my hands in my pockets and tears in my eyes, looking down at the burning cards.

My mother learned me all the places Satan can be found
My mother lectured me about all the places where Satan can be found.

She said, Though it may seem harmless, a game of cards can lead
She warned me that even though card games may seem harmless, they can lead to negative things.

To greed and lust and whiskey, even infidelity
Card games can lead to greed, lust, drinking, and even infidelity in one's life.

She made me swear to never hold the Devil's deck again
My mother made me promise to never play with a deck of cards again.

But I've still got the Jack of Diamonds underneath my bed
Despite my promise to my mother, I still have the Jack of Diamonds hidden underneath my bed.

Yeah, I've still got the Jack of Diamonds underneath my bed
The Jack of Diamonds is still hidden away, despite everything that happened.

I've still got the Jack of Diamonds underneath my bed
The Jack of Diamonds still remains hidden and coveted.

I've still got the Jack of Diamonds underneath my bed
The Jack of Diamonds is still safely hidden underneath my bed, despite the risks that come with it.