Bunny Lee first recorded Far I in the early 70's with a tune called "The Great Booga Wooga". He went on to cut tunes for Coxsone, notably "Natty Farmyard" and a version of "Queen of the Minstrel". In 1973 the Cordell's "Simpleton" appeared on the Lion label, with the flip being a strange half-sung half-chanted version by the Prince entitled "Simpleton Skank". In 1974 he voiced "Let Jah arise" for Enos McLeod at King Tubbys, and it is Enos who can be credited with renaming the DJ as Prince Far I. After some self-productions which appeared on Pete Weston's Micron outlet, Prince Far I hit a period which included two of reggae's greatest DJ albums. Firstly the "Psalms for I" collection, a straight chant of bible word. The second landmark album was "Under Heavy Manners" for producer Joe Gibbs, engineered by Erroll Thompson. It contained the Prince's first big Jamaican hit single, "Heavy Manners", on the rhythm of Naggo Morris' "Su Su Pon Rasta".
In 1976 Prince Far I set up his own label in Jamaica -- Cry Tuff. That label issued Far I's productions in Jamaica. His UK business ran through the fledgling label Hit Run, created by Adrian Sherwood. This arrangement was almost one of master and pupil, as the Arabs/Roots Radics became Dub Syndicate with Sherwood learning the studio craft as both producer and engineer. The rhythm tracks were laid in Jamaica by Style Scott & Co, the mix and overdubs taken care of in London. "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter III" by Prince Far I and the Arabs was originally released in the UK by that most avuncular of record shop proprietors Keith Stone of Daddy Kool. It marked the handing on of the producer's baton from Far I to Sherwood, soon to launch On U Sound at a time when many critics considered reggae to be a finished force.
Prince Far I was shot dead in Jamaica, September 15, 1983.
Deck of Cards
Prince Far I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike
And they arrived in a little town called Casino
The next morning, being Sunday, several of the boys went to church
A Sargent commanded the boys in church
And after the chaplain had read the prayer
The text was taken up next
Those of the boys who had a prayer books took them out
And so he spread them out
The Sargent saw the cards and said, "Soldier, put away those cards"
After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner
And brought before the Provost Marshall
The marshal said, "Sergeant, why have you brought this man here?"
"For playing cards in church Sir"
"And what have you to say for yourself Son?"
"Much, Sir," replied the soldier
The marshal said, "I hope so, for if not I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished"
The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on the march for about six days
I have neither Bible nor prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you, Sir
With the purity of my intentions"
And with that, the boy started his story
"You see sir, when I look at the Ace
It reminds me that there is but one God
And the deuce, reminds me that the bible is divided
Into two parts, the old and the new testament
When I see the trey, I think of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
And when I see the four, I think of the four Evangelists who preached the Gospel
There was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five wise virgins
Who trimmed their lamps, there were ten of them
Five were wise and were saved, five were foolish
And were shut out
When I see the six, it reminds me that in six days
God made this great Heaven and Earth
When I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day
God rested from His great work
And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons
God saved when he destroyed this Earth
There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives
And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Saviour cleansed
And, nine out of the ten, didn't even thank him
When I see the ten, I think of the ten commandments
God handed down to Moses on a table of stone
When I see the king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven
God Almighty
And when I see the Queen, I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Who is Queen of Heaven, and the Jack of Knaves is the Devil
When I count the number of spots in a deck of cards
I find 365, the number of days in a year
There are 52 cards, the number of weeks in a year
There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month
There are twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year
There are thirteen tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter
So, you see Sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible
An Almanac, and a prayer book
And friends, the story is true, I know
I was that soldier
The lyrics to Prince Far I’s “Deck of Cards” tell the story of a soldier who is taken prisoner and brought before the Provost Marshal for playing cards in church. When he is asked why he has only a deck of cards instead of a prayer book, the soldier responds by using each card to symbolize a different aspect of his faith. He explains that the Ace represents the one God, the deuce represents the division of the Bible into the Old and New Testaments, and so on. By doing so, the soldier illustrates that his deck of cards serves as a Bible, an almanac, and a prayer book all in one.
Through this story, Prince Far I is commenting on the nature of faith and spirituality. The soldier's deck of cards may not have been a conventional tool for worship, but he is still able to find spiritual meaning in it. The song suggests that faith is not just about following specific rules or practices, but about finding meaning and connection with the divine in whatever way works best for you. Ultimately, the soldier's story is one of resourcefulness, resilience, and creativity in the face of adversity.
Overall, Prince Far I's "Deck of Cards" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to think beyond traditional dogma and find their own ways to connect with the divine. Its message is one of hope and inspiration, encouraging us to find meaning and purpose in even the most unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
During the North African Campaign
This story takes place during a military campaign in North Africa.
A bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike
A group of soldiers had been walking for a long time.
And they arrived in a little town called Casino
They arrived in a small town called Casino.
The next morning, being Sunday, several of the boys went to church
The next day was Sunday, and some of the soldiers went to church.
A Sergeant commanded the boys in church
A Sergeant was in charge of the soldiers in church.
And after the chaplain had read the prayer
The chaplain said a prayer.
The text was taken up next
The sermon began.
Those of the boys who had a prayer books took them out
Some soldiers had prayer books with them and took them out during the service.
But, this one boy had only a deck of cards
One soldier only had a deck of cards with him.
And so he spread them out
He laid the cards out in front of him.
The Sargent saw the cards and said, 'Soldier, put away those cards'
The Sergeant noticed the cards and told the soldier to put them away.
After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner
After the service, the soldier was arrested.
And brought before the Provost Marshall
He was taken to the Provost Marshall.
The marshal said, 'Sergeant, why have you brought this man here?'
The Marshall asked the Sergeant why he had brought the soldier in front of him.
'For playing cards in church Sir'
The Sergeant said the soldier was playing cards in church.
'And what have you to say for yourself Son?'
The Marshall asked the soldier to explain himself.
'Much, Sir,' replied the soldier
The soldier said he had a lot to say.
The marshal said, 'I hope so, for if not I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished'
The Marshall warned the soldier that if he didn't have a good reason, he would be severely punished.
'Sir, I have been on the march for about six days
The soldier explained that he had been walking for six days.
I have neither Bible nor prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you, Sir
He didn't have a Bible or prayer book, but he hoped to explain himself to the Marshall.
With the purity of my intentions'
He promised to speak truthfully.
And with that, the boy started his story
The soldier began his explanation.
'You see sir, when I look at the Ace
He started by explaining what each card in his deck represented.
It reminds me that there is but one God
The Ace reminded him that there is only one God.
And the deuce, reminds me that the bible is divided
The two reminded him that the Bible is divided into the Old and New Testament.
Into two parts, the old and the new testament
The Old and New Testament are the two parts of the Bible.
When I see the trey, I think of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
The three reminded him there are three parts of the Holy Trinity.
And when I see the four, I think of the four Evangelists who preached the Gospel
The four represent the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels.
There was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
The four evangelists were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five wise virgins
The five remind him of the parable of the five wise virgins.
Who trimmed their lamps, there were ten of them
Ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom.
Five were wise and were saved, five were foolish
Five of the virgins were prepared and saved, and five were unprepared and not saved.
And were shut out
The unprepared virgins were shut out of the wedding feast.
When I see the six, it reminds me that in six days
The six remind him that God created the world in six days.
God made this great Heaven and Earth
God created the heavens and the earth.
When I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day
The seven remind him that God rested on the seventh day.
God rested from His great work
God rested after creating the world.
And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons
The eight remind him of the eight people saved in the Flood.
God saved when he destroyed this Earth
God saved Noah, his family and two of each animal from the flood.
There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives
Noah, his family, and his son's wives were saved from the flood.
And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Saviour cleansed
The nine remind him of the lepers that Jesus healed.
And, nine out of the ten, didn't even thank him
Nine of the ten lepers didn't thank Jesus for healing them.
When I see the ten, I think of the ten commandments
The ten represent the Ten Commandments given to Moses.
God handed down to Moses on a table of stone
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on a tablet of stone.
When I see the king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven
The king represent the one King of Heaven, God Almighty.
God Almighty
God is the King of Heaven.
And when I see the Queen, I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Queen represents the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven.
Who is Queen of Heaven, and the Jack of Knaves is the Devil
The Jack represents the Devil, who is the enemy of God.
When I count the number of spots in a deck of cards
When he counts all the spots on the cards,
I find 365, the number of days in a year
He gets the number 365, which is the number of days in a year.
There are 52 cards, the number of weeks in a year
There are 52 cards in a deck, which is the number of weeks in a year.
There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month
There are four suits in a deck, which is the number of weeks in a month.
There are twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year
There are twelve picture cards in a deck, which is the number of months in a year.
There are thirteen tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter
There are thirteen tricks in a game of cards, which is the number of weeks in a quarter of a year.
So, you see Sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible
The soldier says that his deck of cards is like a Bible to him.
An Almanac, and a prayer book
It also serves as an almanac and a prayer book.
And friends, the story is true, I know
The soldier claims that this story is true.
I was that soldier
He reveals that he was the soldier in the story.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: T. Texas Tyler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chukonwea5956
Rest in that peace that only God can give thee, baritone voiced roots maestro Prince Far I
@ricardoogando1344
Damn!! 😭😭😭your cruel brother 😢
@dirvangerbreeze4122
Blessed Prince, jah forever rastafari mystic wisdom n the music
@rasibou1
Blessed prince ! My favorite reggae Artist!
@dorenespicer7205
THE VOICE OF THUNDER MY FAVORITE SORRY BOB
@AnthonyVickersSoulJahTYah
IN MEMORY. * ✨ *
PRINCE FARI * ✨ *
BLESSED ✨
@NextSound170
Hard hard blood fire tune. Real Dubwise
@ricardoogando1344
How can I be one of the Choosen one when I was one of those whom denied HIM 😭😭😭😭
@chukonwea5956
When I see the queen, it reminds me of Queen Virgin Mary. When I see the king, it reminds me of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judaea, Light of this world, Jah Jesus Christus.
@ttouche6925
Tribe of judah eisw up