Lily, rosemary and the jack of hearts

Original

Lily, rosemary and the jack of heartsThe festival was over, the boys were all planning for a fall,
The cabaret was quiet except for the drilling in the wall.
The curfew had been lifted and the gambling wheel shut down,
Anyone with any sense had already left town.
He was standing in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts.

He moved across the mirrored room, Set it 'em for everyone, he said,
Then everyone commenced to do what they were doin' before he moved 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 blowing, 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' oh 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 staring 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,
Staring 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, it was a kind of a 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 drilling 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 nothin' would ever come between Lily and the king.
No, nothing ever would 'cept 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, I know, I can just feel it in the air.
He went to get the hangin' judge, but the hangin' judge was drunk,
And the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk.
There was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts.

Lily's had her arms around the man that she dearly loved to touch,
She forgot all about the man she hated, 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, you 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 and the boys finally made it through the wall
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.

Well the next day was hangin' day, and the sky was overcast and black,
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back.
And Rosemary on the gallows, boy, she didn't even blink,
The hangin' judge was sober, Lord, he hadn't had a drink.
The only person on the scene missing was the Jack of Hearts.

The cabaret was quiet 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' about Rosemary and thinkin' about the law.
But, most of all she was thinkin' about the Jack of Hearts.

Lily, rosemary e o valete de copasO festival tinha acabado, os rapazes estavam planejando ir embora
O cabaré estava em silêncio, exceto pela furadeira na parede
Já tinha soado o toque de recolher e a roleta estava fechada
Todo mundo com bom senso já tinha ido embora da cidade
Ele estava parado na porta com cara de Valete de Copas
Ele atravessou a sala de espelhos, uma rodada para todo mundo, ele disse
Então todo mundo começou a fazer o que estavam fazendo antes de ele chamar atenção
Então ele foi até um estranho e lhe perguntou com um sorriso duro
Por gentileza, amigo, que hora o show começa?
Então ele foi até um canto, olhando para baixo como o Valete de Copas
Atrás do palco as garotas estavam jogando pôquer perto da escada
Lily tinha duas rainhas, estava esperando mais uma para compor a dupla
Lá fora, as ruas estavam se enchendo, a janela estava bem aberta
Uma brisa leve soprava, dava para sentir dentro da casa
Lily apostou de novo e tirou o Valete de Copas
Big Jim não era capacho de ninguém, ele era o dono da única mina de diamante da cidade
Ele fez a sua entrada de costume, tão elegante e refinado
Com seus guarda-costas e bengala de prata e cabelo perfeitamente penteado
Ele tomava tudo que queria e deixava estragar
Mas seus guarda-costas e bengala de prata não eram páreo para o Valete de Copas
Rosemary penteava o cabelo e pegou uma carruagem até a cidade
Ela deslizou pela porta lateral como uma rainha sem coroa
Ela piscou os cílios postiços e sussurrou no ouvido dele
Desculpe, querido, estou atrasada, mas ele nem ouviu
Ele estava olhando para o espaço até o Valete de Copas
Sei que já vi esse rosto antes, pensava Big Jim
Talvez no México, ou numa foto na casa de alguém
Mas a multidão começou a ir embora e as luzes da casa diminuíram
E na penumbra do salão só estavam Jim e ele
Olhando para a borboleta que sacou o Valete de Copas
Lily era uma princesa, tinha a pele clara e era preciosa como uma criança
Ela fazia o que tinha que fazer, cada sorriso seu era um flash
Ela veio de uma família de pais separados, teve vários casos estranhos
Com toda qualidade de homem que a levaram a toda parte
Mas nunca tinha encontrado ninguém como o Valete de Copas
O juiz carrasco entrou sem chamar atenção e lhe foi servido comida e bebida
A furadeira na parede continuava, mas ninguém se importava
Todo mundo sabia que a Lily usava o anel de Jim
E nada jamais ficaria entre Lily e o rei
Não, nada exceto talvez o Valete de Copas
Rosemary começou a beber muito e olhar seu reflexo na faca
Estava cansada da exposição, cansada do papel de esposa de Big Jim
Ela já tinha feito várias coisas ruins, até uma vez tentado o suicídio
Queria fazer só uma boa ação antes de morrer
Ela estava mirando o futuro, andar ao lado do Valete de Copas
Lily lavou o rosto, tirou o vestido e o guardou
Sua sorte acabou? Ela riu dele, bom, acho que você devia
Saber que um dia acabaria
Cuidado para não encostar na parede, acabaram de pintar
Estou feliz que você ainda está vivo, você está parecendo um santo
No corredor, passos vinham buscar o Valete de Copas
O gerente do elenco estava dando voltas em sua cadeira
Algo estranho está acontecendo, eu sei, dá para sentir no ar
Ele foi falar com o juiz carrasco, mas o juiz carrasco estava bêbado
E o ator principal passou correndo vestido de monge
Não havia ator melhor do que o Valete de Copas
Lily tinha nos braços o homem que ela amava tocar
Ela esqueceu do homem que odiava, que a perseguia tanto
Senti tanto a sua falta, ela lhe disse, e ele sentiu que ela era sincera
Mas além da porta ele sentiu o ciúme e o medo
A última noite da vida do Valete de Copas
Ninguém viu acontecer, mas disseram que foi bem rápido
A porta do vestiário se escancarou e um frio revólver disparou
E o Big Jim estava lá parado, não se pode dizer que é uma surpresa
Rosemary ao seu lado, com o olhar firme
Ela estava com Big Jim, mas se inclinava ao Valete de Copas
Dois prédios ao lado os rapazes finalmente perfuraram a parede
Limparam o cofre do banco, dizem que fugiram com uma bolada
No escuro, perto do rio, eles esperaram no chão
Por mais um membro que tinha um assunto na cidade
Mas eles não poderiam partir sem o Valete de Copas
O próximo dia era dia de execução, o céu estava nublado e escuro
Big Jim jazia coberto, morto com um canivete nas costas
E Rosemary na forca, rapaz, ela nem sequer piscava
O juiz carrasco estava sóbrio, Senhor, ele não tinha tomado nada
A única pessoa que não estava lá era o Valete de Copas
O cabaré estava em silêncio, agora, fechado para reforma
Lily já tinha tirado toda a tinta do cabelo
Ela estava pensando no pai, que ela raramente via
Pensando em Rosemary e pensando na lei
Mas, acima de tudo, ela estava pensando no Valete de Copas

Encontrou algum erro na letra? Por favor envie uma correção clicando aqui!

Lily, rosemary and the jack of hearts

Mais ouvidas de Joan baez