The Winning Hand

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THE DEVIL’S POKER HAND [Intro – spoken, very deep gravelly voice] They say a man should know when to walk away... And when the stakes get too high. But nobody ever told me... What happens when a stranger deals. [Slow sinister banjo picking] [Verse 1] I rode into town on a Friday night, With a pocket full of pay, Found a smoky little gambling hall, Where fools threw gold away. Whiskey flowed and cards were dealt, The room was loud with cheer, Till a stranger dressed in black walked in... And grabbed himself a beer. [Verse 2] He took the empty chair across, And tipped his hat down to one side, Blackened coat and silver spurs, A smile beneath it, wide. He said, "Mind if I join you, boys?" Then ordered whiskey neat, And when he looked me in the eye... I felt the fire beneath my feet. [Pre-Chorus] One by one the others folded, Till just he and I remained, A mountain of coins between us, And neither showed no strain. Then he pushed his final stack ahead, And said, "I'll raise you all I've got..." I laughed and said, "You're finished, friend." He grinned... "Oh, I think not." [Chorus – full band kicks in] THE DEVIL LOST AT POKER! Cards upon the table, I thought I'd won a fortune, Thought my future safe and stable. I had four kings staring back at me, Won a lifetimes worth of gold , But you don't win gold when you beat the Devil... You win somebody's Soul!. [Verse 3] I laid those kings down one by one, And heard the gamblers roar, The stranger stared a moment... Then dropped his cards upon the floor. He said, "Well played there, cowboy." Then slowly stood upright, "But gold was never in this game... We've played for souls tonight." [Music drops – heartbeat / low fiddle drone] [Verse 4] I said, "I never wagered mine!" He laughed, "Well, son, that's true. The soul that I put in the pot... Now belongs entirely to you." A shadow formed beside my chair, A dead man dressed in grey, With hollow eyes and rope-burned neck, Who whispered... "Take me away." [Chorus – heavier] THE DEVIL LOST AT POKER! Cards upon the table, I thought I'd won a fortune, Thought my future safe and stable. I had four kings staring back at me, But now I understand... There ain't no winners when you're sitting down, Playing THE DEVIL’S POKER HAND! [Verse 5] Then every coin upon that table, Turned black before my eyes, The windows burned like furnace doors, Red flames filled up the sky. The gamblers vanished one by one, The whiskey turned to blood, And hoofbeats shook beneath the floor, Like thunder through the mud. [Bridge – slow, menacing] I grabbed my gun and aimed at him, He didn't even flinch, He said, "You can't shoot your way from this..." Then moved toward me an inch. "You won that soul fair and square, So wherever you may roam, He'll follow close behind you... Till you finally take him home." [Verse 6] So now I ride from town to town, But never ride alone, That dead man follows twenty feet, No matter where I've gone. He never speaks, he never sleeps, Just walks behind my steed, And every night I hear that stranger... Haunting all my dreams. [Final Chorus – big, aggressive] THE DEVIL LOST AT POKER! Don't sit down at his table, Don't listen to any promises, Don't think that you're more able. You might hold kings, you might hold aces, You might beat him where you stand... But there’s no such thing as winning... When you play... THE DEVIL’S POKER HAND! [Outro – instruments suddenly drop] [Spoken – deep gravelly voice] Funny thing is... All these years I've wondered whose soul I won that night. [Pause] Last night... the dead man finally spoke. He said... "Yours." [Single banjo note – fade to silence]