Saloon of Lost Souls

At a quarter of two on a howling night,
I sat at a table, half-pickled by rye,
Lady luck showed favor, smiled benign
Cards, oft so fickle, had been fallin' in line.

"Howdy boys," she said with a drawl.
And pointed to the clock, with her most wicked grin,
All ivory, lipstick and cleavage galore,
"A few hours left, and I think I'll sit in."

Like a waterfall from Hell, her black hair it flowed,
An aroma so sweet, like the dawns early flowers,
It wafted, an' waved, through my hooch fueled stupor,
And brought me to life,

The clock oer the bar, it ticked and it tocked,
Counting them lonely minutes one by solitary one,
Smoke curled blue to the heavens above,
Carrying prayers and curses, all lumped as one.

An'she picked them off, one by one.
Each sent packin', nary a nickel to their name.
Some bootless and shirtless, and just plum beat.
And in the end, 'twas me an her.

"I owned you once, and I'll own you again"
Her voice as husky as a Bourbon Street whore,
"Nay," says I. "Twasn't me"
As I downed another shot of that 5 Star rye.

That whiskey, it done burned - all the way down,
Her stare as she shuffled and waited for the cut,
My soul it froze, my guts done curdled,
I knew right then that I was playin' for my life

"I was there, each time," she whispered, "and you lost,"
The quiet snap of the card, echoed the places of the dead
"Ypres, the Somme, Dieppe, Normandy, Da Nang n more,"
Her eyes burned red, "You lost – each and every time."

That whiskey went down like pure spring water,
An' my vision, it began to clear,
I lost some an' I won some - I was keepin' pace
Them cards was flying like leaves in the wind.

And as the clock struck six, I seen my chance,
I looked at my cards, a five and six of clubs,
And kings, there were three, and I counted twice,
I was sure she could hear the pounding of my heart.

I stared at the deck, wishing I could see what the future held,
With my hands rock steady, I tossed the five an' six aside,
"I'll take two," I stared at her hands, not trusting my eyes.
The sun came up, and along with it, a puff of a breeze

A fortuitous stroke of fate, the hand of divine guidance, I'll never know,
But the forth had done landed in my lap.
She smiled at smile, a smile born of malice and wickedness.
"The hour is late, let's end this now, make this final hand, evertything in!"

Not a word from my liars lips did I speak, nor did an eye did I raise,
I pushed my chips in, and for good measure, tossed in my hat as well,
Her laugh as she called was the sound of steel striking on flink,
I palmed that card, and added to my hand and buried that second six.

I didn't hear no thunder, but a storm from Hell would be brewin'
I loosed that Colt, and set its hammer back,
With malevolent glee, "It's time to play, show me what you got."
I lay down my first cards, "It's Kings you see, and there be three!"

To steady my nerves I swallowed a belt of the liquid fire called Rye,
Her smile chilled my heart, and for a moment, I felt afraid.
Then her cards they came one by one, her smile growng with each lay,
"A wife for each kings, one, and two, and three," then she growled, "and four"

She began to cackle as she raked in the pot, "It's time to pay up."
My hand on my Colt and I says, "Now just hold up there, don't be hasty."
"I still got's one more to play." And with a look of triumph, I lay down King four.
Her mouth, it opened and shut, and she looked like a landed carp.

"There's no way," She snarled and snapped, "You couldn't have got that King, because I..."
"You must have mixed it up, Dearie," I said with a grin, as I pointed to the pot.
"I'll thank ye kindly for lettin' loose of my hat and my new found dough."
"Noooooooooo!" She shrieked like demon on the loose, "I cannot lose, I never have."

I was ready for what was comin next, as I seen her hand beginnin' to twitch,
My trigger was loosed, my shot had her done in before she had the chance to fire
And she looked at me, "I cannot lose, I never have..."
I smiled, "I was never at them places you see, twas my brother you beat, never me."