Music Review: Kim Carnes "Draw of the Cards"

Kim Carnes

Draw of the Cards

Album: Mistaken Identity

Year: 1981

               Life comes down to luck a person has in the fatiguing “Draw of the Cards.”

             Dallying synths open the single, setting a hubristic tone. She says all it takes one wrong move to change everything. Deciding to go left could cause unfixable consequences. Life can’t be trusted. It doesn’t really care and it looks out for itself. (“Slight of hand/Hand of fate/Chance you take/Life's a snake.”)

             In the chorus, the male vocalists says life is a continous game. (“And it's all in the draw of the cards.”)

            She says unpredictability can thrill some people. However, it’s a dangerous way to live. (“Lightning strikes/Breath of life/Red, black or white/Watch 'em fall.”)

             The male vocalists sing an extended chorus. (“And it's all in the draw of the cards/And it's all in the draw of the cards.”)

             In the bridge, she says people are scrambling to make quick decisions. But it will lead to them being taken advantage of. (“Drop the cards/Watch the eyes/Down and dirty/Let 'em ride.”)

              An eager guitar solo, wanting to impress, follows.

       She says people drink coffee, snapping their fingers to get the server’s attention and ignoring them as they talk of their coups. In the background, a street performer, dressed a joker, hears what’s going on and can’t wait for their comeuppance. But no one will ever take him seriously. (“Boulevard/Small café/Cavaliers/Pass the day/The joker laughs/From the street/He weaves his web/Bittersweet.”)

           A male vocalist repeats “ bittersweet” four times.

           She says people gamble too much with their lives while genial saxphone bends over backwards to please. (“Ace is high/Deuce is low/Take the first/The rest should go.”)

                         Another extended chorus is sung. (“And it's all in the draw of the cards/And it's all in the draw of the cards/Of the cards, of the cards, of the cards/Of the cards, of the cards, of the cards.”)

          The genial saxophone chimes in with the dallying synths for the final minute of the single.

            Carnes’ cutthroat vocals give a poetic reading of the lyrics, expecting everyone to heed to all the important thoughts that spew from her mind. However, stock images are used for description and the gambling metaphor is botched by the moralizing. Taking a chance becomes the ultimate sin and something that must be punished. Staying stagnant, like the arrangement, is the way to live.

              The repressed “Draw of the Cards” refuses to budge on its extreme cynical thinking.