We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

House of Cards

from Sweet Anne's Road by Jim Sharkey

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 USD  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 4 Jim Sharkey releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Our Old Village, Misty Morning Rain, A Lovely Day, and Sweet Anne's Road. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $52 USD or more (35% OFF)

     

about

This was written after a close friend got killed in a car crash. With no words of any use to come to terms with why this terrible accident happened and why her spouse had to undergo the suffering of her loss, not to mention family and friends I, again, figured life as being nothing more than a house of cards that at any moment can, and often is, changed forever.

lyrics

THE HOUSE OF CARDS
(written by Jim Sharkey)

It's Saturday morning, the sun's heating up
The coffee pot over the market square
I'm thinking of times that had long been forgotten
And watching the vendors unloading their wares

There's little blue candles, stained glass and instruments
Birdhouses, produce, jewelry, and soap
There's handbuilt stoneware from down in Floyd County
"How much for the vase, will you take twenty-five?"

There's honey from Bedford, from Grandin there's sweet bread
Baked by a man, a nice fellow he seems
He's asking the passers-by, if they would like to try
A sample or two of his cranberry cakes

You used to bake the children's birthday cakes
German chocolate, red velvet and more
Now the children are gone away and so are the recipes
I'm having a hard time; as time passes on

CHORUS:
And the house of cards has been torn and tumbled down
Swept from the foundations by a hurricane wind
I was wrong from the start, I was wrong from the get-go
I was wrong to assume that I'd be first to part

Being alone was an unwelcome notion
A vague and dismissive uncertainty
So I never thought much, no more than a young child
Safeguarded and sheltered by its family

Down on the Greenway by the wandering river
I'll walk till my troubles have drifted away
And when they're long gone I'll stop and look round
To gaze on the life so sweetly we shared

CHORUS:
And the house of cards has been torn and tumbled down
Swept from the foundations by a hurricane wind
I was wrong from the start, I was wrong from the get-go
I was wrong to assume that I'd be first to part

BRIDGE: If there was one thing I could do
If there was one thing I could say
I'd say please stay at home and don't go out today

It's Saturday evening, the mountains around town
Are closing their eyes to drift into sleep
A Norfolk Southern bound for the coal mine
Slips out of the station a promise to keep

The young folks gather down on Salem Avenue
In tap rooms and taverns, rest'rants and bars
You always said it's nice to see youngsters
Enjoying their lives wherever they are

BRIDGE: If there was one thing I could do
If there was one thing I could say
I'd say please stay at home and don't go out today.

credits

from Sweet Anne's Road, released October 11, 2016

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Jim Sharkey image

Jim Sharkey Portland, Maine

Songwriter Jim Sharkey is an Irish and Americana folk musician. Jim grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. He plays around the northeastern US. Jim's original songs blend Irish traditional ballad influences with contemporary issues.

contact / help

Contact Jim Sharkey

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Jim Sharkey recommends:

If you like Jim Sharkey, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now