Solitaire

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Robert Ringer

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There was a man, a lonely man
Who lost his love, thru his indifference.
A heart that cared, that went unshared
Until it died within his silence.

And solitaire’s the only game in town,
And every road that takes him, takes him down.
While life goes on around him everywhere,
He’s playing solitaire.

And keeping to himself begins to deal,
And still the king of hearts is well concealed.
Another losing game comes to an end,
And he deals them out again.

A little hope goes up in smoke;
Just how it goes, goes without saying.
There was a man, a lonely man
Who would command the hand he’s playing.

And solitaire’s the only game in town,
And every road that takes him, takes him down.
While life goes on around him everywhere,
He’s playing solitaire.

And keeping to himself begins to deal,
And still the king of hearts is well concealed.
Another losing game comes to an end,
And he deals them out again.

And solitaire’s the only game in town,
And every road that takes him, takes him down.
While life goes on around him everywhere,
He’s playing solitaire.

By Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody — Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, EMI Music Publishing

 

My take:

There are at least a couple other versions of the words to this masterpiece (the Carpenters’ is well worth checking out), but I’m biased toward the original lyrics both written and sung by Neil Sedaka.

Like all great lyrics, they bring a clear picture to the listener’s mind — an image of a lonely man, sitting at a table, playing game after game of solitaire.  The songwriters nailed it with this stanza:

And keeping to himself begins to deal,
And still the king of hearts is well concealed.
Another losing game comes to an end,
And he deals them out again.

The subtle double meanings and metaphors in this song are nothing short of brilliant.  My favorite is “And still the king of hearts is well concealed.”  What a remarkably creative mind it takes to come up with something that clever.

At his peak, Sedaka, judging from his songs, must have been an incurable romantic — in addition to a musical genius.  At the age of eight, he won a scholarship to attend the famed Julliard School of Music’s Preparatory Division for Children.

If you’ve recently parted ways with the love of your life, you may want to take an antidepressant before listening to this classic.

With that caveat, here’s Neil Sedaka’s rendition of his gripping ballad, “Solitaire.”

Robert Ringer

Robert Ringer is an American icon whose unique insights into life have helped millions of readers worldwide. He is also the author of two New York Times #1 bestselling books, both of which have been listed by The New York Times among the 15 best-selling motivational books of all time.