‘There's a solitary man crying, hold me，
It's only because he's a-lonely，
If the keeper of time runs slowly，
He won't be alive for long.’
The Card Cheat - The Clash (1979)
‘There's a solitary man crying, hold me，
It's only because he's a-lonely，
If the keeper of time runs slowly，
He won't be alive for long.’
The Card Cheat - The Clash (1979)
Based upon The Clash track of the same name, The Card Cheat expands upons the song’s metaphors of death, sacrifice and service in the name king or country.
As within the song, The Card Cheat compares the actions of a gambler to those of soldiers answering a call to war. Given the recent centennial remembrance, and the moral atrocity of the conflict itself, World War I was chosen as the appropriate backdrop for the strip.
Framed within the very King of Spades playing card mentioned in the lyrics, The Card Cheat looks to hold to account those who misuses their power to manipulate the fate of those under them.