VERSE 1:
There is man who comes home drunk each night,
And forces his poor wife into an unwanted fight.
Her sleepless little girl waits on the porch again,
They’re barely holding it together, they’re broken.

An old woman sits in her house, alone,
Waiting for her long lost lover to return home,
And a girl runs barefoot, no, not runs, she flies,
And when she does, she has beauty in my eyes.

And so I stand and shiver
With a message, undelivered
For these three
And I pray, “God, let this please be,
The right thing,” but it’s not easy.
I can’t see.

CHORUS:
So I’ll protect the diamonds,
I’ll survive the clubs,
Dig deep through the spades,
And I’ll feel the hearts.
All these people to spy on
In homes, parks, and pubs,
They all need my aid,
So it’s time to start.

But I’m stumbling through,
I don’t know what to do.
I hope what I’m doing is right.
But who is the man
With this intricate plan,
Who is sending me to fight his fight
As the messenger?

VERSE 2:
There is a man, a priest, who tries his best,
To lead his tiny flock, on this day of rest.
There is woman, who weekly treats her kids,
But never treats herself for the work she did.

And as I humble myself, I think
Of the kid whose brother’s life stinks
Because of
The pain that he has eaten,
So I let myself get beaten,
All for love.

BRIDGE:
And I try to imagine what it would be like,
To be a stranger at Christmas, without any light,
And I try to see from an old man’s point of view,
As he sits in the theater with nothing to do.

My mom thinks I’m worthless, and better off dead,
And though it hurts like a fist, it needs to be said.
I’m nothing. I’m no one. I’m useless. Just Ed.

VERSE 3:
There is a man, who happens to be my friend,
Who can’t be bothered to find the life he wants to spend.
He does his job, plays his cards, gets past,
But unrealized potential is all he has.

There is the cheapest man I’ve ever known,
He’s saving for the day when his child has grown,
And the girl I love, but love she doesn’t want to see.
But I give her just three minutes, and let her love me.

And just when I think I’m done,
I look, and there’s one last one,
Joke’s on me.
And I’m shaky and I’m nervous,
What have I done to deserve this
Charity?

FINAL CHORUS:
I protected the diamonds,
Survived the clubs,
Dug deep through the spades,
And I felt the hearts.
I found something to climb on,
Made mistakes and flubs,
Found something to change
With each and every part.

I took kudos and blame,
I played through this card game,
I struggled and strove, went through hell.
But I just didn’t know,
That they’d want me to grow,
And expect me to change as well.