Tag Archive: The jack

In many ways, it's not surprising that the era of big-haired rock bands would be synonymous with songs about gambling. Both the bands themselves and these songs are about a counter-culture. But being mainly late 70s and 80's rock, don't expect any depth or poetry in the lyrics. Just a strutting rhythm and some huge air guitar solos. A deeper song comes from the country star, Kenny Rogers. And then, bring us up to date with a bang, we have Lady Gaga, with her innuendo-filled smash, "Poker Face."

Though playing cards have been with us for thousands of years, their present design is much more recent. In the middle ages many of the face card designs were first printed, with feudal society represented by the 4 different suits. The number of cards in a deck, along with the number of suits are taken from the Roman calendar. Though many people assume that playing cards were influenced by Tarot cards, this was't true. Divining cards have been in use for a much longer time.