I'm Sure It Made Sense at the Time

Despite its generally lightweight subject matter, never let it be said that this blog shies away from addressing the hard questions of the day. Such as: What is the song "Aces" by Suzy Bogguss actually about?



I mean, it's a great country song, all heartbreak and steel guitar, and the lyrics sound good, but the problem is that, as far as I can tell, they don't make any sense. Consider the chorus:

Now, you're ready to walk out/you're ready to run./Talk to me/Can't you see/I would never want to do what it seems I've done./You can't deal me the aces/ and think I wouldn't play./Don't let this be the reason you would walk away.

Okay, that's nice, but the aces are what, exactly? Love? Freedom? Easy setups for making bad puns? But then what's the playing that leads to the need to walk away? I've spent a lot of time with this song stuck in my head, trying to figure it out, and I can't come up with a way that the metaphor works.

Unless, of course, it isn't a metaphor at all. What if what the song is really about a couple who were running some sort of elaborate poker scam, and the singer was supposed to fold or something when she got a good hand, but her competitive nature got the better of her and she played anyway, ruining everything? And now her partner is about to drop her for someone who's better at sticking with a game plan, and she's begging for some understanding because, come on, she had aces, what did he think she was going to do?

Really, it's that or the pun thing.