[Verse]
I had a home down in Texas
Down where the bluebonnets grew
I had the kindest old mother
How happy we were, just we two

Till one day the angels called her
That debt we all have to pay
She'd call me close to her bedside
These last few words to say

"Son, don't start drinking and gambling
Promise you'll always go straight"
Ten years have passed since we parted
That promise I broke, I must say

I started gambling for pastime
At last, I was just like them all
I bet my clothes and my money
Never dreaming that I'd ever fall

One night I bet all my money
Nothing was left to be seen
All that I needed to break even
Was one card and that was a queen
The cards were dealt round the table
Each man took a card on the draw
I drew the one that would beat them
I turned it and here's what I saw

I saw my mother's picture
Somehow she seemed to say
"Son, you have broken your promise
So I tossed the cards away"

My winnings, I gave to a newsboy
I knew I was wrong from the start
I'll never forget that promise
To the mother, the queen of my heart

Oh-de-lay-ee-oh