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 they called her
A debt we all have to pay
And 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 that parting
That promise I've broke I must say
I started in gambling for past time
And then I was just like them all
I bet all my clothes and my money
Not dreaming that I'd ever fall
One night I've bet all my money
Nothing was left to be seen
All I needed to break them
Was one card and that was a Queen
The cards were delt round the table
Each man took a card on the draw
And I drew the card that would beat them
I turned it and here's what I saw
I saw my mother's picture
And somehow she seemed to say
Son, you've broken your promise
So I threw those cards away
My winnings I gave to a newsboy
I knew I was wrong from the start
Well I'll never forget that promise
To mother, the queen of my heart