1963
ONE-EYED JACKS * JIMMY CLIFF * ISLAND 062 * UK
One eyed jacks are the Jacks of Spades and Hearts who have only one eye showing on the side profile of their face. Other's are: Man with the Axe, The "man" makes reference to Kings. The one holding an axe is the King of Diamonds, and Suicide King, The King who is holding his sword in such a way that it appears it is going through his head is the King of Hearts. One Eyed Jacks was also the name of a 1961 film directed by and staring Marlon Brando, his only directorial effort. It's the Old West of 1880, and Marlon Brando stars as Kid Rio, who along with his partner, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) are bank robbers caught holding up a Mexican bank. Originally it was director Sam Peckinpah who wrote the first draft of the screenplay, but he was replaced by Stanley Kubrick, the film's original director. Then Kubrick eventually quit over artistic differences (with Brando) and was replaced by the film's star, Marlon Brando. The symbolism of the One Eyed Jacks refers to Kid Rio and Dad Longworth. In the Jimmy Cliff Song One Eyed Jack refers to the name of a horse. The song starts with a trumpet fan-fair, followed by a bell announcing the start of a race complete with background crowd noises and an official 'there off', somebody then comes in with a fake voice over commentary telling us that One Eyed Jacks is out of the race, it is at this point that the song starts with Jimmy Cliff refuting the claim that he is, in a sense, out of the race.
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