Esta canción fue compuesta a comienzos de los años setenta, pero yo no la conocí antes de 1976, en la versión de los Carpenters, que la incluyeron en su asombroso álbum 'Horizon'. La voz de Karen Carpenter se ajusta perfectamente a esta canción y a su línea melódica. Elegí para cantar la versión de Barry Manilow, que es también bonita pero que tiene dos saltos de tono hacia arriba que la complican bastante. A él se le da bien, pero a mí no tanto. La canción, tras la metáfora del juego de cartas, habla de un hombre que enfrenta su soledad por haber perdido su amor a través de la indiferencia.
There was a man
A lonely man
Who lost his love
Through his indifference
A heart that cared
That went unshared
Until it died
Within his silence
And solitare's the only game in town
And every road that takes him
Takes him down
And by himself it's easy to pretend
He'll never love again
And keeping to himself he plays the game
Without her love
It always ends the same
While life goes on around him everywhere
He's playing solitaire
A little hope
Goes up in smoke
Just how it goes
Goes without saying
There was a man
A lonely man
Who would command
The hand he's playing
And solitare's the only game in town
And every road that takes him
Takes him down
And by himself it's easy to pretend
He'll never love again
And keeping to himself he plays the game
Without her love
It always ends the same
While life goes on around him everywhere
He's playing solitaire
And solitare's the only game in town
And every road that takes him
Takes him down
While life goes on around him everywhere
He's playing solitaire