The Gambler

Kenny Rogers

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On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
                                                     A
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
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So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
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'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

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He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
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and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
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And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
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For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

     D                           G                  D
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
                                              A
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
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And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
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Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

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You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
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know when to walk away and know when to run.
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You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
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There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

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Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
                                                  A
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
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'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
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and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

    D                               G                       D
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
                                           A
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
    D                             G                 D
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
    G            D                A                D
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

           D                     G             D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G            D                          A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
          D     Emi/AD                 G              D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
                 G          D        A                 D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.