The Gambler

On a warm summer's evening, on a train bound for nowhere I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to sleep So we took turns a-staring out the window at the darkness The boredom overtook us and he began to speak He said, "Son, I've made my life out of reading people's faces And knowing what the cards were by the way they held their eyes So if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice" So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right" You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, know when to run You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done Now, every gambler knows, the secret to survivin' Is knowing what to throw away, knowing what to keep 'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser And the best you can hope for, is to die in your sleep So when he'd finished speakin', he turned back toward the window Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep Then somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even But in his final words, I found an ace that I could keep You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, know when to run You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, know when to run You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, know when to run You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done