The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
On a warm summer s evenin
On a train bound for nowhere
I met up with the gambler we were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns a starin
Out the window at the darkness
Til boredom overtook us and he began to speak
He said son i ve made a life
Out of readin people s faces
And knowin what their 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 and 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 dealing s done
Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away
And knowing what to keep
Cause every hand s a winner
And every hand s a loser
And the best that you can hope
For is to die in your sleep
And when he finished speakin
He turned back towards the window
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep
And 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 and 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 dealing s done
You got to know when to hold em
When to fold em
Know when to fold em
When to fold em
Know when to walk away and 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 dealing s done
You got to know when to hold em
Know when to fold em
Know when to walk away and 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 dealing s done