The Gambler

written by Don Schlitz

made famous by Kenny Rogers in 1978

The song lyrics

On a warm summer's eve Every gambler knows
On a train bound for nowhere That the secret to survivin'
I met up with the gambler Is knowin' what to throw away
We were both too tired to sleep And knowin' what to keep
So we took turns a-starin' 'Cause every hand's a winner
Out the window at the darkness And every hand's a loser
The boredom overtook us, And the best that you can hope for is to die
And he began to speak In your sleep

He said, "Son, I've made a life And when he finished speakin'

Out of readin' people's faces He turned back toward the window
Knowin' what the cards were Crushed out his cigarette
By the way they held their eyes And faded off to sleep
So if you don't mind me sayin' And somewhere in the darkness
I can see you're out of aces The gambler he broke even
For a taste of your whiskey But in his final words
I'll give you some advice" I found an ace that I could keep

So I handed him my bottle You've got to know when to hold 'em

And he drank down my last swallow Know when to fold 'em
Then he bummed a cigarette Know when to walk away
And asked me for a light And know when to run
And the night got deathly quiet You never count your money
And his face lost all expression When you're sittin' at the table
He said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy There'll be time enough for countin'
You gotta learn to play it right When the dealin's done

You've 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 counting
When the dealin's done

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