C F C
On a warm summer's evening, on a train bound for nowhere
F C F G7
I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to sleep,
C F C
So we took turns a-staring at the window at the darkness,
F C G C
The boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
C F C
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of reading people's faces,
F C F G7
Knowing what the cards were by the way they held their eyes.
C F C
So if you don't mind my saying, I can see you're out of aces.
F C G C
For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice."
C F C
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
F C F G7
Then he bummed a cigarette, and asked me for a light.
C F C
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
F C G C
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right."
<chorus>:
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C F C
"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
F C F G7
Know when to walk away, know when to run
C F C
You never count your money when you're sitting at the table,
F C G C
There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done."
C F C
"Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving
F C F G7
Is knowing what to throw away, knowing what to keep.
C F C
'Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
F C G7 C
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
C F C
And when he finished speaking, he turned back toward the window,
F C F G7
Crushed out his cigarette, faded off to sleep.
C F C
And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even,
F C G C
But in his final words I found and ace that I could keep.
<chorus>
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