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' through the
Til' boredom overtook us and
He said: "Son, I've made a life out of
"And knowin' what their cards were,
by the way they held their eyes.
"And if you don't mind my sayin',
I would say you're out of aces,
"And for one taste of your whiskey,
I will give you some advice."
So I handed him my bottle,
and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette,
The night got deathly quiet and
his face lost all expression.
He said: "If you're gonna play the game,
boy, you better learn to play it right."
"'Cos ev'ry gambler knows
that the secret to survival,
"Is knowin' what to throw away
and knowin' what to keep.
"And every hand's a winner,
just like every hand's a loser.
"And the best that you can hope for
"You got to know when to hold
'em, know when to fold 'em.
"You don't ever count your money while
you're sittin' at the table.
"There'll be time enough for countin'
when the dealin' is done."
And when he finished speakin',
he turned back t'ward the window.
And somewhere in the darkness,
the gambler he broke even.
But in his fi nal words I found an
"You got to know when to hold 'em,
"You don't ever count your money while
you're sittin' at the table.
"There'll be time enough for countin'
when the dealin' is done."
"You got to know when to hold
'em, know when to fold 'em.
"You don't ever count your money
while you're sittin' at the table.
"There'll be time enough for countin'
when the dealin' is done."
