Kenny Rogers - The Gambler

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 my 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, ya 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 dealin`s done. Ev`ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin` Is knowin` what to throw away and knowing what to keep. `Cause ev`ry hand`s a winner and ev`ry hand`s a loser, And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep." When he`d 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 dealin`s done.