The Gambler

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On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere
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I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to speak
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So we took turns a-starin' out the window at the darkness
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'Til boredom overtook us and he began to speak.
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He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
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Knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes,
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And if you don't mind me sayin', I can see you're out of aces,
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And for a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
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So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow;
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Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light,
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And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression,
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' said "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

[Chorus]
             G                      C            G
You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em,
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Know when to walk away And know when to run.
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You never count your money  When you're sittin' at the table;
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There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.

[Verse]
A                              D           A
Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
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Is knownin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep
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'Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
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And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

[Chorus]
             G                      C            G
You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em,
 C            G                          D
Know when to walk away And know when to run.
            G     D    G                  C              G
You never count your money  When you're sittin' at the table;
                   C           G       D                 G
There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.

[Verse]
A                                   D                      A
And when he finished speakin', he turned back toward the window,
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Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep,
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And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even,
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But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

[Chorus]
             G                      C            G
You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em,
 C            G                          D
Know when to walk away And know when to run.
            G     D    G                  C              G
You never count your money  When you're sittin' at the table;
                   C           G       D                 G
There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.