"The Gambler" - by Kenny Rogers (1977)
Words and Music by Don Schlitz
SIMPed by Alex Rudd - ahrjj@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Chords:
A D Em/A G G/D
E ---0------2------0------3------3----
B ---2------3------0------0------0----
G ---2------2------0------0------0----
D ---2------0------2------0------0----
A ---0-------------0------5------2----
E ------------------------5------0----
Capo 1st Fret
(In a moderate country half-time)
D G/D D
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
A
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
D G/D D
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
G/D D A D
'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
D G/D D
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
A
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
D G/D D
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
G/D D A D
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
D G D
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
A
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
D G D
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
G D A D
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D Em/A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Slide capo to 2nd fret]
D G D
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
A
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
D G D
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
G D A D
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
D G D
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
A
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
D G D
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
G D A D
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
D G D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
D Em/A D G D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
G D A D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
[Repeat chorus once and end]
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