The Gambler

A                       D        
About 20 years ago, on a train 
       A
bound for nowhere I met up with The 
Gambler
                              E
We were both too tired to sleep
A                                 
So we took turns a starin' through
     D                   A
 the window at the darkness
          D            A       
Til' boredom overtook us and he 
E                A
commenced to speak
         A                         
He said: Son, I've made a life out 
  D                    A
of readin' people's faces
And knowin' what their cards were, 
                               E
by the way they held their eyes
A                                 
And if you don't mind my sayin', I
  D                          A
 would say you're out of aces
     D                         A  
"And for one taste of your 
            E                A
whiskey, I will give you some advice
      A                           
So I handed him my bottle, and he 
D                        A
drank down my last swallow
Then he bummed a cigarette; then he 
            E
bummed a light
A                                 
The night got deathly quiet and 
  D                      A
his face lost all expression.
          D                       
He said: If you're gonna play the 
A                     E          
game, boy, you better learn to 
         A
play it right
A                                
'Cos ev'ry gambler knows that the
D                A
 secret to survival
Is knowin' what to throw away and 
                    E
knowin' what to keep
A                                 
And ev'ry hand's a winner, just 
     D               A
like ev'ry hand's a loser
Continues after the ad
         D                A       
And the best that you can hope for
       E               A
 is to die in your sleep

            A                      
You got to know when to hold 'em,  
D                 A
   know when to fold 'em
D             A                  
Know when to walk away; know when
       E
 to run
           A                   
You don't ever count your money 
               D                 A
while you're sittin' at the table
               D            A     
There'll be time enough for 
            E             A
countin' when the dealin' is done
            A                      
You got to know when to hold 'em,  
D                 A
   know when to fold 'em
D             A                  
Know when to walk away; know when
       E
 to run
           A                   
You don't ever count your money 
               D                 A
while you're sittin' at the table
               D            A     
There'll be time enough for 
            E             A
countin' when the dealin' is done

     A                           
And when he finished speakin', he 
     D                        A
turned back t'ward the window
Put out his cigarette; faded off to 
    E
sleep
     A                             
And somewhere in the darkness, the 
D                  A
gambler he broke even
             D              A     
But in his final words I found an 
          E         A
ace that I could keep

            A                      
You got to know when to hold 'em,  
D                 A
   know when to fold 'em
D             A                  
Know when to walk away; know when
       E
 to run
           A                   
You don't ever count your money 
               D                 A
while you're sittin' at the table
               D            A     
There'll be time enough for 
            E             A
countin' when the dealin' is done

            A                      
You got to know when to hold 'em,  
D                 A
   know when to fold 'em
D             A                  
Know when to walk away; know when
       E
 to run
           A                   
You don't ever count your money 
               D                 A
while you're sittin' at the table
               D            A     
There'll be time enough for 
            E             A
countin' when the dealin' is done

            A                      
You got to know when to hold 'em,  
D                 A
   know when to fold 'em
D             A                  
Know when to walk away; know when
       E
 to run
           A                   
You don't ever count your money 
               D                 A
while you're sittin' at the table
               D            A     
There'll be time enough for 
            E             A
countin' when the dealin' is done