1. 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
So we
took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
G D A D
'til
boredom overtook us, and he began to
speak.
1. 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
So if
you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces,
G D
A D
for a
taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
3. 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
said,
"If you're gonna play the game, boy,
A D
ya
gotta learn to play it right.
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G D A
know
when to walk away, know when to run.
D
G D
You never count your money, when you're sittin'
at the table,
D G D - A D
there'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
(orig. moves up half a step to capo
2nd here)
D
G D
4. 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."
5. 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.
(orig. = capo 1st)