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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 a life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
And 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."
And 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.
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 a life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
And 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."
And 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.
Lyrics submitted by bostonrocket
Track duration: 03:35
"The Gambler" as written by Don Schlitz
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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in a persons life - one meets people--------- very VERY seldom a special person that truly understands - respects- adores- appreciates U for who you are in every way- BUT most off us NEVER sees nor acknowledges this person for the trueness, respect , love and sensitivity THEY TRULY FELT for you. UNTIL--LIFE THROWS YOU A FAT WAKE UP CALL-- AND they die----- u start realizing how much this person really cared. And theres nothing you can do -- to actually HAVE JUST A MOMENT ONE MORE TIME TO SAY-TO this person--- I LOVE U and THANK YOU for being JUST YOU......
NO ONE ELSE IN THIS WORLD WILL THAN EVER MATTER AS MUCH AS YOU SHOULD HAVE CARED....AND LIFE JUST SEEMS LIKE A GAME,,,,YOU PROTECT AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND JUDGE EVERY SINGLE PERSON ENTERING YOUR LIFE---AND IN YOUR FINAL WORDS YOU KNEW YOU HAD AN ACE THAT YOU COULD HAVE KEPT....FROM NOW ON--EVERYONE WILL BE COUNTED---JUDGED AND SEEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY--- CAUSE YOU WILL NOW KNOW --- EXACTLY WHEN TO HOLD THEM,,,TO FOLD THEM...TO WALK AWAY AND TO RUN.....
RIP RODGER SMITH//////// IM SOOOO FREAKEN SORRY FOR BEING THE MOST SELFISH FRIEND YOU COULD EVER HAD............IN MY FINAL WORDS I HAD AN ACE THAT I WILL KEEP.....
8 JUNE 2012
in a persons life - one meets people--------- very VERY seldom a special person that truly understands - respects- adores- appreciates U for who you are in every way- BUT most off us NEVER sees nor acknowledges this person for the trueness, respect , love and sensitivity THEY TRULY FELT for you. UNTIL--LIFE THROWS YOU A FAT WAKE UP CALL-- AND they die----- u start realizing how much this person really cared. And theres nothing you can do -- to actually HAVE JUST A MOMENT ONE MORE TIME TO SAY-TO this person--- I LOVE U and THANK YOU for being JUST YOU......
NO ONE ELSE IN THIS WORLD WILL THAN EVER MATTER AS MUCH AS YOU SHOULD HAVE CARED....AND LIFE JUST SEEMS LIKE A GAME,,,,YOU PROTECT AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND JUDGE EVERY SINGLE PERSON ENTERING YOUR LIFE---AND IN YOUR FINAL WORDS YOU KNEW YOU HAD AN ACE THAT YOU COULD HAVE KEPT....FROM NOW ON--EVERYONE WILL BE COUNTED---JUDGED AND SEEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY--- CAUSE YOU WILL NOW KNOW --- EXACTLY WHEN TO HOLD THEM,,,TO FOLD THEM...TO WALK AWAY AND TO RUN.....
RIP RODGER SMITH//////// IM SOOOO FREAKEN SORRY FOR BEING THE MOST SELFISH FRIEND YOU COULD EVER HAD............IN MY FINAL WORDS I HAD AN ACE THAT I WILL KEEP.....
8 JUNE 2012
Two meanings
The first - simply talking about cards. Knowing when to fold your cards and when to hold them. Every hand is a winning or a losing hand you have to know which is which.
The second - It is about life. It is saying that you may be dealt what looks like a bad hand, i.e. born in poor surroundings or born in rich surroundings, or any other life that you are born into, it doesn't matter because every hand is a winning or losing hand - you make it what it is. But fundamentally every gambler know that breaking even is the same as winning, so if when you die in your sleep you have broken even. Everyone dies so it doesn't matter how you life goes, whether you are up or down you will always die even - you have the same when you are born as you do when you die regardless what life you are born into. Every gamber knows breaking even is like winning, so everyone in life wins!
So genius...
"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em," You have to know what is important and what you have to hold on too.
"Know when to walk away and know when to run." You have to know when thing are getting dangerous and when to get out if you need to.
"You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done." Don't worry about money, there is never enough of it anyway!
"Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser" No matter what hand life has dealt to you you can still win if you play your cards well.
i think it talks about gambling with life and uses references to actual gambling....
i may be wrong or whatever but its a good song.
xx :D