fun. – The Gambler

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Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy
All the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes.
We've got five good years left to spend out in the garden
I don't care to beg your pardon,
We should live until we die.

We were barely 18 when we'd crossed collective hearts.
It was cold, but it got warm when you'd barely crossed my eye.
And then you turned, put out your hand,
And you asked me to dance.
I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight.

I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose.
I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely.
Even if the sun stops waking up over the fields
I will not leave, I will not leave 'till it's our time.
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side.

It was the winter of '86, and all the fields had frozen over.
So we moved to Arizona to save our only son
And now he's turning to a man, although he thinks just like his mother,
He believes we're all just lovers he sees hope in everyone.

And even though she moved away,
We always get calls from our daughter.
She has eyes just like her father's
They are blue when skies are grey
And just like him, she never stops,
Never takes the day for granted,
Works for everything that's handed to her,
Never once complains.

You think that I nearly lost you
When the doctors tried to take you away.
But like the night you took my hand beside the fire
Thirty years ago to this day
You swore you'd be here 'til we decide that it's our time
Well it's not time, you've never quit in all your life.
So just take my hand, you know that I'll never leave your side.
You're the love of my life, you know that I'll never leave your side.

You come home from work and you kiss me on the eye
You curse the dogs, you say that I should never feed them what is ours.
So we move out to the garden and look at everything we've grown.
And now the kids are coming home
I'll set the table
You can make the fire.

Send "The Gambler" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by SomthinCorporat, edited by amyevans, Iwillbyyou, NovmberBlu

Track duration: 04:11

"The Gambler" as written by Nathaniel Joseph/dost Ruess

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Gambler song meanings
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27 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Any ideas on why it's called "The Gambler"?
    Flag notemilyon May 08, 2013   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:The gambler is about his parents, his sister, and him. Nate had pneumonia as a kid and they moved to Arizona because of it. Its from mostly his parents perspective.
    Flag ejendrieson April 06, 2013   Link
  • +2
    Memory:I listened to "On Your Porch" by The Format and instantly remembered this song! Both songs talk about when Nate's dad got sick. I went to one of their concerts a couple of months ago, and when Nate sang the part, "I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose.." someone in the audiece threw a bouqet of roses to him. He laughed and said, "My dad bought my mom an actual flower shop... so what I'm trying to say is that this isn't f***ing good enough." Funniest and Best moment of my life.. Gotta love Nate! P.S. He also dedicated the song to Andrew's parents, who were in the audience that night :)
    Flag somenightson December 09, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I absolutely adore this song. It's so romantic and just cutesy! I always felt like it was his parent's love story, starting with his dad's point of view then switching to the mom at "And even though she moved away, We always get calls from our daughter." But I can also see why it could all be in the point of view of the mother. I hope someday I can have a love story like this one.
    Flag linalina15on August 08, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"And even though she moved away,
    We always get calls from our daughter.
    She has eyes just like her father's
    They are blue when skies are grey
    And just like him, she never stops,
    Never takes the day for granted"
    I need to remember this for my dad's birthday, ahhh i'm in love with this song it's lovely and just... i don't even know!
    Flag dancing13on July 29, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The song is a story of Nate's parents and how they fell in love. As far as the point of view, he tells the tale from both his mother and father's view. When he takes the high tone it's his dad's dialogue, when he sings calmly it's his mom's dialogue. Also, his father has been struggling with health, not his mother.

    One of the best songs I've heard in a while. Beautiful too.
    Flag SharcEllison March 25, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:The whole song is told from the point of view of an older woman.
    Its about her husband and kids

    "flowers" are very big in this song but they symbolize something else. Like maybe children?
    Like in this line I dont think garden means flowers or plants

    "and so we move out to the garden, and look at everything we have grown"

    Well regardless I think this is such a beautiful song
    Flag danielhunt885on August 08, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Best part is when I listened to this song "On Your Porch" from The Format instantly popped into my head. I love his autobiographical songs. Amazing job Nate!
    Flag plastiqmanbon February 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I also think that it is about his parents. Though I think that it is from his fathers point of view. The overall view that I get is that the mother has short term memory loss. This is the only song that I have heard by Fun and I don't know of any references to his father being ill. In this song he is always talking to a person of which I think is the mother. He is tells her everything about there life together; there daughter and son. Neither one of the parents are pessimists. In the paragraph that talks about the daughter there is a lot of evidence that the father will never give up on the mother.

    And even though she moved away,
    we always get calls from our daughter.
    She has eyes just like her father's
    they are blue when skies are grey
    And just like him, she never stops,
    Never takes the day for granted,
    works for everything that's handed to her,
    Never once complains.

    The father goes day by day with an open heart not allowing the fact that its just another day stop him from enjoying living his life with the one he loves without complaints.

    In the paragraph about the mother relating to there only son it tells me that the son has short term memory loss as well.
    "he's turning to a man, although he thinks just like his mother,
    he believes we're all just lovers he sees hope in everyone."

    The combination of stories between the two children imply that the son lives at home because can live out in the cruel world with an open heart. The daughter moved away but still will never let go of her family. She had an opportunity early on in life life away from the garden and be a single rose.

    A little unorganized because its super early in the morning but that's what I have come up with.
    Flag romulison February 18, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +1
    Song Meaning:"I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose.
    I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely."

    i think those are the most beautiful words ever written in a song.

    i think this song is about spending your life with your loved one, and getting through difficult times together, and although as it seems to me, the couple started out with nothing, they ended up having a wonderful life together. this song is definitely about being next to your loved one through thick and thin.
    Flag chris1222on September 03, 2010   Link
    • 2 Replies

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