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
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