On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhereI met up with the gambler, we were both too tired to sleepSo 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 facesAnd knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyesSo if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of acesFor a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice"
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallowThen he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a lightAnd the night got deathly quiet and his face lost all expressionSaid, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right"
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'emKnow when to walk away and know when to runYou never count your money when you're sittin' at the tableThere'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done
Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin'Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loserAnd the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep
And when he finished speakin', he turned back towards the windowCrushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleepAnd somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke evenBut in his final words I found an ace that I could keep
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'emKnow when to walk away and know when to runYou never count your money when you're sittin' at the tableThere'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'emKnow when to walk away and know when to runYou never count your money when you're sittin' at the tableThere'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'emKnow when to walk away and know when to runYou never count your money when you're sittin' at the tableThere'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done