bobby bare
the gambler
On the warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere I met up with a gambler we were both too tired to sleep So we took turns a starin' out window at the darkness Till boredom overtook us and he commenced to speak.  He said, "Son I made a life out of readin' people's faces And knowin' what the cards were by the way they held their eyes So if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces For a taste of your whiskey I would give you some advice."  So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow Then he'd bummed a cigarette then he bummed a light And the night got deathly quiet and his face lost all expression He said, "If you gonna play the game boy you gotta learn to play it right."  "You, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, 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' is done."  "Now, every gambler knows that the secret to survival Is knowin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep 'Cause every hand's a winner just like every hand's a loser And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."  So when he finished speaking he turned back toward the window Crushed out his cigarette, faded off to sleep Somewhere in the darkness the gambler he broke even In his final words I found an ace that I could keep.  You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, 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' is done.  You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away, 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' is done.  There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin' is done...