{t:The Gambler}
{st:Kenny Rogers (1978)}
{c:strum | d - D - - u d u | 1 2 (3) & 4 & }
{c:verse 1}
On a [D]warm summer's evening on a [G]train bound for [D]nowhere
I [G]met up with the [D]gambler. We were both too tired to [A7]sleep
So [D]we took turns a staring out the [G]window at the [D]darkness
Till [G]boredom over-[D]took us and [A]he began to [D]speak
{c:verse 2}
He said "[D]Son I've made a life out of [G]reading people's [D]faces
And [G]knowing what their [D]cards were by the way they held their [A7]eyes
And if [D]you don't mind my saying I can [G]see you're out of [D]aces
For a [G]taste of your [D]whiskey I'll [A]give you some ad-[D]vice."
{c:verse 3}
So I [D]handed him my bottle and he [G]drank down my last [D]swallow
[G]Then he bummed a [D]cigarette and asked me for a [A7]light
And the [D]night got deathly quiet and his [G]face lost all ex-[D]pression
Said "If you're [G]gonna play the [D]game, boy, ya gotta [A]learn to play it [D]right"
{soc}
"You got to [D]know when to hold 'em, [G]know when to [D]fold 'em
[G]Know when to [D]walk away, and know when to [A]run
You never [D]count your money when you're [G]sitting at the [D]table
There'll be [G]time enough for [D]counting, [A]when the dealings [D]done"
{eoc}
{c:verse 4}
"[D]Every gambler knows that the [G]secret to sur-[D]viving
Is [G]knowing what to [D]throw away and knowing what to [A7]keep
Cause [D]every hand's a winner and [G]every hand's a [D]loser
And the [G]best that you can [D]hope for is to [A]die in your [D]sleep"
{c:verse 5}
And [D]when he'd finished speaking he [G]turned back towards the [D]window
[G]Crushed out his [D]cigarette and faded off to [A7]sleep
And [D]↓somewhere in the darkness the [G]↓gambler he broke [D]↓even
But [G]↓in his final [D]↓words I found an [A]↓ace that I could [D]↓keep
{soc}
You got to [D]know when to hold 'em, [G]know when to [D]fold 'em
[G]Know when to [D]walk away, and know when to [A]run
You never [D]count your money when you're [G]sitting at the [D]table
There'll be [G]time enough for [D]counting, [A]when the dealings [D]done
{eoc}
{soc}
{c:a capella}
You got to [D]↓know when to hold 'em (when to hold 'em), know when to fold 'em (when to fold 'em)
[ ]Know when to walk away, and know when to run
[ ]You never count your money when you're sitting at the table
[ ]There'll be time enough for counting, when the dealings done
{eoc}
{soc}
You got to [D]know when to hold 'em, [G]know when to [D]fold 'em
[G]Know when to [D]walk away, and know when to [A]run
You never [D]count your money when you're [G]sitting at the [D]table
There'll be [G]time enough for [D]counting, [A]when the dealings [D]↓done
{eoc}
{c:The original has a key change at verse 4 up to E, A, B7 and B}
