The Gambler — Kenny Rogers
Chords and lyrics for The Gambler by Kenny Rogers (key of D).
Intro
[D] [G/D] [D] [A] [D]
Verse 1
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere, [D]
[G/D]I met up with the gambler; [D]we were both too tired to sleep. [A]
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness [D]
'til boredom overtook us, [G/D]and he [D]began to [A]speak. [D]
Verse 2
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces, [D]
[G/D]and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes. [A]
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces. [D]
[G/D]For a taste of your whiskey [D]I'll give you some [A]advice." [D]
Verse 3
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow. [D]
[G]Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light. [A]
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression. [D]
[G]Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, [D]ya gotta learn to play it [A]right. [D]
Chorus
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, [D]
[G]know when to walk away and know when to run. [D]
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the [Em/A]table. [D]
[G]There'll be time enough for countin' [D]when the [A]dealin's done. [D]
Verse 4
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin' [D]
[G]is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep. [A]
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser, [D]
[G]and the best that you can hope for [D]is to die in your [A]sleep." [D]
Verse 5
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window, [D]
[G]crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep. [A]
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even. [D]
[G]But in his final words [D]I found an ace that I could [A]keep. [D]
Chorus
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, [D]
[G]know when to walk away and know when to run. [D]
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the [Em/A]table. [D]
[G]There'll be time enough for countin' [D]when the [A]dealin's done. [D]
Outro
[D] [G] [D] [A] [D]