Bobby Bare - Gambler lyrics

On the warm summer's eve on a train bound for nowhere I met up with a gambler we were both too tired to sleep So we took turns 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 And if you don't mind my sayin' I can see you're out of aces And 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 and asked me for a light And the night got d**hly quiet and his face lost all expression He said if you gonna play the game boy you gotta learn to play it right You gotta know when to hold up know when to fold up 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's done [ guitar ] He said 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 and every hand's a loser And the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep When he finished speaking he turned back to the window Crushed out his cigarette and 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... You gotta know when to hold... There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done