Paul Shapera - The Ballad Of The Gambler And The Monk lyrics

(Narrator) You remember at the start, the Gambler and the Monk played cards? (Music with a rustic folk feel begins) Years before a Monk and Gambler embarked On a long trek right through the great lands of the North They had a debate about Gd, chance and fate And agreed it be settled through just one card game Day after day they sat there and they played As the weeks and the days and the months pa**ed away Travelers came in just to watch and drink gin And bet on which one would eventually win As a whole town was then slowly built round them The Gambler pot rose and Monk's pot went down And thus came to pa** the final hand came at last But before it was played the Gambler's heart it gave way He hollered and cried right out ‘for he died A curse from his lungs: the game was not done He swore they'd be back to finish at last And fist to the sky the Gambler died.