Townes Van Zandt - Little Willie The Gambler lyrics

Come round you rovin gamblers theres a story I will tell* About the greatest gambler you all should know him well His name was Willie O''Connelly and he gambled all his life He's had 27 children yet he's never had a wife And it's ride Willie ride, roll Willie roll Where ever you're a gamblin' now nobody knows Well he gambled in the white house and in the railroad yards Where ever there was people there was Willie and his cards He had the reputation as the gamblinest man around Wives would keep their husbands home when Willie came town Sailin down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans They're still talkin about that card game on that Jackson Queen "I've come to win some money," gamblin Willie says When the game finally ended up, the whole darn boat was his Up in the Rocky Mountains in a town called Cripple Creek There was an old poker game lasted about a week 900 miners had laid their money down When Willie finally left the room he owned the whole darn town Well Willie had a heart of gold and this I know is true He supported all his children and all their mothers too He wore no wings and fancy things that other gamblers wore He spread his money far and wide to help the sick and poor When you played your cards with Willie you never really knew Whether he was bluffin or whether he was true He won a fortune from a man who folded in his chair The man he left a diamond flush Willie didn't even have a pair It was late one evening during a poker game A man lost all his money said Willie was to blame He shot poor Willie through the head which was a tragic fate Willie's cards fell on the floor they were aces backed with eights So all you ramblin gamblers where ever you might be The moral of the story is very plain to see Make your money while you can before you have to stop Cause when you pull that dead man's hand your gamblin days are up