"The Gambler"
On a warm summers evenin on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness
til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,
And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you dont mind my sayin, I can see youre out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey Ill give you some advice.
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.
So when hed finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness
til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,
And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you dont mind my sayin, I can see youre out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey Ill give you some advice.
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.
So when hed finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
Kenny Roger's song "The Gambler" teaches a simple yet important life lesson. Kenny Rogers compares the game of poker to the "game" of life in which you have to play your cards right in order to become successful. Your success in life depends on your outlook on life and many people give up when things become too difficult. Roger urges people to hold out even when things are tough because sooner or later you may stumble upon an "ace" that may turn your life around. Life is full of uncertainty just like the game of poker but if you understand the rules of the game and play your cards right you can make it to the top.
The setting of the song is set on a train going nowhere during the middle of the night. This represents a low point in the man's life when it seems he has lost his direction. The night represents the little hope for the future and for an improvement in the man's situation. The man soon meets a stranger who seems to be in the same situation. The man is unable to sleep because he is unsure of his future and is not at peace. Soon the gambler tells the man that he can read peoples faces and tell where they are in life. The Gambler knows that the man is out of aces and has nowhere to go. The Gambler then agrees to offer the man some advice. In this stanza the gambler is characterized as the old wise man who people come to for advice and the man who has seen it all. The writer of the song uses setting to portray a lack of hope and uncertainty about the future.
The next stanza describes the gambler as he prepares to give his advice to the other man. It describes how the gambler lights a cigarette and looses all expression. The words "and the night got deathly quiet" reveal the seriousness of the situation. The tone of the stanza is melancholy and dark representing the man's current position in life. The scene can be imagined easily and the author makes good use of imagery to help the listener imagine the scene. After the pause the gambler finally gives his advice. The gambler uses poker terms to describe certain situations in life. He says that you have to know when to hold out and wait for things to get better. You have to know when to give up or walk away from something. You have to know when to run from dangerous situations. He advises the man to never count his money at the table. In other words don't show off in front of people because no one respects that. The truly wealthy people are the ones who you could never tell are wealthy. Show offs are often just borrowing money or have little money to begin with.
After the chorus the gambler imparts some more advice on the man. He says that the secret to survival is knowing what cards to keep. He says that every hands a winner and every hands a loser". This shows that every situation in life has the potential to end in a positive or negative aspect it just depends on your attitude towards the situation. He also says that the best thing you can hope for is to die in your sleep. Ironically after he finishes that line the gambler fades off to sleep. His cigarette goes out representing the dying embers of life. The gambler died in his sleep which is the best thing you could have asked for. After that it says that "somewhere in that darkness the gambler broke even" showing that even though there seemed to be little hope the gambler was at peace. Many people are not at peace when they die and this is why the gambler broke even. After this the man's outlook on life immediately begins to improve because he gained some valuable advice.
The man gained an ace from listening to the gambler's advice. Even though the advice is very simply it is relevant to everyone. The message of the song is timeless and would still be relevant years into the future. The song shows man's potential for good or bad depending on his outlook. You can have bad cards and still win at the game of poker if you know how to play right. Some of the most successful people in life have been born into bad situations and come out on top. That is what the gambler's message is all about.
