About twenty years ago on a train bound for nowhere I met up with a gambler we were both too tired to sleep So we took turns a starin' through the window at the darkness Till boredom overtook us and he commenced to speak He said son I've made the life out of readin' people's faces And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes And if you don't mind my sayin' I would say you're out of aces And for one 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 bummed a cigarette then he bummed the light And the night got deathly quiet and his face lost all expression He said if you wanna play the game boy you better learn to play it right Cause every gambler knows that the secret to survival Is knowin' what to throw away knowin' what to keep And every hand's a winner just like every hand's a loser And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep Now you gotta know when to hold 'em know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away know when to run You don't never count your money while you're sittin' at the table There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin' is done You gotta know when to hold 'em...
And when he finished speaking he turned back toward the window Put out his cigarette faded off to sleep Somewhere in the darkness the gambler he broke even But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep You gotta know when to hold 'em... You gotta know when to hold 'em...
