The Gambler - Kenny Rogers - 80 bpm

On a 
D
warm 

summer's 

evenin' 

on a 
G
train 

bound for 
D
nowhere,

I 
G
met up 

with the 
D
gambler; 

we were 

both too 

tired to 
A7
sleep.

So 
D
we took 

turns a 

starin' 

out the 
G
window 

at the 
D
darkness

'til 
G
boredom 

over
D
took us, 

A7
... and he be

gan to 
D
speak.

He said, "
D
Son, I've 

made a 

life 

out of 
G
readin' 

people's 
D
faces,

and 
G
knowin' 

what their 
D
cards 

were by the 

way they 

held their 
A7
eyes.

And if 
D
you don't 

mind my 

sayin', 

I can 
G
see you're 

out of 
D
aces.

For a 
G
taste 

of your 
D
whiskey 

I'll 
A7
give you 

some ad
D
vice."

So I 
D
handed 

him my 

bottle 

and he 
G
drank down 

my last 
D
swallow.

 
G
Then he 

bummed a 
D
ciga

rette and 

asked me 

for a 
A7
light.

And the 
D
night got 

deathly 

quiet, 

and his 
G
face lost 

all expr
D
ession.

Said, "If you're 
G
gonna 

play the 
D
game, 

boy, ya gotta 
A7
learn to 

play it 
D
right.

	You got to 
D
know 

when to 

hold 'em, 

G
know 

when to 
D
fold 'em,

	
G
know 

when to 
D
walk a

way and 

know 

when to 
A7
run.

	You never 
D
count 

your 

money 

when you're 
G
sittin' 

at the 
D
table.

	There'll be 
G
time e

nough for 
D
countin' 

A7
... when the 

dealin's 
D
done.

 
E
Ev'ry 

gambler 

knows 

that the 
A
secret 

to sur
E
vivin'

is 
A
knowin' 

what to 
E
throw a

way and 

knowing 

what to 
B7
keep.

'Cause 
E
ev'ry 

hand's a 

winner 

and 
A
ev'ry 

hand's a 
E
loser,

and the 
A
best that 

you can 
E
hope for 

is to 
B7
die 

in your 
E
sleep."

And 
E
when he'd 

finished 

speakin', 

he 
A
turned back to

wards the 
E
window,

 
A
crushed 

out his 
E
ciga

rette and 

faded 

off to 
B7
sleep.

And 
E
somewhere 

in the 

darkness 

the 
A
gambler, 

he broke 
E
even.

But 
A
in his 

final 
E
words I 

found an 
B7
ace that 

I could 
E
keep.

	You got to 
E
know 

when to 

hold 'em, 

A
know 

when to 
E
fold 'em,

	
A
know 

when to 
E
walk a

way and 

know 

when to 
B7
run.

	You never 
E
count 

your 

money 

when you're 
A
sittin' 

at the 
E
table.

	There'll be 
A
time e

nough for 
E
countin' 

B7
... when the 

dealin's 
E
done.