Kenny Rogers – The Gambler Capo: no capo Original key: Eb (Note: first few lines are picked, then strumming.) [Verse 1] [G]On a warm summer’s evenin’ on a train bound for [C]nowhere, I [G]met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to [D]sleep. [G]So we took turns a starin’ out the window at the [C]darkness ’til [G]boredom overtook us, and he [D]began to [G]speak. [Verse 2] [G]He said, “Son, I’ve made a life out of readin’ people’s [C]faces, and [G]knowin’ what their cards were by the way they held their [D]eyes. [G]And if you don’t mind my sayin’, I can see you’re out of [C]aces. For a [G]taste of your whiskey I’ll give [D]you some ad[G]vice.” [Verse 3] [G]So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last [C]swallow. Then he [G]bummed a cigarette and asked me for a [D]light. [G]And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all ex[C]pression. Said, “[G]If you’re gonna play the game, boy, ya [D]gotta play it [G]right. [Chorus] [G]You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to [C]fold ’em, Know [G]when to walk away and know when to [D]run. You [G]never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the [C]table. There’ll be [G]time enough for countin’ when the [D]dealin’s [G]done. [Verse 4] (transpose +1 here if you want to play it correctly) [G]Ev’ry gambler knows that the secret to sur[C]vivin’ is [G]knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to [D]keep. [G]’Cause ev’ry hand’s a winner and ev’ry hand’s a [C]loser, and the [G]best that you can hope for is to [D]die in your [G]sleep.” [Verse 5] [G]And when he’d finished speakin’, he turned back towards the [C]window, crushed [G]out his cigarette and faded off to [D]sleep. [G]And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke [C]even. But in his [G]final words I found an [D]ace that I could [G]keep. [Chorus] [G]You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to [C]fold ’em, Know [G]when to walk away and know when to [D]run. You [G]never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the [C]table. There’ll be [G]time enough for countin’ when the [D]dealin’s [G]done. [G]You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to [C]fold ’em, Know [G]when to walk away and know when to [D]run. You [G]never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the [C]table. There’ll be [G]time enough for countin’ when the [D]dealin’s [G]done. [G]You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to [C]fold ’em, Know [G]when to walk away and know when to [D]run. You [G]never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the [C]table. There’ll be [G]time enough for countin’ when the [D]dealin’s [G]done.