| I | |
| On a wa-arm summer’s evenin’/ on a tra-ain bound for no-owhere, I met up with the ga-ambler; /we were both too tired to sleep. So we-e took tu-urns a starin’ / = out the windo-ow at the da-arkness ’til boredom overto-ok us, / = and he began to speak. | D D G D G D D A D D G D G D A D |
| II | |
| He said, „Son, I’ve made a li-ife / out of readin-n’ people’s fa-aces, And knowin’ what their ca-ards were / by the way they held their eyes. So if you don’t mind my sayin’,/ I can see you’re out of a-aces. For a ta-aste of your whiskey / I’ll give you some advice. | |
| III | |
| 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 you’re gonna play the game, boy, / ya gotta learn to pla-ay it right. | |
| Ref. | |
| 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 you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ / = when the dealin’s done. | D D G D G D D A D D G D G D A D |
| IV | |
| = Ev’ry gambler knows / that the secret to survivin’ Is knowin’ what to throw away / and knowing what to keep. ’Cause ev’ry hand’s a winner / and ev’ry hand’s a loser, And the best that you can hope for is / to di-ie in your sleep. | |
| V | |
| And when he’d 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 e-even. But in his final wo-ords I found / an ace that I could keep. | |
| Ref. | |
| + Ref. x 2 |
