and the night got deathly quiet

On a warm summer's evenin'
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'
out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made my life
out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were -- by the way they held their eyes.
So if you don't mind my sayin'
I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll 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.
He said, "If you're 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 you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' -- when the dealin's done.

Now ev'ry gambler knows
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 you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

So 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 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, 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.

-----------------------
{written - Don Schlitz.  recorded - Kenny Rogers.  released - November 1978}

I had not thought of that song in a long time.
Beguiling melody.  Seductive story-telling.
..."the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep"...
..."in his final words I found
an ace that I could keep."
..."I can see you're out of aces"...
"...if you don't mind my sayin'..."
"...on a train bound for nowhere..."
"...the gambler, he broke even..."
..."know when to walk away"

There's not a wasted word -- not an extra syllable -- in that composition; it all belongs, all gold....Don Schlitz be happening.

"...know when to run..."

-30-