The Gambler

A man with something serious troubling him finds himself sharing a compartment on a late night train with a processional gambler. Whatever’s weighing on him must be big, or why else would he be draining a bottle of whiskey on a midnight train with destination unknown? (“A train bound for nowhere.”) Probably something about a woman, knowing these old country and western songs…

They sit in silence for a long time, until the gambler breaks it, saying: “I’ve built a life on reading people’s faces, and I can tell looking at yours that you’re up against something that’s bigger than you can handle. If you’ll share that last swallow of whiskey and a smoke, I’ll give you some advice.”

The nameless companion relents, and in the thick gambling metaphor of the chorus, the gambler tells him, basically this: That there are times you need to hang on, and times you need to let go; and also times when you need to swallow your pride, think about what you’re up against, and get the heck outta there as fast as your legs can carry you.

He repeats more of the same metaphor in the second verse, and also reminds his companion that like gambling, life is a matter of chance or luck (“Cause every hand’s a winner, and every hand’s a loser”) and that the best you can expect in the long run is to break even, and die happy (“in your sleep”). Then the gambler, old enough to call his companion “son”, and hit by the effects of the whiskey shot, falls asleep in his seat.

And as the nameless companion sits looking out the window in silence, the gambler’s advice repeats in his head (as the chorus repeats in the song) he reaches an epiphany; something about what the gambler said clicks in him, and he understands how he needs to deal with his problem. (“And in his final words I found an ace that I could keep” — the “ace” the gambler hinted the man was missing at the beginning of the song.)

How did the gambler break even? That one’s a little bit more difficult because it’s outside of the flow of the song’s narrative about the nameless man travelling on the midnight train. But, it might have to do with the fact that as a professional gambler the man giving the advice has made a living by taking what’s valuable from other people. On the train, he is giving his nameless companion powerful, but cryptic advice that guides him to the answer to his troubles. He’s giving away something valuable rather than taking it; or at least selling it, if you consider the whiskey and the cigarette payment.

the gambler dies. if you've ever played poker you know that the best you can expect is to break even. and the gambler says "the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep". so dying in your sleep is the same as breaking even. so if he breaks even he got the best he could hope for. (died in his sleep). confusin, eh?

"You never count your money..." I take it as behaving spontaneously while your in any social interaction, "You'll have enough time to count 'em when the deal is done". Then, maybe later it would be worth analyzing situations or ruminating... but not while your acting, cause then it'll stagnate you.

"So we took turns a-starin' Out the window at the darkness" When we stare into darkness through a window in a lit train we see our own reflection . The gambler was himself and the cards were life chances . The moral of the song as a parable is that we are responsible for our own choices . The conversation was an internal monologue before the man died in his sleep . It is uplifting in that he understood his life before he passed away . This was the real ace.

I have held many long, heated discussions with my mother as to whether The Gambler dies at the end of the song. I say he does, she says not. I think it just makes sense. What else would "broke even" and "final words" refer to? And he already said that "the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

I enjoyed reading your literal interpretations of this song. =) I'd like to offer a subjective, figurative interpretation of it. I believe that the gambler, a wise elderly man, offered advice to a young man who was driven by feelings. The wise man used a metaphor to explain that prudence does not make decisions based on feelings, but consistently responds, cautiously, with good judgment. There is a correct and incorrect way to handle situations, the outcome is dependent on the handling of it; impulse or right reason. Lastly, the young man learned from the wise man's advice and implemented it.

anyone want to discuss whether or not they think the Gambler dies at the end of the song "And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep...

And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even. And in his final words I found an ace that I could keep. "

I agree the gambler dies in his sleep at the end, you dont have to come out and say it. its obvious

I would say that the gambler unquestionably dies at the end of the song. Earlier in the song, it states, "And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep." The "ace" is found in the gambler's "final words" after he "broke even." I would say that there is virtually no question that he died. Please feel free to disagree if you feel otherwise.

the old man dies at the end of the song in my opinion and i also agree that this song is about the life and how u deal with what comes to you, this is obviously being told by the older man. i also think that he dies happy in the knowledge that he has bestowed his wisdom to someone else for them to also pass on. "And in his final words I found an ace that I could keep." this seems like the old man's words have helped the singer and so he dies knowing he woz successful. great song.