On a warm summer's evening
On a train bound for nowhere
I met up with the gambler
We were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns a-starin'
Out the window at the darkness
The boredom overtook us
And he began to speak
He said, "Son, I've made a life
Out of readin' people's faces
Knowin' what the 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
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right
You've 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
Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep"
And when he'd finished speakin'
He turned back toward the window
Crushed out his cigarette
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've 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
You've got to know when to hold 'em (when to hold 'em)
Know when to fold 'em (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
You've 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
On a train bound for nowhere
I met up with the gambler
We were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns a-starin'
Out the window at the darkness
The boredom overtook us
And he began to speak
He said, "Son, I've made a life
Out of readin' people's faces
Knowin' what the 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
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right
You've 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
Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep"
And when he'd finished speakin'
He turned back toward the window
Crushed out his cigarette
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've 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
You've got to know when to hold 'em (when to hold 'em)
Know when to fold 'em (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
You've 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
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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.
not being smart, just seems a little obvious. otherwise, interesting insight. hadn't looked at the overall song that way before.
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 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.
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.
And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even.
And in his final words I found an ace that I could keep. "
"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.