It seems to be about the life of a card gambler and the cost that is exacted by such a life, whether in money at the table, a back alley beating afterward, or just simple lonliness.
My favorite stanza is the last. He seems to be telling a more respectable friend to stay away and not get entangled with his problems. "You were never one for trouble/so get outta here/I knew the game was dangerous back then" calls to mind an unlucky instance where the main character's debts catch up with him and he's in for some severe trouble, and he doesn't want his friend to get involved.
This is a real gem.
It seems to be about the life of a card gambler and the cost that is exacted by such a life, whether in money at the table, a back alley beating afterward, or just simple lonliness.
My favorite stanza is the last. He seems to be telling a more respectable friend to stay away and not get entangled with his problems. "You were never one for trouble/so get outta here/I knew the game was dangerous back then" calls to mind an unlucky instance where the main character's debts catch up with him and he's in for some severe trouble, and he doesn't want his friend to get involved.
Very touching.