The Gambler - Scythian

You never count your money

When you’re sitting at the table

There’ll be time enough for counting

When the dealin’s done

On a warm summer’s evening

On a train bound for nowhere

I met up with a gambler

We were both too tired to sleep

So we took turns staring

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 reading people’s faces

Knowing what their cards were

By the way they held their eyes

If you don’t mind my sayin'

I can see you’re out of aces

For a taste of your whisky

Can I give some advice?

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 sitting at the table

There’ll be time enough for counting

When the dealin’s done

So I handed him my bottle

He drank down my last swallow

He bummed a cigarette

Then he asked me for a light

The night got deathly quiet

His face lost all expression

Said: if you’re gonna play the game boy

Got to learn to play it right

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 sitting at the table

There’ll be time enough for counting

When the dealin’s done

Now every gambler knows

That the secret to surviving:

Knowing what to throw away

Knowing what to keep

Cause every hand’s a winner

And every hand’s a loser

The best that you can hope for

Is to die in your sleep

Now when he’d finished speaking

He turned back towards the window

Crushed out his cigarette

Faded off to sleep

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 sitting at the table

There’ll be time enough for counting

When the dealin’s done

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 sitting at the table

There’ll be time enough for counting

When the dealin’s done