On the warm summer's eve on a train bound for nowhere

I met up with a gambler we were both too tired to sleep

So we took turns starin' out window at the darkness

Till boredom overtook us and he commenced to speak

He said son I made a life out of readin' people's faces

And knowin' what the cards were by the way they held their eyes

And if you don't mind my sayin' I can see you're out of aces

And for a taste of your whiskey I would give you some advice

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow

Then he'd 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 gonna play the game boy you gotta learn to play it right

you gotta know when to hold up know when to fold up

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

[ guitar ]

He said every gambler knows that the secret to survival

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 you can hope for is to die in your sleep

When he finished speaking he turned back to the window

Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep

Somewhere in the darkness the gambler he broke even

In his final words I found an ace that I could keep

You gotta know when to hold...

You gotta know when to hold...

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done