Gambler chords by Kenny Rogers

• Capo on 1st

Tuning: EADGBE

Chords:
   A   D   Em/A  G   G/D
e|----0------2------0------3------3----|
B|----2------3------0------0------0----|
G|----2------2------0------0------0----|
D|----2------0------2------0------0----|
A|----0-------------0------5------2----|
E|-------------------------5------0----|

(In a moderate country half-time)

   D             G/D       D
On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
                           A
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
  D                G/D      D
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
   G/D       D  A        D
'til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

     D               G/D       D
He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
                               A
and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
    D                G/D        D
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
   G/D      D      A       D
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

   D              G         D
So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
                       A
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
    D                G         D
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
         G          D       A        D
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

      D           G       D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G      D             A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
     D   Em/A D         G       D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
         G     D    A         D
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Slide capo to 2nd fret:

D              G       D
Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
                         A
is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
    D             G       D
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
    G         D       A      D
and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

  D                G            D
And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
                      A
crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
  D               G         D
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
  G      D        A        D
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

      D           G       D
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
G      D             A
know when to walk away and know when to run.
     D   Em/A D         G       D
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
         G     D    A         D