Chords for Clawhammer Banjo - Song (and Tab) of the Week: "The Gambler"
Tempo:
93.95 bpm
Chords used:
Eb
Ab
Bb
Cm
G
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Eb] On a warm summer's evening, on [Ab] a train bound for [Eb] nowhere, I met up with a gambler.
We were both [Bb] too tired to sleep, [Eb] so we took turns staring.
We knew at the darkness, boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
He said, son, I've made a life, not of reading people's faces,
knowing what the cards were by [Bb] the way they held their eyes.
[Eb] So if you'll come out and see him, [Ab] I can see [Eb] you're out of aces,
for a taste of your whiskey, [Bb] I'll give you [Eb] some advice.
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bumped a cigarette and asked me for [Bb] a light,
[Eb] and the night got deathly quiet.
[Ab] His face lost all [Eb] expression, [Cm] said if you're gonna [Eb] play the game boy,
[Bb] you gotta learn [Eb] to play it right.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
While you're sitting at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
[Ab]
[Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
[Ab]
[Eb] [Ab] [Eb] [Bb]
[Eb] Every gamble knows [Ab] that the secret [Eb] to surviving is knowing what to throw away,
knowing [Bb] what [Eb] every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
[Ab] and the best that you [Eb] can hope for [Bb] is to die [Eb] in your sleep,
and when he heard you speaking, he turned back toward the window,
crushed out his cigarette, and faded off to sleep, and somewhere in the darkness,
a gambler he broke even, [Ab] but in his [Eb] final words I found a case that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, [Ab] [Eb] know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting [Eb] at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
[Ab] [Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
[Ab] [Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] [Eb] know when to fold up, [Ab] know [Eb] when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting at [Eb] the table, there'll be time enough counting,
[Bb] [Eb] when the dealing's done.
[G]
[N]
We were both [Bb] too tired to sleep, [Eb] so we took turns staring.
We knew at the darkness, boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
He said, son, I've made a life, not of reading people's faces,
knowing what the cards were by [Bb] the way they held their eyes.
[Eb] So if you'll come out and see him, [Ab] I can see [Eb] you're out of aces,
for a taste of your whiskey, [Bb] I'll give you [Eb] some advice.
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bumped a cigarette and asked me for [Bb] a light,
[Eb] and the night got deathly quiet.
[Ab] His face lost all [Eb] expression, [Cm] said if you're gonna [Eb] play the game boy,
[Bb] you gotta learn [Eb] to play it right.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
While you're sitting at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
[Ab]
[Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
[Ab]
[Eb] [Ab] [Eb] [Bb]
[Eb] Every gamble knows [Ab] that the secret [Eb] to surviving is knowing what to throw away,
knowing [Bb] what [Eb] every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
[Ab] and the best that you [Eb] can hope for [Bb] is to die [Eb] in your sleep,
and when he heard you speaking, he turned back toward the window,
crushed out his cigarette, and faded off to sleep, and somewhere in the darkness,
a gambler he broke even, [Ab] but in his [Eb] final words I found a case that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, [Ab] [Eb] know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting [Eb] at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
[Ab] [Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
[Ab] [Eb] [Ab] [Eb]
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] [Eb] know when to fold up, [Ab] know [Eb] when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting at [Eb] the table, there'll be time enough counting,
[Bb] [Eb] when the dealing's done.
[G]
[N]
Key:
Eb
Ab
Bb
Cm
G
Eb
Ab
Bb
[Eb] _ _ _ On a warm summer's evening, on [Ab] a train bound for [Eb] nowhere, I met up with a gambler.
We were both [Bb] too tired to sleep, [Eb] so we took turns staring.
We knew at the darkness, _ boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
_ He said, son, I've made a life, not of reading people's faces,
knowing what the cards were by [Bb] the way they held their eyes.
[Eb] So if you'll come out and see him, [Ab] I can see [Eb] you're out of aces,
for a taste of your whiskey, [Bb] I'll give you [Eb] some advice. _
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bumped a cigarette and asked me for [Bb] a light,
[Eb] and the night got deathly quiet.
[Ab] His face lost all [Eb] expression, [Cm] said if you're gonna [Eb] play the game boy,
[Bb] you gotta learn [Eb] to play it right.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, _ know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
While you're sitting at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Bb] _ _
[Eb] _ _ _ _ Every gamble knows [Ab] that the secret [Eb] to surviving is knowing what to throw away,
knowing [Bb] what _ [Eb] every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
[Ab] and the best that you [Eb] can hope for [Bb] is to die [Eb] in your sleep,
and when he heard you speaking, he turned back toward the window,
crushed out his cigarette, and faded off to sleep, and somewhere in the darkness,
a gambler he broke even, [Ab] but in his [Eb] final words I found a case that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, [Ab] [Eb] know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting [Eb] at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done. _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ [Eb] _ _ _
_ _ You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] [Eb] know when to fold up, [Ab] know [Eb] when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting at [Eb] the table, there'll be time enough counting, _
[Bb] [Eb] when the dealing's done. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
We were both [Bb] too tired to sleep, [Eb] so we took turns staring.
We knew at the darkness, _ boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.
_ He said, son, I've made a life, not of reading people's faces,
knowing what the cards were by [Bb] the way they held their eyes.
[Eb] So if you'll come out and see him, [Ab] I can see [Eb] you're out of aces,
for a taste of your whiskey, [Bb] I'll give you [Eb] some advice. _
So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bumped a cigarette and asked me for [Bb] a light,
[Eb] and the night got deathly quiet.
[Ab] His face lost all [Eb] expression, [Cm] said if you're gonna [Eb] play the game boy,
[Bb] you gotta learn [Eb] to play it right.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, _ know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
While you're sitting at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Bb] _ _
[Eb] _ _ _ _ Every gamble knows [Ab] that the secret [Eb] to surviving is knowing what to throw away,
knowing [Bb] what _ [Eb] every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser,
[Ab] and the best that you [Eb] can hope for [Bb] is to die [Eb] in your sleep,
and when he heard you speaking, he turned back toward the window,
crushed out his cigarette, and faded off to sleep, and somewhere in the darkness,
a gambler he broke even, [Ab] but in his [Eb] final words I found a case that I could keep.
You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] know [Eb] when to fold up, [Ab] [Eb] know when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting [Eb] at the table, there'll be time enough counting,
when the dealing's done. _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ [Eb] _ _ _
_ _ You got to know when to hold on, [Ab] [Eb] know when to fold up, [Ab] know [Eb] when to walk away,
know when to run if you count your money.
[Ab] While you're sitting at [Eb] the table, there'll be time enough counting, _
[Bb] [Eb] when the dealing's done. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _