Chords for The Whistlin' Donkeys - The Gambler - LIVE at Mandela Hall

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ All right, just you all here, sing it. _ _
On a warm summer's evening, [G] on a train bound for nowhere,
Met up with the gambler, we were both too tired to sleep.
[D] So we took turns at staring [G] out the window [D] at the darkness.
[G] The boredom overtook us, [A] we began [D] to speak.
He said, son, I've made my life out of reading [D] people's faces,
Knowing what the cards were by the way they held [A] their eyes.
[D] So if you don't mind me saying, I can see you're out of aces,
For a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice.
So I handed him my bottle, [G] he drank down [D] my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette, then asked me [A] for a life,
[D] And the night got deathly quiet.
His face lost all expression,
Said, if you're gonna play the game, boy, [A] you gotta learn [D] to play it right.
You got to know when to walk away,
[Dm] Know _ [G] _ when to run,
_ [A] _
[D] You never [G] count your money,
When you're sitting [D] at the table, there'll be time enough for counting.
When the feeling's done, here they go.
_ _ On your [G] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [A] own, focus, here it goes.
[D] _ You got to know when to run,
[Gm] _
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
[D] Here it goes.
Every gambler knows [G] that the secret [D] to surviving
Is knowing what to throw away, knowing [A] what to keep.
Cause every hand's a winner, [G]
and every [D] hand's a loser.
[G] The best that you can hope [A] for is to die [D] in your sleep.
And when he finished speaking, [G]
he turned [D] back toward the window,
_ Crushed out his cigarette, faded [A] off to sleep,
And [D] somewhere in the darkness, [G]
the gambler [D] he broke even.
[G] In his final words I [A] found, and he said, [D] I'm lucky.
You got to know when to hold it, [G]
know [D] when to throw it up,
[G] Know when to [D] walk away, know [A] when to run,
You [D] never count your money,
[G] When you're sitting [D] at the table, there'll be time enough for counting.
[A]
When the [D] feeling's done, you got to know when to hold it,
[G]
Know when [D] to throw it up, [G] know when [D] to walk away,
Know when [A] to run,
You never count your money,
When [G] you're sitting at [D] the table, there'll be time enough for counting.
[A]