The Gambler (song)
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| "Gambler" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Kenny Rogers | ||
| from the album The Gambler | ||
| Released | November 15, 1978 | |
| Format | Vinyl | |
| Genre | Country | |
| Length | 3:32 | |
| Label | EMI | |
| Producer(s) | Larry Butler | |
"The Gambler" is the title track to Kenny Rogers' 1978 album. It was written by Don Schlitz (who had recorded it previously) and was one of five consecutive songs by Rogers to hit #1 on the Billboard country music charts at the time. On the pop chart, the song made #16 in early 1979. (The song later achieved a new-found popularity in the early 00's when North America's "poker craze" hit and many people became obsessed with playing the game No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em.)
The song itself tells the story of a late-night meeting on a train between Rogers (as narrator) and an unnamed gambler. The gambler tells Rogers that he can tell Rogers is down on his luck ("out of aces") by the look in his eyes and offers him advice in exchange for the last swallow of whiskey Rogers has. After the gambler takes the drink (and a cigarette), he gives the following advice:
- "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
- Know when to walk away, and 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."
The gambler then mentions that the "secret to survivin' is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep" and that the best you can hope for is to "die in your sleep". At this point, the gambler puts out the cigarette and goes to sleep.
The song ends with the mention that the gambler "broke even" (dies), and that Rogers finds "an ace that I could keep" in his final words.
The song is often characterized as a metaphor for life in that you need to know when to stand your ground (when to hold 'em) and when to retreat (when to fold 'em). The gambler has learned that the trick to life isn't the cards you've been dealt, but how to play them (every hand being a "winner" or a "loser" depending on how they are played). The "ace" that Rogers refers to in the end is this advice.
When Rogers appeared on The Muppet Show (episode 410, available on volume 11 of The Best of The Muppet Show home video series), "The Gambler" was brought to life, with Rogers performing in a mock-up of a passenger train interior, alongside a semi-realistic Muppet of an elderly man in the role of the Gambler. In this performance, the Gambler Muppet sang the first chorus, depicting the Gambler dispensing his advice to Rogers.
