The Old Gambler Didn't Just Fall Asleep at the End. He Died. You Guys Get That, Right?

*Every gambler knows...

That the secret to survivin'

is knowing what to throw away, knowing what to keep.

Because every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser, and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep**...

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table

there'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done.

And when he finished speakin', he turned back toward the window.

Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep... and SomewhereIntheDarkness... the Gambler? He broke even, 'cause in his final words I found, an ace that I could keep...

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

He said, "Son I've made a life, out of reading people's faces, knowing what the cards were by the way they held their eyes... So if you don't mind my sayin', 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, and he drank down my last swallow. Then he 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're gonna play the game, boy, you got to learn to play it right:  You got know when to hold em.  Know when to fold em.  Know when to walk away. And know when to RUN..."

** In your sleep, as opposed to: On the street.