[Verse - No drums] G C G On a warm summer's evening on a train bound for nowhere G G D I met up with a gambler, we were both too tired to speak G C G So we took turns a-starin' out the window at the darkness C G D7 G 'Til boredom overtook us and he began to speak. G C G He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces, G D Knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes, G C G And if you don't mind me sayin', I can see you're out of aces, C G D G And for a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."
(bass drum on 2 and 4 to begin with - no snare) G C G So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow; G G D Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light, G C G And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression, C G D G ' said "If you're gon na play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.
[Chorus - Half time shuffle] G C G You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, C G D Know when to walk away And know when to run. G D G C G You never count your money When you're sittin' at the table; C G D G There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.
[Verse] A D A Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin' A E Is knownin' what to throw away and knowin' what to keep A E A D A 'Cause every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser, D A E A And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."
[Verse] A D A And when he finished speakin', he turned back toward the window, A E Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep, (drums stop) A E A D A And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even, D A E A But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.
[Chorus - Drums back in] A D A You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, D A A E Know when to walk away And know when to run. A E A D A You never count your money When you're sittin' at the table; A D A E A There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.
[Chorus] A D A You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, D A A E Know when to walk away And know when to run. A E A D A You never count your money When you're sittin' at the table; A D A E A There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.
[Chorus - A Cappella] A D A You got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, D A E Know when to walk away And know when to run. A E A D A You never count your money When you're sittin' at the table; A D A E A There'll be time enough for countin' When the dealin's done.
[Intro - BPM 140 - with Asus2 could try x07600] Chug on [D] - no drums - optional to play G before A during verse
[Verse 1 - No drums - Down stroke strumming chug] [D] I got my first real six-string [G] [A] Bought it at the five-and-dime [G] [D] Played it 'til my fingers bled [G] [A] It was the summer of '69 [G]
[Verse 2 - Bass on 1 only, snare at usual times - move to slow strum] [D] Me and some guys from school [G] [A] Had a band and we tried real hard [G] [D] Jimmy quit, Joey got married [G] [A] I shoulda known we'd never get far
[Chorus 1 - Full drums - BAd DoG] [Bm] Oh, when I [A] look back now [D] That summer seemed to [G] last forever [Bm] And if I [A] had the choice [D] Yeah, I'd always [G] wanna be there [Bm] Those were the [A] (stop) best days of my
[Instrumental - Up and down strumming - very open] Life [Dsus2 D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D][Asus2 A Asus4 A Asus2 A] x 2
[Verse 3] [D] Ain't no use in complainin' [G] [A] When you got a job to do [G] [D] Spent my evenin's down at the drive in [G] [A] And that's when I met you, yeah [G]
[Chorus 2] [Bm] Standin' on your [A] mama's porch [D] You told me that you'd [G] wait forever [Bm] Oh, and when you [A] held my hand [D] I knew that it was [G] now or never [Bm] Those were the [A] best days of my [D] life
[Instrumental] [Dsus2 D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D][Asus2 A Asus4 A Asus2 A] x 2 Oh yeah Back in the summer of '69 Ohhh
[Bridge] [F] Man, we were [Bb] killin' time We were [C] young and restless We [Bb] needed to unwind [F] I guess [Bb] nothin' can last for [C] ever, forever no
[Instrumental - No drums until fill on final A - just follow chords stab with snare] [Dsus2 D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D][Asus2 A Asus4 A Asus2 A] x 2
[Verse 4] [D] And now the times are changin' [G] [A] Look at everything that's come and gone [G] [D] Sometimes when I play that old six-string [G] [A] I think about you, wonder what went wrong
[Chorus 3] [Bm] Standin' on your [A] mama's porch [D] You told me that it'd [G] last forever [Bm] Oh, and when you [A] held my hand [D] I knew that it was [G] now or never [Bm] Those were the [A] best days of my [D] life
[Outro] [Dsus2 D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D][Asus2 A Asus4 A Asus2 A] x ad lib - solo out Oh yeah Back in the summer of '69 uh huh/ooh etc - repeat