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14 GROUNDCOVER NEWS MUSIC My interpretation of the song “The Gambler” THE CONFUSED CLOUD Groundcover contributor When I found out a poetry issue was coming out for Groundcover, I knew right away it was a sign to write out my interpretation of the song “The Gambler,” which was made famous by the late, great Kenny Rogers. I remember hearing the song as a kid around the time of first grade. My grandparents on my mom’s side were country music fans. The Gambler was written by Don Schlitz, who wasn’t much of a gambler in real life, let alone a professional gambler. Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash also sang the song, but it was definitely made famous by Kenny Rogers. I still hear people singing it in public sometimes. In the song, two strangers are sitting in a train for what seems to be a long ride. There’s The Narrator and The Gambler. It starts with The Narrator saying “They were both too tired to sleep.” I’ve been on many Amtrak train rides often lasting between one and two days. I personally can relate to being exhausted yet not able to sleep. I’m not sure how common this is because everyone else in the train cars looks like they're asleep. I try at least fifteen times but almost never get any sleep. The train is bound for nowhere. My interpretation of this is it doesn’t matter where the train is going. This song reminds me of another great piece of poetry which is in the Bible — the Book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes, according to tradition, was written by King Solomon, the son of King David. One of the themes of Ecclesiastes is that many things, such as wisdom, pleasure and toil, are meaningless. I think a lot of the meaninglessness of life is also a theme of “The Gambler.” Anyway, the two people are The Narrator and The Gambler. The Narrator never said anything to The Gambler. The Gambler started talking out of boredom. When Don Schiltz wrote the song in 1976, walkmans and smartphones hadn't been invented yet, walkmans weren’t invented until 1979. Some people brought books on the trains, but for the most part train travel was much more boring than these days. The Gambler starts by telling The Narrator, “Son, I’ve made a life out of reading people’s faces and knowin’ what their cards were by the way they held their eyes. So, if you don’t mind me saying, I can see you’re out of Aces.” At this time, I can see the song isn’t really about playing cards for money, it’s meant to be a metaphor for life. In most card games, Aces are the highest card, so being out of Aces symbolizes being down on your luck. Who knows why The Narrator looked down and defeated. Many things make life hard. Maybe The Narrator was having marital, financial or health problems. Maybe The Narrator “being out of Aces” meant his life’s dreams seemed out of reach. Maybe he had no hope for certain goals. Maybe he felt judged and marginalized by the world. Maybe alcohol or addiction had taken over his life. The Gambler offers a bit more advice to The Narrator. His only price is a taste of The Narrator’s whiskey. In the 1970s, personal bottles of alcohol were technically not allowed on trains but the rules were rarely enforced. A practice called brown bagging, keeping liquor in a brown paper bag, was common on trains. It wasn’t until 1984 that Amtrak more strictly enforced alcohol rules, limiting alcohol to cafe, dining and private sleeper cars. The Gambler finished The Narrator’s whiskey, bummed a cigarette (which was still allowed) and asked for a light. Then his face changed and he “lost all expression.” He says, “If you’re gonna play the game, boy, you got to learn to play it right.” In the chorus The Gambler says “You got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.” This is probably one of the most famous song lyrics in history, or at least in the last century. I interpret this line as a metaphor for life. Knowing when to hold them seems to mean don’t give up on goals, relationships, belief systems or a solution to one of life’s problems. Many motivational speakers have said don’t give up. Then there’s “Know when to fold them” or when to give up on a goal. This isn’t always bad. I used to want to be an accountant and make lots of money. But because of trauma and mental illness I had to give up on that goal. I also used to really enjoy alcohol. Eventually drinking became dangerous to me and I had to quit, “fold them.” I used to be a member of a controversial, extremely fundamental Christian church and I had to let go of that identity and many of my beliefs. Next, The Gambler said, “Know when to walk away, and know when to run.” It’s weird that the only two choices are to walk away or run away. Maybe it’s assumed that if you’re winning of course, you keep playing. Gambling-wise, walking away can mean The Gambler has realized he’s not going to win anymore, or has lost all he planned on losing before leaving. Maybe he’s tired or has other plans. There will be a time to play again. Running implies danger. Maybe he gambled more than he has and the other players are going to want their money. Maybe his creditors are going to get violent. In life, an example of when it's time for me to walk away is when I’m arguing with someone and neither of us are going to change our mind. If I can’t physically walk away, I try to agree to disagree or change the subject. As a last resort I pretend to agree until I can get away and avoid that subject with that person in the future. I don’t feel guilty being dishonest. My peace is much more valuable to me than what I see is a forced sense of integrity. Other times, to “walk away” can be cancelling plans when I’m sick or even just really tired. If someone on the street gives me a mean look or even makes an insulting comment, which has happened to me, I turn and go the other way. Some examples of when I’ve had to “know when to run” include if something upsetting happens and I’m tempted to drink I “run” by getting away from the situation and using coping skills such a calling for support, going out to eat, sitting with a soda and Youtube Music, or going to see a movie. I also try to run in abusive, toxic situations and I keep my phone with me if I can’t physically get away and need help. A really important time to “know when to run” is in severe mental health crises where I’m a danger to myself or others. I run by calling the crisis line, or some other option to get into the Psych ER. I’ve saved both my life and freedom many times by getting help in crises. The next line is, “You never count your money while you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.” This can apply in many cases. I used to really want to lose weight. I’d weigh myself every day and get so frustrated when I didn't see immediate results. When I first got on psych meds, I wanted to feel better right away. Now when I look back and realize how much better I feel over the years, it’s much more gratifying. Patience and waiting to “count my money” is more effective in many areas of my life. I really don’t trust things that give me instant gratification. So that’s how I interpret that verse. The next verse is probably my favorite because it contradicts all the extremism and division in the world today. The Gambler says, “Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving is knowing what to keep. Cause 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.” I want to first give my interpretation of “Every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser.” Let’s take the example of fundamentalist Christianity. Many people love it. It gives their life meaning. Many have quit alcohol, drugs and other addictions by converting to Christianity. Many lonely people have found a great sense of a loving family and community. In this case, “the hand” of fundamentalist Christianity is a “winner.” Other people have been abused by fundamentalist Christianity. In the group I was in I felt guilty most of the time. I was belittled by leaders and punished if I spoke up. I also gave a lot of time and money and was sleep-deprived. I was in college and my grades suffered. Other people in fundamentalist Christian groups have been physically and sexually abused from childhood. The Bible has been used to justify corporal punishment. Proverbs 13:24 says “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” Many women and LGBTQ individuals have suffered because of fundamentalist Christian groups. So in that case “the hand” of fundamentalist Christianity is a ‘“loser.” This model of every hand being both a “winner” and “loser” can apply to other religions, political parties and beliefs, ways of life, and even diets (ketogenic, vegetarian vs. vegan vs. mediterranean and others). There’s also the example of different ways to recover from addiction. There’s AA, SMART recovery, just quitting, or just cutting back. People have successfully quit addictions using both the disease model and moral failing model. People have also failed with each model. Things I would also argue are that a “hand,” say a friendship or romantic relationship, can be a “winner” one day and a “loser” the next. (The song “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” by Chicago along with several other songs suggest a little time apart for couples to strengthen the relationship.) So back to the previous verse, The Gambler says that “Every Gambler knows the secret to survivin’ is knowing what to throw away and knowin’ what to keep.” In the example of fundamentalist Christianity, I got rid of a lot of my old beliefs and guilty feelings. Yet I still consider myself a Christian. I’ve heard people say I’m either a “believer” and “know the truth” or I don’t. For people who believe I can’t pick and choose which Bible verses I believe and follow, I recommend searching “President Bartlet Kicks the Bible Thumpers’ Butts” on Youtube. It’s a very enlightening clip from the show “The West Wing.” Like I said before, in relationships I can change the subject, agree to disagree, or get out of the conversation. I consider myself a liberal Democrat but I don’t need to agree with them on every issue. I also don’t need to hate every single thing about right-wing Republicans. I have Republican friends. (But I do hate a lot of things about the MAGA movement.) In recovery groups, personal therapy, while reading self-help see GAMBLER next page  APRIL 3, 2026

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