He gambled
in the White House and in the railroad yards,
Wherever
there was people, there was Willie and his cards.
He had
a reputation as the gamblin'est man around,
Wives
would keep their husbands home when Willie came to town.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
Sailin'
down the Mississippi to a town called New Orleans,
They're
still talkin' about their card game on that Jackson River Queen.
"I've
come to win some money," Gamblin' Willie says,
When
the game finally ended up, the whole damn boat was his.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
Up in
the Rocky Mountains in a town called Cripple Creek,
There
was an all-night poker game, lasted about a week.
Nine
hundred miners had laid their money down,
When
Willie finally left the room, he owned the whole damn town.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
But Willie
had a heart of gold and this I know is true,
He supported
all his children, and all their mothers too.
He wore
no rings or fancy things, like other gamblers wore,
He spread
his money far and wide, to help the sick and the poor.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
When
you played your cards with Willie, you never really knew
Whether
he was bluffin' or whether he was true.
He won
a fortune from a man who folded in his chair.
The
man, he left a diamond flush, Willie didn't even have a pair.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
It was
late one evenin' during a poker game,
A man
lost all his money, he said Willie was to blame.
He shot
poor Willie through the head, which was a tragic fate,
When
Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
So all
you rovin' gamblers, wherever you might be,
The
moral of this story is very plain to see.
Make
your money while you can, before you have to stop,
For
when you pull that dead man's hand, your gamblin' days are up.
And
it's ride, Willie, ride,
Roll,
Willie, roll,
Wherever
you are a-gamblin' now, nobody really knows.
Marco Giunco |
Work | Basket | Music | Words |