The Grateful Dead have a lot of songs about gambling. You could probably put all their lyrics on a wall and throw a dart at it and you’ll probably hit a gambling reference as often as not.
Besides the above, there’s also Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo , which has the line “They say that Cain caught Abel / Rollin’ loaded dice / Ace of Spades behind his ear…”
or Truckin’ : “Truckin’, like the doodah man / once told me you got to plaay your hand / sometimes the cards a’int worth a dime / if you don’t lay 'em down”
There is a great line from City of New Orleans by Willie Nelson that goes “Playing cards with the old men in the club car. Penny a point. Ain’t no one keepin’ score.”
It really isn’t enough to be a “gambling” song, but it sure is a great line.
Ray Charles did the theme song from the Cincinnati Kid (a film staring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld, etc about a professional poker player) and then released a single of the song and an album with it in the title.
I was gambling in Havana,
I took a little risk.
Send lawyers, guns and money;
Dad, get me out of this.
from Lawyers, Guns and Money by Warren Zevon.
And for City of New Orleans, I’d say to go with the Arlo Guthrie version. (I haven’t heard Willie Nelson do that song, but he could probably make it work.)
“Silky Sam was a gambling man
and the cards would do tricks in his hand.
The stars would shine just to make a lucky sign
so he’d understand.”
From the All Music Guide: “Written about a fellow named Marshall Blonstein, who worked as a promotion man for Lou Adler’s Ode Records. An infectious slice of tasteful Southern California late-'60s pop, it features some of Spirit’s finest vocal harmonies, one of their truly underrated skills. Jay Ferguson’s simple, ascending melody is also one of his finest. There is also an inventive and dramatic production touch: a card game (recorded in the studio with Blonstein dealing the hands) backed by some well-executed strings and horns.”
Best song on the Return of the Grievous Angel tribute album. I loves me some Cowboy Junkies. The same album also has another Vegas song (as does Gram’s own catalog) in Sin City, but it’s a real downer.
For a different kind of gamble, you have Charlie Daniels Band Devil Went Down to Georgia, the horrid followup Devil Went Back to Georgia, and regional Bawlmer favorite, the parody: Devil Went Down to Dundalk.
I’m very glad this is a medium through which beer bottles may not be thrown at my head, otherwise I’d be hesitant to bring up the brilliant poker-as-metaphor-for-love-and-family that is Garth Brooks “Two of a Kind (Working on a Full House)” :rolleyes:
More from association with a gambling movie than the song itself, but Eric Clapton’s It’s in the Way that You Use It from the movie The Color of Money would work for me.
I’m so glad to spend so much time typing a response that offers so little…
Also in the poker-as-metaphor department, there’s the old country music standard “From a Jack to a King.” Not sure of the original artist, but I think Elvis covered this one.
Alss, not a gambling song, but a song about leaving your job to enjoy your life:
“Big City Turn Me Loose” - Merle Haggard
Sample lyric:
*Turn me loose, set me free, somewhere in the middle of Montana.
And gimme all I got comin’ to me,
And keep your retirement and your so called social security.
Big City turn me loose and set me free.
Been working everyday since I was twenty.
Haven’t got a thing to show for anything I’ve done.
There’s folks who never work and they’ve got plenty.
Think it’s time some guys like me had some fun.*
Gambler ambled down a country lane
Looking for a game of chance
She was twenty-one or two
And she knew what she wanted
And she wanted that gamblin’ man
Her parents warned her
Tried to reason with her
She was determined that she wanted Bill
They’d all be offended at the mention still
If they heard this song, which I doubt they will
And my mama couldn’t be persuaded
When they pleaded with her
Daughter don’t marry that gamblin’ man
Mama couldn’t be persuaded
When they pleaded with her
Daughter don’t marry that gamblin’ man
Mama couldn’t be persuaded
When they pleaded with her
No, no nevertheless
I said my mama couldn’t be persuaded
when they pleaded with her,
“Daughter, don’t marry that gamblin’ man.”
*
Never hit 17 when you play against the dealer
For you know the odds won’t ride with you
Never leave your woman alone with your friends around to steal her
Years are gambled and lost like summer wages
George Strait’s Ace in the Hole: You’ve got to have an ace in the hole
A little secret that nobody knows
Life is a gamble a game we all play
But you need to save something for a rainy day
You’ve got to learn to play your cards right
If you expect to win in life
Don’t put it all on the line for just one roll
You’ve got to have an ace in the hole
Doug Supernaw’s Reno: Couldn’t roll me a seven if they gave me loaded dice
I couldn’t draw a hand if I sat here all night
Scared money bad whiskey there ain’t no way to win
This ain’t the first time, it’s the way it’s always been
You know the lady’s a lot like Reno
She ain’t got a heart and she don’t care when you’re down
Just like the lights of a casino
She’ll pull you in and play with you awhile
But there ain’t no way to win I know she’s a lot like Reno
