Kenny Rogers’ lyric “Know when to walk away, and know when to…” ends with “run.”
“The Gambler” was written by Don Schlitz and recorded by Kenny Rogers in 1978. The song tells a story about a conversation between a traveler and an experienced gambler who shares advice about life, risk, and self-control.
Rogers’ recording became one of his signature songs and earned major country-music honors. Its advice is framed through poker language, including knowing what to keep, what to discard, and when to leave.
The line is often shortened in casual quotation, but the full pair is “know when to walk away, know when to run.” “Stay” is the natural opposite of “walk away,” yet it is not the lyric.